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Managing uncertainty

For many of us, change can be a stressful and uncomfortable experience. This is because change can cause us to lose our sense of control. Losing control feels unsettling because humans naturally seek stability and predictability.

Heightened uncertainty in both our work and home lives can push us into change fatigue. Change fatigue is a feeling of exhaustion and frustration that you might experience when undergoing frequent or complex changes in life. This can lead to decreased motivation, procrastination, and withdrawal from social activities.

In order to navigate change and manage uncertainty, there are steps you can take:

• Be aware of your triggers and recognise how your behaviour changes, identifying these behaviours can be the first step to addressing them.
• Face the issue head-on and think about what you can control, this can reduce feelings of vulnerability.
• Identify actions you can take to help yourself, this could be seeking professional advice, setting boundaries, or engaging in self-care.

Here are some strategies to help you manage feelings of uncertainty:

• Break down larger challenges into smaller, achievable steps using a to-do list.
• Focus on the present and think about what’s in your power to do right now, you may find it helpful to practice mindfulness.
• Get out into nature, a recent study from Loughborough University found that among other benefits, spending time in nature can reduce anxiety and decrease rumination (fixating on negative thoughts).
• Every day consider what went well and list three things you’re grateful for, you can use a self-care app such as Finch to remind you to check in with yourself.
• Try reframing unhelpful thoughts, check out this video from the NHS which offers practical tips on tackling negative thoughts.
• Routine can be a great way to feel more in control and reduce uncertainty, this could be as simple as going to bed at the same time every night.
• Make time to wind down at the end of the day, this could be spending some time on a hobby or you could try out this yoga practice for uncertainty.
• Share your concerns with trusted friends and family members, remember that a problem shared is a problem halved.

IDIA Students Hosted by Ambassador Patriota, Embassy of Brazil, London

Earlier this month, students from the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) at Loughborough University London had the privilege of visiting the Embassy of Brazil in London. Hosted by His Excellency Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, the visit provided an invaluable opportunity to explore the world of diplomacy firsthand and gain insights into pressing global issues.

The event was part of the growing collaboration and educational ties between the Embassy and IDIA; and follows last year’s hosting of the Ambassador at IDIA. It was also part of an IDIA Series Inside the Profession (ItP), that has become an established tradition at the Institute loved and valued by students and colleagues. The Series periodically brings practitioners in the field of diplomacy and international affairs broadly defined—state and non-state—to engage with students in a variety of formats, both through thematic discussions on pressing global issues and through the sharing of professional development experience and advice to students towards their career aspirations. It is part of the IDIA commitment to equip students of our MSc Programmes both on diplomacy and in international development with resources that will help them relate theory/academic studies to real-world, practice-based contexts applying their thinking while navigating career prospects.

Imannur Gül, a student pursuing an MSc in Diplomacy and International Relations, reflected on the enlightening discussion with the Ambassador. “We had the opportunity to ask questions about diplomacy, the Ambassador’s personal experiences, and the challenges and rewards of working in the field. Topics such as British-Brazilian relations and the upcoming COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil were particularly inspiring for those of us aspiring to become future diplomats.” She also remarked on the overall experience: “The Embassy’s ambience captivated us all. The elegant surroundings and the diplomatic atmosphere gave us a glimpse into the world of diplomacy and international cooperation.”

Rich Royar Yarboi, studying for an MSc in International Politics and Trade, was deeply engaged by the Ambassador’s reflections on Brazil’s global role. “The Ambassador emphasized Brazil’s priorities in building a just world and a sustainable planet, with a focus on social inclusion, sustainable development, and energy transition,” he noted. Rich found particular value in the Ambassador’s views on global governance: “He highlighted the importance of reforming international institutions to address systemic issues while preserving their core functions, including convening a review of the UN Charter.”

Both students found the visit profoundly educational and motivating. Imannur described it as “more than just an educational outing; it was a chance to connect with professionals in the field and learn from their expertise.” Rich added, “For many of us, the talk was eye-opening, linking academic studies with real-world practices in diplomacy and governance.”

The students were especially inspired by the Ambassador’s call to draw lessons from historical figures. Rich reflected, “It was special to hear the Ambassador compelling us to draw inspiration from great diplomats like Dr. Kofi Annan and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, whose contributions have shaped international relations.”

Gratitude was a recurring theme in their reflections. Imannur shared, “We are immensely grateful to the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs for organizing this event and to the Brazilian Embassy for hosting us so warmly.” Rich echoed this sentiment: “The hospitality extended by Ambassador Patriota and the Embassy staff made the visit truly memorable.”

The visit to the Embassy of Brazil stands out as a significant milestone for the students, bridging the gap between their academic studies and professional aspirations. Opportunities like these continue to inspire and prepare the next generation of diplomats and leaders.

This Week at Loughborough | 13 January

General

‘Extra Help’ Workshop at the Mathematics Learning Support Centre

13 January 2025, 4 – 5pm, Schofield Building

Are you ready to ace your exams? The Mathematics Learning Support Centre is here to help! From 13 – 17 January, join their ‘Extra Help’ Workshop.

University Choir Taster Session

13 January 2025, 7 – 9pm, Cope Auditorium

Are you considering joining the University Choir but don’t know if it’s for you? For the first two weeks of term the Choir are running their rehearsals as taster sessions. Potential new members can come along and give it a go before joining.

IAS Seminar: Disasters, Duties and Dependencies

15 January 2025, 12 – 1pm, International House

IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Tanja D. Hendriks delivers a seminar on their research.

Monad (exhibition)

17 January 2025, 12 – 2pm, Martin Hall Gallery   

An exhibition by two current Fine Art students, exploring their experiences working internationally. This exhibition is open until 31 January 2025.

IAS Friends and Fellows Coffee Morning

21 January 2025, 10:30am – 12pm, International House

If you would like to speak to a Wellbeing Advisor please come along to the Library for a drop-in appointment.

Five recommendations for successful school-based data collection

This blogpost was written by Natasha Guy. Natasha is a research assistant in the Centre for Early Mathematics Learning at Loughborough University. She is a former primary school teacher and SENDCO, working in schools across Manchester, Salford and Nottingham. Natasha is interested in mathematics research that holds practical relevance in the primary classroom. She has been involved in projects aiming to understand children’s learning of multiplication facts as well as the barriers to teacher engagement with research. Currently, Natasha is involved with projects exploring the early mathematical skills causally related to mathematics learning. There is a link to read more about Natasha’s work at the end of this blogpost. Blogpost edited by Dr Bethany Woollacott.

In this blogpost, Natasha reflects on her experiences of collecting data for a research project investigating multiplication tables (project website linked at the end of this blogpost), identifying five easy-to-adopt strategies for successful data collection with young children.

Introduction

There were big smiles on the children’s faces. Some whispered, “Yes!” while pumping their fist. I admit this was an unexpected reaction to four researchers walking into a Year 3 classroom laden with iPads ready for the next round of multiplication practice, but we were delighted! We had met the children twice before. On the first occasion, we asked them to complete several paper and pencil tasks – all maths-related. The second time, we introduced them to the iPads and our new ‘game’ – Treasure Chest Tables. Over two weeks, the children played this game six times to help us understand their multiplication practice. Would their enthusiasm last? Thankfully, yes (on the whole!). An even greater surprise was when one of our participating schools presented us with a thank-you card from the staff and children. Not only had the children enjoyed participating, but teachers had too. How did we achieve this? This blogpost outlines five recommendations for successful school-based data collection.

1. Make it relevant in the classroom

Schools are required to cover a lot of content to meet curriculum demands. We wanted to ensure that the schools we worked with could clearly see how our study would support that. Our research aim was to understand more about children’s practice of multiplication. Currently, teachers in Years 3 and 4 spend time preparing children for the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) – a statutory assessment of multiplication recall taken towards the end of Year 4. We made sure we had a clear understanding of the maths curriculum for this age group and developed our study with this in mind. We consulted with lower Key Stage 2 teachers on how children practice multiplication in the classroom, researched apps that support multiplication practice, and gathered teacher feedback during task development. By the time we were ready to recruit our partner schools, we were clear on the purpose of the study from both a research and practice perspective and could confidently relay this.

2. Keep the kids happy

The great (and terrifying) thing about children is they quickly tell you if something isn’t working for them. Our study included a pre-test, a two-week intervention period, and a post-test session. In developing these tasks, understanding the variability in 7–8 year-olds’ maths skills was vital. We were able to include the right mix of easier and more challenging items allowing children to successfully engage with the tasks, while giving us the variance we needed. Language was important too. One task included word-based multiplication problems. The wording for these was carefully matched to that commonly used in the classroom ensuring the data reflected children’s true mathematical ability.

We also developed a gamified app for the intervention phase. Again, we took great care in making this engaging for the children. We carefully considered the difficulty of the maths content (including different levels appropriate for different abilities), the aesthetic of the app, and the inclusion of a reward system. Combined, we created something that most children were excited to play for the duration of the intervention. This made the whole experience of data collection pleasurable for everyone.

3. Be realistic about time commitments

Schools are busy places, and a good understanding of how they operate is important. Before rushing into schools for data collection, we needed to know, for example, what time demands were realistic for schools without compromising the robust quality of the research project. We gave careful consideration to developing testing sessions that (i) fit easily into a class timetable, (ii) were long enough to capture the data we needed, and (iii) were age appropriate in length to ensure children’s attention was sustained. It was also important to allow time within the data collection schedule for flexibility and unexpected surprises. Things crop up in schools all the time that require plans to be altered. The wriggle room we planned into our testing schedule meant that when the inevitable requests came through from schools to change times and dates of sessions, we were able to accommodate that without compromising the project in any way.

4. Be clear on classroom management

Whole class testing is an efficient method of data collection. Provided children are mature enough to work through tasks independently, 20-30 good quality data points can be gathered in one session. However, despite its efficiency, it is not without risk. If something goes awry during a testing session, making up that session is much more complicated. When working with 30 children simultaneously, effective classroom management is vital. This was where my experience as a primary school teacher really came to the fore, enabling me to dust-off my classroom management skills and highlighting the value of having individuals with practical teaching experience within a research team. Throughout each session, children were focused, engaged and clear on what was expected of them. Because of this, sessions ran smoothly, staff and children enjoyed them, and high-quality data was gathered.

Clearly it is not realistic for all research teams to include an experienced teacher and therefore classroom management may not be within the skill set of the team. Fortunately, it is within the skill set of school-based staff. If they are clear on what each session will look like, teachers will likely be willing and able to support where needed. Ensuring both school and research staff know what is expected throughout the project greatly reduces the chances of things going wrong; something which is in everyone’s interest!

5. Take schools on the journey with you

The effort we put into creating a practical and relevant project was worth it. Children were engaged throughout, and staff gave positive feedback. However, we wanted schools to continue benefiting from the project after data collection. For us, this meant providing meaningful feedback as soon as we could. The nature of research often involves long periods of time between data collection and any outputs or publications. This is not helpful to schools that need feedback sooner for it to be useful – children progress in their learning very quickly. We therefore analysed children’s maths-based data from the pre and post-test sessions and produced reports for each school highlighting general areas of learning that classes were secure with or needed more work on.

Ethical consideration does need to be given to the types of information that is shared. We were careful to only provide similar information to that teachers would already be gathering on the children, and details of this were carefully relayed to parents during the consent process. We were hopeful this information could be used to supplement ongoing teacher assessments and support future teaching and learning. We are now analysing our data and considering how to share our findings. We will continue to update partner schools on our outputs. Additionally, we are considering the best places for dissemination, for example, practitioner-facing journals and conferences attended by educators. We want to ensure our key messages reach those who can improve children’s multiplication fact learning.

Summary

Asking schools to commit to a research project is no small thing. However, considering the relevance of the study, creating engaging tasks, being prepared for shifts in timelines and classroom behaviour, and creating and maintaining positive communication with partner schools are five things that can support a successful school-based project.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the schools, teachers and children for their participation and enthusiasm throughout the project that I discussed in this blogpost. I would also like to thank the principal investigators on this project, Professors Camilla Gilmore and Lucy Cragg, for their support and encouragement.

Five Minutes With: Karishma Joshi

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

C-DICE Project Administrator, I have been at Loughborough nearly 11 years.

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

My day kicks off by making sure I’m fully stocked with snacks and water – essentials to keep me going! Once I’m logged in, I dive into organising my inbox by priority, tackling whatever comes my way in between meetings. It’s a dynamic flow of predictability and unpredictability that keeps things fresh and exciting!

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

Having worked around the University in different roles, the Centre for Postdoctoral Researchers in Infrastructure, Cities and Energy (C-DICE) which is a research project funded by Research England has been my favourite project I’ve worked on. This project has given me a unique perspective into the research side of academia, allowing me to see firsthand the incredible efforts and innovative work that goes into driving us toward a net-zero future. It has been an eye-opening and rewarding experience to contribute to such a meaningful project.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Loughborough has been a place of immense growth for me, starting here at a young age. It’s where I’ve built my confidence and found the resources to make meaningful lifestyle changes that have led to a healthier, happier life. If I could show my younger self where I am today, they’d be amazed by what I’ve accomplished, making it difficult to choose just one standout moment.

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

I have a deep passion for traveling, which allows me to explore different cultures, cuisines, and traditions. Food has always been a source of joy and curiosity for me, not just as a way to indulge, but to understand the role it plays in nutrition and overall well-being. Through my travels and experiences, I’ve come to appreciate the connection between food, nutrition, and health. I’m also deeply passionate about women’s health because it’s such a complex and often misunderstood area that can be a limiting factor in many aspects of life. I believe in encouraging open conversations around it, as sharing our experiences not only helps break down stigma but also makes us feel lighter and more empowered. I love creating spaces where women can connect, share, and support each other, because honest dialogue can lead to greater understanding and confidence in managing our health.

What is your favourite quote?

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl

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

Public Domain Day 2025

Every year, on the 1^st of January, new material enters the public domain, making the works free to use, share and reuse. Due to differing copyright durations in each country, there is no single public domain – sometimes a work can be in public domain in one country while still being protected by copyright in another.

This year, we will have works entering the public domain from:

• People who died in 1954, for countries with a copyright protection term of lifetime of the creator + 70 years (UK, Russia, most of the EU)
• People who died in 1974, for countries with a copyright protection of lifetime of the creator + 50 years (New Zealand, most of Africa and Asia)
• Films and books as well as artworks published in 1929 in the United States.

Before we dive into the artists and works which have entered the public domain, lets have a look at what the public domain is.

The public domain is a term used to describe works for which copyright protection has expired or where the creator has decided to relinquish copyright protection. In the UK, the standard term for copyright protection is lifetime of the creator plus 70 years.

It is important to highlight here that new publications of public domain materials, will receive new copyright protection. As such, if you want to use material which is in the public domain, you have to be careful to use the material to which the copyright has expired and not any recent publications.

As an example, Mickey Mouse’s first depiction in “Steamboat Willie” has entered the public domain in 2024, however, newer representations of Mickey and Minnie are still protected. Be aware that some cartoon characters are also protected as trademarks, which does not expire. Currently, Disney has over 500 trademarks at EU level.

Let’s have a look at some names and works that have entered the public domain this year.

And many, many more works. We also have some more Mickey and Minnie Mouse versions entering the public domain, as well as Popeye and Tintin, the 1929 versions of these characters to be precise.

If you would like to read more about the public domain, Duke University Law School, explains it very well in their blog post Public Domain Day 2025. The blog post is mainly about material becoming available in the US.

More about the beauty of the public domain can be found on The Public Domain Review webpage.

Webinars and whatnots - December 2024

Open Research Week 2025 from Edge Hill University, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, and the University of Essex. 24-27 February. Free webinars, registrations now open!

Capturing Creativity Week 2024: Presentation by British Library: Collecting Emerging Formats at the British Library. 16 January 2025, from 11.00 – 12.00 GMT. Free webinar.

Wiley’s Open Access Week 2024 recordings available

Celebrate the Festive Season with Loughborough's Christmas Activities!

The Christmas season is upon us, and we’re thrilled to unveil our Loughborough Festivities Programme for the Christmas period. If you’re staying in Loughborough over the break, we’ve got an exciting range of activities and events planned to keep you feeling festive.

Whether you’re in the mood for exploring, creating, or just relaxing and having fun with friends, there’s something for everyone. From trips to magical Christmas markets to sports tournaments, arts and crafts, and even a New Year’s Eve event, you’re spoilt for choice.

What’s on this Christmas?

• 🏐 Friday 20th December: Mixed Netball Tournament
  Enjoy some friendly competition in this sports event.
  Bookings open one week before via the Loughborough Sports App
• 🎉 Tuesday 24th December: ISE Christmas Eve Fun and Games
  Get into the Christmas spirit with a fun-filled day of activities at ISE.
  Book your place
• 🎲 Thursday 26th December: Boxing Day Bingo and Lunch
  Join us for a cosy post-Christmas celebration with bingo and lunch.
  Book your place
• 🎆 Tuesday 31st December: The Big New Year’s Quiz
  End 2024 with a fun quiz to test your knowledge of the year’s biggest moments.
  Book your place
• 🍴 Friday 3rd January 2025: Welcome to 2025 – Free Lunch!
  Ring in 2025 the right way with friends and a free lunch.
  Book your place

But that’s not all! There are over 20 other events lined up over the Christmas period to ensure you have the most wonderful break.

MSc User Experience and Design student, Adit, said this about our Christmas activity programme last year: “The Christmas events held at University over the break really helped us international students feel less homesick. It also gave us a chance to mingle and make new friends.”

To view the full schedule and secure your spot, visit our website. Some events are free, while others have a small cost, so be sure to check the details for each. Don’t wait too long – some events are very popular, and spaces fill up quickly!

We’re so excited to celebrate Christmas with you.

See you there! 🎅✨

From the Vice-Chancellor – December 2024

In my last newsletter of 2024: a new global sport partnership, supporting scholars at risk around the world, our winter degree ceremonies, new senior staff appointments and a look back on our achievements this year.

New global partnership agreement to drive equality in sport  

Earlier this month we agreed a landmark international partnership with The Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport (the GO) to drive the elevation of activities connected to women’s sport.

The GO initiative commissions and collates research and expertise to advance gender equality and empower women and girls in and through physical education, physical activity and sport. For example, it supports a programme that uses football as a vehicle to help girls in Nepal discuss the personal, cultural and social issues they face. The GO originated from Loughborough’s UNESCO Chair in Sport, Physical Activity and Education.

Loughborough is the first UK-based university to enter a partnership with the GO and will build on the already successful research and innovation projects related to advancing gender equality in sport globally delivered by the University’s Health and Wellbeing of Women in Sport cluster.

This exciting development cuts across several of our strategic aims: Sporting Excellence and Opportunity, EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) and Research and Partnerships, as well as our Sport, Health and Wellbeing theme. Working in collaboration with organisations such as the GO is critical to developing a truly global and coordinated approach to tackling systematic gender inequities in sport.

Group established to support students and academics at risk

With so much unrest in the world right now, it can be difficult to know what to do in response. We offer support to those within our own community who are affected or concerned by ongoing conflicts, but we must also consider how we might help those who are directly impacted in the countries. 

For many years now Loughborough has been part of the Cara (Council for At-Risk Academics) network, allowing us to offer sanctuary and support to academics from around the world. Cara is a lifeline for those who need urgent help to escape discrimination, persecution, violence or conflict. It 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. 

In recent years, Cara’s Fellowship Programme has seen an almost 400% increase in appeals for help, driven by crises in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Sudan and, most recently, the Middle East. In 2023, more than 220 Cara Fellows were placed in institutions across the UK. At Loughborough 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. Loughborough’s project with Beketov involved digital modelling and information management to aid the planning and delivery of post-war reconstruction.  

It is vital that we try to support both staff and students who are caught up in challenging environments and to help us do this we have formed the Loughborough University for Students and Academics At Risk Group (LUSARG), chaired by Professor Malcolm Cook, to put in place plans for temporary refuge for those from the higher education community around the world. The forms of support we offer through LUSARG will vary and may include financial support through short-term fellowships or scholarships, assisting academics and their families with seeking accommodation, and access to learning resources. 

Our relationship with Cara and our own Students and Academics At Risk Group are central to our strategic focus on fostering Vibrant and Inclusive Communities and to our vision of becoming a University of Sanctuary.

Celebrating achievements at our winter graduation ceremonies

Last week we welcomed more than 1,000 students, their friends, families and supporters to campus for the winter graduation ceremonies. As always, it was wonderful to see so many proud, happy faces, despite the distinctly grey weather. 

At the congregations we awarded Honorary Doctorates of the University to three people in recognition of their contributions in their respective fields. Three-time Olympic gold medallist Adam Peaty OBE was recognised for his outstanding contribution to swimming and mental health advocacy. England team manager Serina Wiegman was honoured for her contribution to women’s football, particularly her part in winning the 2022 European Championships. And Professor Rachel Cooper OBE from Lancaster University was recognised for her achievements in design, in particular her work on sustainable urban design. 

We also awarded University medals to Andrew Selby from the School of Design and Creative Arts, Jonathon Riall, who is the Head of ParalympicsGB Performance Services, and Steve Varley, our Ambassador for the Climate Change and Net Zero strategic theme. 

It is always an honour to recognise the work of individuals who have contributed so much to our University and society more broadly. 

I know teams right across the University work very hard to ensure that everyone who attends our graduation ceremonies has an enjoyable day. Thank you to you all for everything you do.

Senior staff appointed

I’m pleased to announce the appointment of two senior members of staff at the University, following extensive recruitment searches. 

Helen Pennack will join us in March as our Director of Marketing and Advancement, the institution’s senior marketing and communications leader, and Professor Aidan McGarry has been appointed to the role of Dean of Loughborough University London. 

Helen will lead the strategic and operational development of our regional, national and global reputation, our brand presence and market position to support delivery of the objectives in our strategy.  

Helen has a wealth of experience within the higher education sector. She is currently Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at the University of Nottingham, where she provides strategic marketing and communications leadership for the University and leads the External Relations department. Prior to her appointment at Nottingham, Helen was Director of Marketing and Communications at the University of Warwick, where she created the University’s first marketing function. 

Aidan joined the University in 2018, through our Excellence 100 academic recruitment drive, as Reader in International Politics, becoming Professor three years later. In 2021 Aidan was appointed Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and became Acting Dean of Loughborough University London in September 2024.  

Before joining Loughborough University London Professor Aidan McGarry was a visiting scholar at Columbia University, New York, the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, the European Centre for Minority Issues in Germany and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.  

I’m pleased to announce the appointment of two senior members of staff at the University, following extensive recruitment searches. 

Helen Pennack will join us in March as our Director of Marketing and Advancement, the institution’s senior marketing and communications leader, and Professor Aidan McGarry has been appointed to the role of Dean of Loughborough University London. 

Helen will lead the strategic and operational development of our regional, national and global reputation, our brand presence and market position to support delivery of the objectives in our strategy.  

Helen has a wealth of experience within the higher education sector. She is currently Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at the University of Nottingham, where she provides strategic marketing and communications leadership for the University and leads the External Relations department. Prior to her appointment at Nottingham, Helen was Director of Marketing and Communications at the University of Warwick, where she created the University’s first marketing function. 

Aidan joined the University in 2018, through our Excellence 100 academic recruitment drive, as Reader in International Politics, becoming Professor three years later. In 2021 Aidan was appointed Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and became Acting Dean of Loughborough University London in September 2024.  

Before joining Loughborough University London Professor Aidan McGarry was a visiting scholar at Columbia University, New York, the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, the European Centre for Minority Issues in Germany and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

I am sure you will join me in congratulating both Helen and Aidan on their appointments. I look forward to working with them both on the next phases of development for Loughborough University London and our marketing, communications and advancement activity.

My reflections on 2024

As another year draws to a close, I wanted to reflect on some of our achievements, successes and milestones over the last 12 months.   

It has been a challenging year, both for us and the sector as a whole. I recognise we have had some valued colleagues leave us through the Cost Reduction Scheme, and whilst this has contributed positively towards our financial sustainability, it will impact on workloads. We all therefore need to think more carefully about how we prioritise our work and think creatively about the way in which we do things. 

But the actions we are taking mean that Loughborough remains in a strong position, and we have continued to make good progress against the aims and themes of our University strategy.  

In the national league tables, we cemented our position amongst the UK’s leading universities, notably moving up to 6th place in the Complete University Guide 2025. 

We began the roll out of DigiLabs, which uses new technologies, including virtual reality, holograms, AI and robotics to enhance the way our students learn. 

We received our largest ever research funding award of £57m from the UK Government for the University’s Sustainable Transitions: Energy, Environment and Resilience Centre (STEER) to help accelerate the roll-out of improved, climate resilient infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa and the Global South. 

The OnCampus Loughborough programme ran for the first time this year, enabling 230 international students to develop the academic skills they need to study degree programmes at Loughborough.  

At the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer, Loughborough-associated athletes brought home an amazing 35 medals – 11 gold, 10 silver and 14 bronze. 

With our long-standing partners, Rolls-Royce plc, our experts in the National Centre for Combustion and Aerothermal Technology helped to develop hydrogen combustion engine technology, an industry first that could revolutionise air travel in the future and a huge step towards achieving net zero aviation. 

And start-up businesses founded by two of our Design graduates secured Innovate UK Unlocking Potential awards, receiving a grant funding and tailored business support to help them accelerate their businesses’ growth trajectory. 

These are, of course, just a few of the highlights; our Annual Review and Financial Statements publication gives further details of what we achieved.

Thank you for everything that you have contributed to the University’s success over the last 12 months. Whatever you are doing while the University is closed, please enjoy the holiday, relax and take a break from work. I wish you a very Happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Top 5 Repository Downloads for November

The Loughborough Research Repository currently contains over 56,791 items.

Staff processed 336 new research deposits during November 2024. The 5 most downloaded articles from the repository are below. These figures come from IRUS UK, a JISC funded service that provides standardised statistical tools for measuring institutional repositories.

• Banerjee, D.K. (1986). Water pollution and human health. Loughborough University. Conference contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/29242 Downloads 216
• Furlan-Tassara, Marco (2024). Scaling of tyre model parameters as a function of road surface roughness. Loughborough University. Thesis. https://doi.org/10.26174/thesis.lboro.27801915.v1 Downloads 183
• Pitcher, Jane; Wijers, Marjan (2014). The impact of different regulatory models on the labour conditions, safety and welfare of indoor-based sex workers. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/14539 Downloads 172
• Abdulwahed, Mahmoud; Nagy, Zoltan (2009). Applying Kolb’s experiential learning cycle for laboratory education. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/5412 Downloads 170
• Hignett, Sue; McDermott, Hilary (2015). Qualitative methodology for ergonomics. Loughborough University. Chapter. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/23558 Downloads 167

We have three new papers appearing in the top 5 and a real mix of item types.

Over half of the collection are articles or conference contributions and they make up 76% of the November downloads. However, if you divide the downloads by the number of items to assess the performance of each item type, Reports and Book Chapters are highest (2.1 downloads per item in the collection), with journal articles (1.9 downloads), books (1.8 downloads), theses (1.6 downloads), datasets (1.4 downloads) and conference items (1 download).

So while the majority of the repository is made up of journal and conference papers, other item types are equally valuable and might actually have greater value to repository users.

Pocket-Friendly, Party-Perfect: Save Money, Keep the Fun

Hi! My name is Saakshi Shah, and I’m from Kenya. I am currently studying Architectural Engineering at Loughborough University. As I come from a culture that treasures togetherness, community, and camaraderie, I’ve often found myself crafting celebrations while keeping expenses and a budget in mind. These experiences have taught me how to create meaningful and magical moments without breaking the bank and overspending. I hope these tips inspire you to have joyful and affordable celebrations despite being a student like me!

Thoughtful Gift-Giving on a Budget

Shop Smart

Timing, efficiency, and resourcefulness are important when it comes to shopping for gifts. Different ways to achieve this are by planning ahead for occasions and grabbing deals during off-season sales. In addition to this, thrift store treasures are collections of exclusive and affordable items, helping you find something for everyone in one shop.

Get Creative with DIY Gifts

Without a doubt, homemade gifts are more expressive than store-bought ones and some of my favourite ones include customised photo albums, baked goods, and handmade candles or soaps. Gather nostalgic or memorable photos and arrange them neatly in an album. Be sure to add handwritten notes, captions, or personalised messages. This is a gift idea that’s both budget-friendly, touching, and a personal memento.

Who doesn’t love edible gifts? Cookies, desserts, brownies, or even a loaf of banana bread artistically wrapped in seasonal packaging can bring a smile.

If you want to get more inventive, handmade candles or soaps are remarkably easy to make and feel lush. These can also be customised to the recipients’ preferred scents and colours, hence adding a special touch.

Hosting a Celebration on a Budget

Keep the menu simple

Food doesn’t have to be the largest party expense, but it usually is. Inviting guests to bring a dish such as pasta-based meals, DIY taco bars, soups, baked dishes, or simple snack stations or drinks such as serving a signature punch or mocktail can help spread the costs and create a diverse menu for everyone to enjoy. Cheese and wine boards may bring in feelings of the festive season and can also be created in a budget-friendly manner, without the need to buy expensive wines and charcuterie.

Welcome DIY Decorations

Imaginative decorations definitely bring around the festive feel, but they do not have to be wasteful and extravagant. Incorporating natural features such as pinecones, flowers, or leaves, and banners and other decorations composed of recycled materials such as paper, or fabric scraps can be used as beautiful decorations without having to spend too much. Fairy lights, candles, unused jars, and different items can all be brought together cohesively for a cozy and warm vibe.

Celebrations often feature cultural and family traditions, but I have learned to simplify and adapt to budget-conscious traditions and events without losing the essence and meaning of the celebration. For holidays, it is okay to focus on one or two important beliefs instead of trying to do everything. One of the most memorable budget-friendly rituals that my family and I have embraced over the years is “Secret Santa” during the holidays which allows us to secretly gift another member of the family while keeping a budget in mind. It is a simple and yet pleasant way to ensure everyone receives a gift without overspending.

Final Thoughts

Saving money doesn’t have to mean sacrificing the pleasure of celebrating or giving gifts. Your loved ones will treasure the meaningful experiences you create with a little imagination and preparation. It’s the effort and consideration you put in not the cost that matters most. Therefore, keep in mind that connection and celebration are at the core of these acts, whether it be through a handmade gift a shared meal, or a casual get-together.

Budget-Friendly Gift Giving: Creative Ways to Show You Care Without Breaking the Bank

Hi, I’m Lily, an English student in my second year at Loughborough University from Essex! As Christmas approaches, I am here to share some tips for Christmas shopping and celebrating the holidays on a student budget. Being a student, especially at the end of term, means having to be mindful of our finances, but trust me, you don’t need to spend a fortune to give great gifts. Whether you’re buying presents for friends or hosting a Christmas celebration, here are some of my favourite ways to keep costs low whilst still making Christmas special!

Student Discounts: Maximise Your Savings

Being a student means you’re eligible for loads of discounts, so take full advantage of them during the Christmas shopping season! All these discounts are accessible on both Unidays and Student Beans.

• Online shopping: Websites such as ASOS, Boohoo, and PrettyLittleThing offer student discounts of 10-20%. You can apply your discount to both clothing and accessories, so it’s easy to find affordable gifts for your friends.
• Food & Drink: If you’re planning to take someone out for a festive meal, check out places like Bill’s (20% off total bill), Pizza Express (£7.95 pizza), or Franco Manca (£9.95 pizza and drink), which all offer student discounts. A meal out can make a great, affordable Christmas gift or a way to celebrate with friends.
• Entertainment & Experiences: Don’t forget about experiences! Many cinemas, like Vue and ODEON, offer student discounts, and apps like UNiDAYS have a lot of other student-friendly deals for activities like bowling, theme parks, or comedy shows.

Outlet Shopping: Find Branded Gifts Without the Price Tag

One of the best-kept secrets for student Christmas shopping is outlet shopping. Outlet stores are filled with discounted items from big-name brands, and with a little digging, you can find some fantastic deals that make for great Christmas gifts.

• Fashion & Accessories: If your friends love fashion, you can find stylish gifts like jackets, scarves, or even branded bags at outlets like Nike, Levi’s, or Adidas. I’ve managed to find some amazing Christmas presents at these places, and the best part is that they’re usually up to 70% off retail prices.
• Homeware & Decor: A lot of outlets sell home goods like candles, mugs, or small decor items at reduced prices. These make lovely, inexpensive gifts for roommates or friends who enjoy decorating their space.
• Sales & Clearance: Always check out the sales racks; some of the best finds are tucked away on clearance. You’d be surprised at how much you can save by shopping smart!

Secret Santa: The Ultimate Budget-Friendly Tradition 

If you have a friend group or a family that loves exchanging gifts, Secret Santa is a perfect way to keep costs down while still showing your appreciation for one another. Secret Santa exchanges not only help keep the gift-giving manageable but also make the holiday season a bit more fun and exciting!

• Set a Budget: Agree on a price limit, such as £10-£15. With this fixed amount, you can focus on finding something personal and thoughtful, rather than stressing over buying a gift for everyone.
• Get Creative: The key to a great Secret Santa gift is creativity. It doesn’t matter if it’s inexpensive; what counts is the thought behind it. Consider small, personalised gifts like a handmade mug, a quirky notebook, or even a funny, personalised playlist.
• DIY Ideas: If you’re really strapped for cash, you could also give something you made yourself—like a custom photo album, some homemade cakes or brownies, or a coupon book for things like “one free coffee” or “movie night in.”

Charity Shops: Unique and Meaningful Gifts

Another fantastic way to shop on a budget is by shopping at charity shops. These stores are full of hidden gems, and with a little time and patience, you can find unique and meaningful gifts for your loved ones.

• Upcycling: One of my favourite things to do is buy cheap photo frames or vases from charity shops and then add a personal touch by painting or decorating them. A quick upcycle can turn a £2 frame into something that looks like it came from a high-end store, and it’s fun to make!
• Books & Records: If you know someone who’s into reading or music or puzzles, charity shops are perfect for finding second-hand gifts without the price tag.
• Home Decor: Whether it’s a retro mug, a cosy throw, or a quirky piece of decor, charity shops often have a great selection of unique items that would make perfect Christmas presents. Plus, you’re supporting a good cause by shopping there.

Experience Gifts: Create Memories Without Spending Much

Sometimes the best gifts aren’t things — they’re experiences. If you’re trying to stay within a tight budget, think about giving the gift of an experience instead of something material.

• Cook a Festive Meal: One of the most meaningful gifts I’ve given is simply inviting a friend over for a homemade Christmas dinner, a tradition my housemates and I have started at university. You don’t need to spend much; delegate one aspect of the dinner, such as the potatoes or vegetables, to each person and enjoy a homecooked meal all together!
• Movie Night or Game Night: Host a cosy Christmas movie marathon or a board game night. You can create a festive atmosphere with fairy lights, hot chocolate, and some Christmas snacks. It’s a fun way to spend time together without spending much money.

Conclusion: Thoughtful Gifts, Not Expensive Ones

Christmas is about spending time with the people you care about, not about how much money you spend. Whether it’s shopping at outlets, using student discounts, finding unique gifts at charity shops, or giving experiences, there are so many ways to make the holidays special without overspending. I hope these tips help you have a stress-free and budget-friendly Christmas season! Merry Christmas!

A Great British Christmas – an International Student's POV

Hello folks! I am Aishwarya, an MBA student (with placement year) at Loughborough University. I was born and brought up in Bangalore, which is the IT hub of India.

Since I joined my MBA program in October, I felt it was a little too soon for me to visit my home country again for the winter break, considering the time and cost involved, hence I decided to stay back at Loughborough. I also had a couple of pieces of course work to submit in January-February, that would conclude the first term. As I hail from India, where we do not celebrate Christmas extensively and extravagantly, staying back in Loughborough let me explore the UK and learn more about the British Christmas traditions. Fortunately, I was able to witness the first snow of the year in the first week of December.

Business School get together

A week before the Christmas break, my mentor and program director, along with other module leaders, organised a Christmas party for the MBA cohort before we all planned to break for vacation. The party also involved secret santa, where I received cute alligator socks as a gift from an anonymous classmate. The event consisted of a great dinner, which included Asian cuisine. Some of us felt very emotional after dinner as the food reminded us of home. We also set up Karaoke sessions for students and lecturers. Post the event, we all had an after party across some of the off-campus accommodation where our classmates resided.

Moreover, our university organised a Christmas social, specially for Business School students, beneficial for networking. We also had a photobooth session for our social media, which was a free service offered at the event. The dinners at the events had a variety of meals and desserts to choose from, alongside two complimentary drinks. The dinner was followed by games, where some of my cohort involved their little ones, who added more joy to the night.

Uni support

Once we were done with the classes for first term, my classmate and friends at the apartment flew back to their home country to celebrate their vacation with their loved ones. Eventually, I started feeling homesick and encountered a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) as I witnessed the Instagram stories of my international friends partying in their home country. Thanks to Loughborough University, I was able to get out of my comfort zone (and my bed every morning) looking forward to attending a couple of small gatherings and games, which contained lip-smacking pizzas and meal options.

These events were very insightful as I could network with people from different nationalities who had stayed back for Christmas. I also learned more about the British customs for Christmas. Moreover, I was also able to catch up with my on-campus classmates, whom I met in the library to have a chat, where we also discussed the coursework topics and brainstormed the report structure. We enjoyed some hot chocolates and cakes at the university cafes. I also visited Christmas markets that were spread across the town.

Trying new things

Since Tesco supermarket sold mulled wine (which we had never tried before), I purchased a bottle to share with my flat mates. We had an amazing evening, heating the mulled wine (since it is meant to be heated in a saucepan) and drinking it alongside some fried chicken and chips. Some of my friends who had also never tried mulled wine before thoroughly enjoyed its taste. It was a heartwarming experience for us as its spices reminded us of our home country.

Christmas and New Year Parties

On Christmas Eve, a resident at our student accommodation organised a house party for his birthday. We all listened to Christmas songs and drank London Dry Gin mixed with lemonade, which enchanted our senses. The house party helped me get familiar with my co-residents and build a bond that would last forever. Thankfully, I was able to collect some funny stories from the party, which I will cherish forever.

Despite the chilly weather throughout December and January, we planned to visit Nottingham for a New Year’s Eve party organised by the students at a pub. Everyone at the apartment got dressed in glittery, colourful attire to make the party more happening (and capture Instagrammable photos). Once we entered the party, we received complementary Prosecco at the bar. We had a great time, everyone chatted and danced all night long. Celebrating the New Year in the UK was a very enriching experience for me.

On the first of January, I was invited by my Chinese friends to celebrate with them. I arranged some desserts for the celebration. We gathered at John Phillips (on-campus student accommodation), where my Chinese classmates made the arrangements. We all joined in helping make different types of steamed dumplings. I came across a very surprising Chinese tradition where gold coins were hidden in dumplings. My friend mentioned that this signifies good fortune and prosperity to whoever receives the dumpling with a gold coin.

Next Christmas

Overall, I had a great experience celebrating Christmas at Loughborough, along with my classmates and flatmates. Despite feeling homesick, I tried to enjoy every second in the UK. This year, I will be spending Christmas with my family in the UK and I am looking forward to welcoming them so they can learn more about British Christmas celebrations and make the most of their Christmas holidays. I look forward to collecting more memories this Christmas (and New Year).

Studying in the UK was a defining moment in my life

My name is Ayush Bhattacharyya, and I’m currently in the final year of my BSc in Psychology. Originally from India, I had never lived away from home before attending university. So, when I stepped out of Heathrow Airport in early October 2021, the cool breeze hit me with a sense of excitement, marking a defining moment in my life.

The experience of moving to a new country felt almost surreal, especially coming from the Indian subcontinent, where many of us grew up in a more sheltered environment. On one hand, the newfound independence sparked a sense of excitement and possibility. On the other, there were apprehensions about adapting to a completely different world.

Fortunately, I was able to form a social support group very soon, which helped me transition smoothly and settle down in university. Furthermore, I got involved in various societies and subsequently learnt to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. This initial willingness to gain exposure shaped my university life as it improved my confidence and equipped me with skills to express myself in meaningful ways. These activities, in addition to my academic work, made the first term pass by in the blink of an eye.

Although this term on campus was extremely enjoyable for me, the prospect of going back home for Christmas still delighted me as it gave me a chance to relax after a whirlwind two months. My family was equally enthusiastic, and the menu for the first week after my arrival was charted out even before my flight tickets were booked.

I also started earning for the first time by being a University student ambassador during term time and bought Christmas gifts for friends and family using that money. Hence, the overall experience of going back home was deeply fulfilling, as the joy of buying gifts with my first salary gave me a sense of joy, while the opportunity of putting my feet up for a few weeks provided incomparable peace.

Those weeks spent at home helped me reconnect with my family, and I started valuing the time shared with them even more. I was also rejuvenated, especially due to the comfort of home-cooked food and the overall warmth provided by my social circle. All these factors aided my mental preparation for a new term at university, making me even more eager to embrace new experiences.

As the exam season followed immediately after the break, this fresh mindset proved to be crucial, allowing me to give my best effort. I was also excited to meet my friends again in university and deeply interested to discover how quickly we resumed our normal interdependent routines, despite living completely different lives across continents for the past month.

To conclude, as a fresher, it is extremely important to fully immerse oneself in university life and be open to new experiences. However, this should not hinder one’s connection with home because that will always remain our safe haven. Spending quality time at home allows students to understand the importance of family, especially after having spent some time away independently. Ultimately, it’s important to live in the moment and have gratitude for both home and university life, as each plays a vital role in our personal growth.

Tips for the first term and beyond from an international student

Hi! I’m Haoyang Lin, a second-year student from the Design programme at Loughborough University. I’m originally from China. Moving to university this autumn was my first experience of living away from home, and it was both exciting and overwhelming at the same time. I’d like to share a bit about my journey settling in, my experience of going home for Christmas, and some tips I’ve learned along the way. 

When I first arrived at Loughborough, adjusting to a new environment, meeting new people, and navigating a different culture felt like a difficult task to do. The first few weeks were a mix of excitement and homesickness. I missed my family, familiar foods, and the comforts of home. However, as the weeks passed, I began to find my rhythm. I joined societies, made friends, and grew more comfortable with my course. The support from my flatmates and University staff was incredible, and slowly but surely, I started to feel at home in Loughborough. 

Returning home

Returning to China was a hard decision for me. Christmas break is included in my module timetable and that means I need to stay focused on my project, which is obviously contradictive to my return trip. Later, after my consideration and careful planning of time, I managed to keep the balance between my plans to return home and my coursework.

During my time in China, I always kept my laptop with me in my spare time in order to catch up on coursework. So, I think good time management skills are very important to every university student.

For international students, homesickness is very common to everyone, it is not something bad or awkward. If you miss your family and want to go back, just do it. And don’t forget to talk closely with your parents, their ideas are also important to be your reference when you make choices. And more importantly, they are always firmly stand with you. Furthermore, as long as you can make full use of your time and keep your coursework in a good position, everything will be fine. Finally, although the journey back was long and tortured, it worth every moment.  

Here are some tips for making the most of the Christmas break 

1. Balance study and rest: use the break to catch up on any coursework and prepare for the next term, but don’t forget to relax and recharge. Balance is key. 
2. Quality time with loved ones: make the most of your time at home by creating meaningful memories with family and friends. Share your university experiences and listen to their stories too. 
3. Plan some holiday days in Loughborough: before you start your new term, I highly recommend arriving on campus a few days in advance of the new term to adjust your bio clock and to life in Loughborough. 

If I could share one piece of advice with someone about to experience their first Christmas break, it would be this: take the time to reflect on your journey so far, celebrate your growth and recognize how much you’ve accomplished, even if it doesn’t feel like much at first. Use the break to recharge and set intentions for the new term. And remember, it’s okay to feel torn between home and university – it’s all part of the experience. 

My first term at Loughborough University

Hi, my name is Muhammad Zahid Jiwani, and I am in my second year of studying Business, Economics and Finance. I am an international student from Kenya.

Having never lived away from home before, coming to university was nerve-wrecking with uncertainty hovering around me as to whether I have made the right choice or will I be able to settle in a completely new environment.

Moving into university was a smoother experience than I thought. With so much happening in terms of society and sporting events, I never got the time to even think of home. I joined multiple societies like Islamic society, Asian society and East African society, which were all so welcoming and made me feel at home as I got to interact with people from all over the world. Through this, I made a lot of friends and expanded my social circle, which enabled me to begin getting used to the foreign atmosphere a lot faster as I was also able to make friends from similar backgrounds and interests.

Becoming self-sufficient

Ever since I joined university, I have become more independent and self-sufficient because I learned how to live independently away from in-person family support and mastered the basic day to day life skills like cooking and doing my own laundry. Coming from an environment where everything was done for me, living in university halls has been an eye-opening experience for me.

During the autumn term, it took me some time to get used to the new weather coming from a coastal region in Kenya, which is warmer. Black Friday week at the end of November is a good time to shop for winter clothes because of the massive discounts and just when it’s about to hit wintertime, you are well prepared.

Over time, I began getting used to and more confident in finding my way around the town and within the university. A crucial skill I obtained was using Google maps, which made me self-reliant. On campus it was so convenient to get from one end to the other thanks to the free campus shuttle offered by the university. Other than Google maps, to locate the lecture halls the campus map in the ‘mylboro’ app is very user-friendly which played a huge role in helping me find my way around campus. The town is also in a very nice location as it is approximately 15 minutes from university and can walk to town and back at any time of the day as it is very safe.

Finding a balance

As days went by, I began to find a balance between my academics and extracurriculars, like fitness and squash. Going home during the Christmas break also helped me find some balance. Meeting with family and friends and taking a breather from the hectic university schedule were all things I looked forward to during the winter break. Recharging, by engaging in activities like cricket or unwinding with my family was a top priority. Given that the winter break is a short one, I ensured I was able to strike a balance between spending time with family and studying for January exams. This was done by planning my time and prioritizing my revision as per the exam timetable.

In the New Year, post-exams, I was looking forward to the second part of the sport social league, which happens every semester in badminton and football. It is something that I do to keep myself active and busy.

My advice to any new students would be to enjoy yourself during first term and take your time to settle in. The first few months are overwhelming because there is a lot happening including academics and getting used to the new routine. However, it is crucial to have an open mind. I would strongly advice to attend join a society at the Students’ Union and attend their events in your first few months at university and meet as many people as possible. Also, lectures are a place where you can make friends as you get to meet your course mates who you will study with for the next few years.

Getting back into university for the New year, is easier because you are more aware of your routine and what to expect. Thus, in preparation for your January exams, I would advise to not stress much and work smart not hard to ensure equilibrium between your academics and personal life.

My experience of going home for Christmas after my very first term away at university

Hello! My name is Hannah, and I’m currently studying a MSc in Sports Psychology here at Loughborough University. Originally from Durham and having completed my undergraduate degree here in Sport and Exercise Science, I’d thought I’d take the opportunity to reflect on my experience of going home for Christmas after my very first term away at university. 

Before moving to Loughborough, I had never lived away from home before, so this transition was a big leap. I remember feeling excited to move away from home, yet also a bit nervous for what was to come. It was a new chapter, and while I was eager to dive into my course and meet new people, there was that feeling of uncertainty about the unknown. Moving into Rutherford Hall, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. I had some preconceived ideas about what life would be like living in university halls, but being there in person, and experiencing the dynamic environment living on campus, was different. 

As the weeks went by, I found myself gradually settling into the Loughborough bubble. Initially, I missed the familiarity of home, but as semester one progressed, I began to build friendships and appreciate the independence that came with university life. Managing the transition from A levels to undergraduate study, along with managing life away from home, taught me a lot about how to balance my studies alongside my social life.  

However, as the first term drew to a close, I was looking forward to spending time with my family and to feeling the comfort of home again. I was excited to indulge in home-cooked meals, catch up with home friends, and simply relax after a busy first semester. One thing I appreciated during the break was the chance to recharge. I had spent the previous term juggling the demands of university, and the Christmas holidays offered me much-needed rest. During this time, I focused on being surrounded by my loved ones, making time for myself, and preparing for the January exams with some university work.   

When it comes to the Christmas break, I have a few tips for making the most of it, especially when it comes to balancing revision and rest.

Firstly, try not to stress too much about academic work over the holidays. It’s essential to give yourself time to relax. While it’s easy to get caught up in the idea of always keeping busy the break is a chance to rest and get ready for the upcoming semester. That said, I did set aside a few hours here and there to revise; the key is to find a balance that works for you — enough to feel prepared, but not so much that you feel like you’re missing out on Christmas. Remember short, focused study sessions can be far more effective than long, draining hours of work.

Spending quality time with loved ones is also a priority during this break. Whether it’s catching up with family over dinner or going for a walk with friends, make sure you make time to do this. They help you unwind, reconnect, and reset for the upcoming term ahead. 

As for asking for gifts or buying things for university, I’ve learned it’s a good opportunity to ask for things that will help me feel more settled back at university. Whether it’s a new set of headphones for studying, some workout gear for the gym, or even textbooks you might need for the upcoming term, the holiday break is the perfect time to think about what could help make your second term more enjoyable and manageable. 

One thing I wished I had packed in September was a few extra cozy items for my room — a nice rug, and an extra set of warm bedding can make a huge difference when it’s cold outside and you want to make your space feel like extra cozy!

Looking ahead to returning to Loughborough in the New Year, there were several things I was excited about. I was excited to continue my studies, as well as spending time with the friends I’d made in semester one. Another thing I was excited about was returning to a routine. While the break was a welcome change, I thrive on structure, and there’s something comforting about getting back into a good study routine, attending lectures, and engaging with university life again. 

Lastly, if I could give myself one piece of advice before starting university, it would be to embrace the change. Change can feel unfamiliar and even daunting at first, but it brings opportunities for growth and connections that last far longer than you might expect. The friendships I’ve made through in my first semester of university are still some of the strongest I have, even three years later as I undertake my master’s degree.

Accents, freedom, friendships and heading home for Christmas – my first term at Loughborough as an international student

Hi, my name is Kristiyana, and I am in my final year, studying Media and Communications, coming form Bulgaria.

I came to the UK three years ago for university and have never lived away from home before moving here. The transition from living back home to travelling across Europe to a completely different country was not a light one but it was an experience that taught me a lot and shaped me into the person I am today. When I go back to my move-in day and reflect on everything that happened in between now and then, I can truly appreciate how much I have changed though time.

For example, on my first day I could not even understand what some people were saying because of the variety of accents and intonations they had. Not to mention all the Loughborough-specific jargon or slang words people were using that I couldn’t decipher. It was without a doubt a journey with a lot of nodding and hesitations.

However, now I have not only adapted to the language style and jargon but have even adapted them to the point that when I go to another country and speak English people think I am British. Also, I remember how reluctant I was to speak to new people and make friends outside my halls of residence. Now I communicate with people with ease, enjoy meeting new people and have numerous friends across campus.

Missing home – and missing Loughborough

If we go back in time to the first semester of my first year in the UK, I remember how I enjoyed the newly obtained freedom to make my own decisions and put myself first. However, although I had found friends on campus, I missed my family and friends in my home country. I was also longing for the sense of community from home that I could not feel in university. So, in December I was looking forwards to going back and seeing my family and friends again. But most importantly I could not wait to eat homemade traditional food again.

Interestingly, even though I was very excited to return home, once I did, I found myself missing the university, my halls, flat mates and Loughborough in general. I was happy that I got to spend Christmas with my family, but I also could not wait to fly back to the UK and reunite with my university friends.

For every international student going back home for the winter break, I would recommend spending as much quality time with your family as possible as you might not see them again for another three to six months. I would also recommend trying to complete or at least do as much as possible from your university workload the week before you go home so you can truly enjoy your time and take a break without feeling the academic pressure.

You might think that three weeks are a lot of time, but I promise you that they fly by so quickly and before you know it, you will be travelling back to Loughborough with so many tasks to complete before exam season starts.

Going back home is also the ideal opportunity to take back with you all the things you brought with you in September but never ended up using, such as clothes you never wore or notebooks you never wrote in. And reversely, consider taking from home things that you thought you would not need but really needed during the three months of university such as more food from your country or sportswear etc.

Finally, I want to emphasise that everyone has unique experience and that my personal one would not necessarily reflect yours, but I hope you were able to learn something, draw inspiration from or relate to my experience. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and I hope to see you on campus in 2025! 😊

Staying in Loughborough at Christmas

My name is Yuting, a second-year PhD student at Loughborough University, and I come from China.

During my first year in the UK, I decided to stay in Loughborough over the Christmas break because of the long flight time and high travel costs. At first, I was unsure about how it would feel to spend the holidays away from home, but it turned out to be a truly wonderful and memorable experience.

Enjoying time with friends

I stayed in on-campus accommodation during the break and spent most of my time with friends from the same dormitory. One evening, we decided to make mulled wine, a traditional Christmas drink in the UK. We bought ingredients like red wine, cinnamon sticks, oranges, and cloves from the local supermarket. None of us had tried making it before, but it turned out surprisingly well! The kitchen filled with a warm aroma, and we all felt proud of our success. Everyone was cheerful, and the mulled wine became a centrepiece for a cozy and festive evening together, almost like a small family celebration.

We also visited Loughborough town centre, which looked magical during the holiday season. At the centre of the town stood a massive Christmas tree decorated with twinkling lights and ornaments, drawing the attention of everyone passing by. Shops were filled with Christmas-themed goods, from festive decorations to fun and quirky gifts. I particularly enjoyed browsing through the creative designs and picked up a few small souvenirs, like Christmas ornaments, to send to my family back home.

Christmas lunch

One of the highlights of the break was the Christmas lunch organized by the university for students staying on campus. It was a grand event, and even the Vice-Chancellor joined us in the dining hall to make everyone feel welcome. The staff wore cheerful red Santa hats, which added to the festive atmosphere. We were served traditional British Christmas dishes like roast turkey, Yorkshire puddings, and delicious desserts. It was my first time trying a Christmas cracker and pulling it with friends was both exciting and fun. Inside, I found a tiny deck of playing cards, which we later used to play games during an evening party in our dormitory.

After Christmas Day, the campus became quieter. With most students away, my friends and I took the chance to explore the campus freely. Another unexpected experience during the break was exploring different dining halls on campus. Since not all of them were open at the same time, the university arranged for one or two to serve meals for everyone staying on campus. This gave us a chance to try cafeterias we didn’t usually visit, and it became a fun mini adventure to discover new spots and menus.

Snow day

One day, it snowed, and the campus turned into a winter wonderland. We had a snowball fight, which ended up being both hilarious and chaotic. Everyone was running around clumsily, but since the campus was nearly empty, we could play without worrying about disturbing anyone. It was one of those rare moments when we could let go of all our usual worries and simply enjoy ourselves.

The snow also gave us the opportunity to admire the serene beauty of the campus. The snowy landscapes were breathtaking, and during one of our walks, we were lucky enough to spot a wild deer on campus. It felt like a magical moment that made the holiday season even more special.

Copyright December Reads

Welcome to the first of many monthly copyright reads. Here you will find a selection of the most interesting copyright reads for this month.

How the EU AI Act Can Increase Transparency Around AI Training Data

Copyright: Publishers in Guadalajara Cheer the Internet Archive Suit’s End

China pledges to improve copyright law

A New Genre of Bad A.I. Art Takes the Stage: Nature Slop

4 Reasons 4 Using Geographical Indications

Canadian news media are suing OpenAI for copyright infringement, but will they win?

Economist Will Page Reports Global Value of Music Copyright Exceeded Movie Box Office Receipts in 2023

Bad influence

The EU design package: What’s new? – Part 2 of 4: Relationship between design rights and copyright

Principles for Copyright and Generative AI

Stop using generative AI as a search engine

We hope you enjoy this selection of copyright issues from around the world.

We also wish all of our readers, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Five Minutes With: Rachael Alvey

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

I started in my role as LSU President five months ago having been here for four years as a student. I studied both my Undergraduate and Masters here in English and Creative Writing and then in Creative Writing.

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

I find this one of the hardest questions to answer when people ask what my job entails. No two days are ever the same. On the University side of the job, in the last week I have sat on interview panels for staff appointments, met with the VC, and sat in various committee meetings with senior staff to represent the student voice. In terms of the Union side, some days I’m doing mundane things such as responding to emails or writing papers for meetings, others I’m working on the copy or filming content for social media, liaising with Halls and Media, or meeting with Venue to discuss event plans for the end of this term and the beginning of the next one. At the moment, I’m laying the ground work for a few projects to kick off after Christmas so any spaces in the calendar are spent pulling together graphics and mapping out schedules for these.

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

I am currently working with marketing on a piece to increase the transparency of the Union in terms of financials and feedback. We’re creating a new artwork for the entrance to the Union to help students better understand our company-charity status and know how their money is being spent. I have spent the last few weeks pulling together stats, mapping out the graphic and working out how to incorporate our new comments box to improve student feedback and expand on our LSUggestions forum. The aim of this piece is to strengthen student trust in LSU and provide a space for student voices to be heard within the organisation that represents them. We hope to see this going up in the next semester!

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

My proudest moment has to be representing Loughborough on University Challenge. Despite feeling thoroughly out of my depth throughout, it was such a challenging yet incredibly fun experience. As an avid fan of University Challenge having been watching it with my parents since the age of about 12, to be chosen as one of the team was something truly special. I won’t sugarcoat it – results-wise it went terribly! – however I was incredibly proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and simply for making it on to the show – a feat in itself when we needed to be one of 28 teams selected out of a pool of over 120 who trialed.

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

Fitting quite well with my Creative Writing MA, I am currently writing a Young Adult novel which keeps me busy outside of work. My aim is to finish it by the end of this year so keep your eyes peeled in bookshops over the coming years – I hope to be on the shelves!

What is your favourite quote?

“It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.” – Almost any Winnie the Pooh quote is a good sentiment for life but looking for the light, even during a hard time really resonates strongly with me.

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 Tips for Hosting a Celebration Event on a Budget 

Hi everyone! My name is Syazmin, and I’m a second year studying Economics at Loughborough University. As an international student from Malaysia, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing and organising various celebrations, each filled with unique traditions and memorable moments. However, being a student means sticking to a budget (easier said than done when you want to throw a great event). Over time, I’ve learned that hosting a celebration doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Here are some personal tips and lessons from my experiences that might help you plan a meaningful and budget-friendly gathering. 

What Worked and What Didn’t 

One of my favourite celebrations was a potluck dinner we threw for a friend’s birthday. It was a simple idea: everyone brought a dish, and we decorated the space together. It was amazing to see how much variety we ended up with! There was something for everyone, from homemade lasagna to desserts like brownies and fruit tarts. It felt like a feast, and the collaborative effort made it all the more special.   

However, not everything went smoothly. We overestimated how much food we’d need, ending up with leftovers for days! While it was funny at first, it also meant some people spent more than they had to. That experience taught me the importance of careful planning, knowing how much is “just enough” and communicating clearly about who’s bringing what.   

Finding Bargains Without Breaking the Bank 

When it comes to celebrating on a budget, finding affordable supplies is half the battle. Here are a few strategies I swear by:   

1. Supermarket Savvy: Timing is everything. Many supermarkets mark down fresh produce, baked goods, and even snacks towards the end of the day. Clearance sections can also be a treasure trove for party essentials.   

2. Discount Stores: Shops like Poundland, TKMaxx, or Wilko are my go-to for decorations and party supplies. You’d be surprised at the quirky and fun items you can find for just a couple of pounds!   

3. DIY Decorations: For a movie night-themed celebration, my friends and I made paper flowers and borrowed fairy lights to create a cosy vibe. The result was not only budget-friendly but also incredibly pretty.   

Feeding a Crowd Without Spending a Fortune 

Food is usually the biggest expense, but it doesn’t have to be. These ideas have been a hit at my events:   

1. Pasta Night: You can never go wrong with pasta. Cook up a couple of simple sauces (like tomato-based and creamy alfredo), and let guests customise their plates with affordable toppings like cheese, olives, or herbs.   

2. DIY Sushi: This one was a game-changer! We set up a sushi bar with rice, seaweed, and budget-friendly fillings like crabsticks, eggs, and cucumbers. It was interactive, fun, and surprisingly inexpensive.    

3. Themed Potluck: Ask guests to bring dishes inspired by a particular theme or their culture. It keeps things exciting, and everyone gets to share a piece of their story.  

Sharing the Costs: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work 

One of the best ways to keep costs low is to get everyone involved. Here’s how you can do it:   

1. Potluck Style: As I mentioned earlier, potlucks are a lifesaver. They not only ease the financial burden but also bring variety to the table.   

2. BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage): Drinks can quickly inflate your budget, so I always encourage guests to bring their favourite drinks. That way, everyone has something they enjoy, and you don’t end up overspending.   

3. Shared Costs for Expensive Items: For things like renting a venue or speakers, splitting the cost among attendees makes it much more manageable.   

Trying New Traditions 

Hosting and attending celebrations from different cultures has been one of the highlights of my time in the UK. One of my first experiences with British traditions was during a Christmas dinner with friends. It was my first time pulling Christmas crackers and eating mince pies. Both felt so festive and unique compared to what I was used to back home.   

On the flip side, introducing my friends to Malaysian traditions during Eid Aidilfitri was just as special. We kept it simple with homemade chicken satay and added green and gold themed decorations to symbolise the festive season. Sharing the stories and meanings behind these traditions made the event feel so much more personal and connected.   

Conclusion  

At the heart of any celebration is the joy of bringing people together, never about how much you spend. Whether it’s crafting decorations, sharing traditional dishes, or simply splitting costs, creativity and collaboration go a long way in making an event memorable.   

The most important thing I’ve learned is that budget-friendly celebrations aren’t just possible, they’re some of the most meaningful. So, next time you plan a party, try these tips and embrace the spirit of teamwork and resourcefulness! 

My tips for gift giving or holding a celebration event on a budget 

Hi! I’m Natalie from the UK and I am a 2^nd year Graphic Design student. As we approach Christmas day, I’m sure a lot of people have been thinking about buying gifts and hosting festive celebrations and meals. And although Christmas time is wonderful, for some the thought of gift giving and hosting parties and meals might be quite difficult due to the current cost of living crisis.  But I want to let you know that it does not have to be this way. Hopefully the tips I share with you today will help you find ways to host celebrations and give gifts on a budget. 

Tip 1: Lean into your creativity–   If you are somebody who enjoys making creative things in their spare time, the Christmas time is a great time to showcase this. I personally enjoy crocheting, and using this skill I have made scrunchies, coasters, hats and a blanket which have made for great gifts in the past. You could also create a scrapbook for your friends and family filled with wonderful memories you had with them. If you are into photography, you could give your friends or family a framed picture you have taken of them. You could also create and paint pottery to give as gifts, knit something or embryoid something to give as a gift and even create a painting or drawing as well. The list goes on.  

Tip 2: Get people involved- Hosting a celebration does not mean you must do everything yourself. Potlucks are a great way to get people involved and add more fun to celebrations. Ask your friends and family to bring in one of their favourite dishes, drinks or snacks. Potlucks allow new social connections and cultures to be shared between communities. Not only are Potlucks a wonderful time, but it also takes the pressure off having to buy ingredients and make dishes by yourself which can be expensive and difficult especially as a student. 

Tip 3: Stay on the lookout for deals- In addition to using your student discount to get discounts on items, I would also recommend you stay on the lookout for good deals during this Christmas period. Stores like Aldi, Tesco and Lidl have many good deals and offers around this time of year, especially on Christmas food. Not only are they affordable, but these stores also have a great range of Christmas food. Lidl in particular have great weekly deals on many kinds of products that hopefully can be appealing to many people during this period. Another thing to be on the lookout for is reduced items. During the evening time the prices of products get reduced, and you can find some fantastic bargains in many different stores. 

I hope these tips can be of use to you this Christmas. 

 I just briefly wanted to share my experience with celebrating on a budget during the Christmas time. Something my church has always done is share the responsibilities of who is bringing what to celebrations. This helps people to not feel overwhelmed during the Christmas season and it allowed me and others to try different foods from different cultures and backgrounds. We had people bring in their favourite rice dishes, we had some people who baked cakes and other sweet goods. Others brought meat pies, and my family brought the drinks and snacks. It was so heartwarming to be able to share food with others and just socialise with friends and family. And to end off, I just want to remind you that you are not alone in this when it comes to the difficulty of managing expenses around Christmas. I too have experienced this, but I always found it was easier to be honest with friends and family about this and use the tips I have mentioned above.  

I hope this post has helped you discover ways of gift giving and holding a celebration event on a budget. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Finding and Using Images Ethically: A Guide for Researchers

Image use in scholarly communications, like articles, books and of course assignments and theses are a practice that has been going on for many years. However, with the unlimited access created by our new digital and connected world it can make it difficult to navigate the legal way in which images can be used.

This short guide on image use while studying or working at the University, can hopefully shed some light on the matter. Let’s have a look at what images are in terms of copyright.

Artistic works

Images fall under the umbrella term of artistic works. Artistic works can be:

• Graphic works like paintings, drawings, graphs, maps, charts or plan; engravings etchings, lithographs, woodcut or similar; typeface.
• Photographs.
• Sculpture, collage and architecture.
• Works of artistic craftmanship.

This guide will only look at some type of graphic works (drawings, graphs, charts) and use the term image to include them. Photographs fall under a different rule to images.

For more information on other artistic material, please get in touch with the Copyright and Licensing Manager.

Author

The author of an image is the person who is responsible for its design. For a photograph that can be a bit more complicated.

• Photographs taken at any time: The author is the person who created the photograph.
• Photographs created before 1 July 1912: The author is the person who created the photograph, unless the photograph has been commissioned.
• Photographs created between 1 July 1912 and 31 July 1989: The author is the person, who at the moment the photograph was taken, was the owner of the material (negatives). However, if the ownership was subsequently transferred and copyright was transferred as well, that would be the new copyright owner. This rule does not apply if the photograph was commissioned.
• Photographs created since 1 August 1989: The author is the person who created the photograph, normally the photographer.

It is important to note here, that even if an assistant of a photographer pressed the shutter button to take the photograph, if the photographer is the one who created the still, they are the first owner of copyright.  If a photograph was taken during the course of employment, the employer will be the first copyright owner.

If a photograph is merely a reproduction of another work, there may well be no copyright at all.

Copyright protection and duration

Copyright is an automatic right which applies to artistic works the moment these are created in physical (digital) form. You do not need to add the copyright symbol © to your work or register your work (in the UK) to get protection, however, it is advisable to use it to assert your rights but also to make it easier for people who would wish to use your creations to identify you as the author and copyright holder in case they wish to seek permission.

Standard copyright duration in the UK is the lifetime of the author plus 70 years.

Photographs taken during certain years as well as the fact that they are either published or unpublished differ from the above rule. Please get in touch with the Copyright and Licensing Manager if you have any questions.

How to use images

Using images in your research can enhance and explain your research to people. It can also break up text and express text in simpler ways. While studying and / or working at the University, certain exception to copyright can be used to use images without requiring permission or paying for licensing. However, other type of work that you might undertake, like for example using images in published pieces, be it on websites, blogs or in journal articles will require permissions or licenses.

However, if the images are in the Public Domain (copyright has expired or relinquished – please note this does not mean the entire Internet. However, you can find public domain items on the Internet, the Internet in itself is not the public domain) or under Creative Commons (CC) licensing then they can be used by following the requirements of the licenses.

It can be a complex maze to understand how to use images, but I will do my best to break it down further.

Assignments

If you are a student at the University and wish to use images in your assignments for the purpose of illustration for instruction, you can use images as long as you cite them correctly. Please do not modify or change images in any way unless the licence under which they are published allows modification.

There are free to use stock images and vectors in Microsoft 365, which can be used without issues. It is still useful to state were the images originated from so that people can find them and use them if they wish to.

You can also find free to use images on popular Stock sites. The University subscribes to Adobe Stock library, and images from Adobe Stock can be safely used for blog posts, websites and assignments.

Using images on slides

When you are using images on slides, be it for your teaching session, student presentation sessions or during a conference, some exceptions apply.  

When it comes to teaching sessions or student presentation sessions, you can rely on the illustration for instruction exception to use third-party images without requesting permission. However, please make sure you cite your sources, as seen in the example above. When it comes to recording your presentation during your teaching session, you create a secondary copy which is not covered by the illustration for instruction exception, and such is considered infringement. Make sure that you edit out any third-party material.

Same goes for any conference presentations which will be shared on open websites or recorded. Here it is especially important to make sure any third-party material is cleared. Some conference providers will have rules on image use in presentations. Please make sure you follow those.  

Theses

Theses are slightly different. You can still use an exception to copyright to use images in your examination copy, however, once you pass your viva and are ready to upload your thesis to Loughborough University’s Research Repository, if you have used extensive third-party copyright images, you will need to ask for permission and / or pay licensing fees to re-use them. You could redact them as well. More information on this can be found in Keeping Your Thesis Legal booklet.

If you wish to publish your thesis as an article or book chapter, or book, you will have to request permission or pay licensing fees, unless the images are under a CC licence.

Scholarly communications or journal articles, book chapters, books, etc. aka publishing your research

In general, for any type of publication you will need to make sure any third-party copyright images have been cleared. Each journal and publisher will have their own author guidelines and requirements on how to clear image rights.

The UKRI has published a very good guide on Managing third-party copyright for research publications. The document is intended for monographs or book chapters but can be applied to other scholarly communications such as journal articles as well. Please be aware that photographs do not fall under the fair dealing principle, and you will always require permission.

If you use previously published material, many publishers will make use of copyright clearance centres to request permission for use. These usually come with a fee. Please bear in mind that you will be responsible for paying said fee.

Remember!

There is no hard or fast rule on image use, it will always depend on the use. It is always easier to use material that is already in the public domain or material published under a Creative Commons licence. I do appreciate that that is not always possible. Depending on the use, you will be required to ask for permissions. For publications it is extremely important to clear all third-party copyright in the images you use. Read the author guidelines carefully and speak with your publisher about copyright.

Remember that material found on the Internet has the same copyright protection as physical items.

We also have a sourcing materials section on our copyright webpage to help find the right image.

If you have any questions on using images, please contact the Copyright and Licensing Manager for Loughborough University.

Disability History Month: A reflection on neurodiversity over the years

This is a personal reflection of the changes and progression for neurodiverse individuals over the last 30 years, written from the perspective and lived experience of me, a non-British white female. 

Growing up 

My mum always knew I saw the world differently when at age seven I could not read or write, and after moving me to a small school, she learned from teachers how to support me and worked closely with my primary school teacher (who at the time was progressive). By secondary school, the stereotypes, labels and discrimination kicked in, I was too blunt, called ‘stupid’ and ‘difficult to teach’, assertive to the point of rude and was told as a girl I needed to ‘know my place’ in society. 
 
The teachers couldn’t understand that I was clever but not academically doing well. No matter how many times I read ‘grammar for dummies’ I didn’t get it. Distracted and overwhelmed, I often was shoved to the back. 
 
This was a time when screening or formal diagnosis in schools did not take place and before computers existed, so there was no ‘assisted technology’. I felt alone, stupid and the construct of being an imposter crept in. Let’s remember that imposter syndrome, originally known as ‘bike face’, was a misogynistic strategy to stop women’s movement. 
 
I have much admiration for my mum who always believed in me – lifelong learning and never giving up is something she engrained into me. 

Life in the workplace 

My first workplace manager and mentor, Charles Paul, is an amazing man who in his own way supported me to be comfortable in my own self, as he saw my skills and strengths.  
 
At 35, I was formally diagnosed and offered a method of getting support through the Disabled Students Allowance, the mechanism for funding support in Higher Education. Since working at Loughborough University, I have had a wonderful supportive manager who has put in place adjustments, and I am now in my final year of studying an MSc in Strategic Leadership. 

Life as a mother

As a mother, I have found myself fighting for my own child to meet their potential. I recognised when they were three years old that they were different, they could solve puzzles and had amazing dexterity but would run and hide in overwhelm. Asking for support was sadly not enough to get reasonable adjustments and additional support. I’ve learnt the law, been an advocate and it’s taken three years to get an Education Health and Care Plan in place, which is the mechanism to provide schools with additional funding for SEN pupils.  

I battle a structure that does not recognise the harm caused by the school system, where reasonable adjustments should not be based on financial resources but individual need. Whilst social media has played a part in education and awareness, I realised that intersectional discrimination and assumptions still play a massive part of our education system. 

Charities have promoted the positives and the value of diverse thinking over the last 10 years and recent research suggests dyslexia is an essential element of human adaptation. The positives and strengths-based views of the neurodiverse brain are switching the narrative from that of a deficit model yet, the social construct and operational functions are yet to catch up. 
 
Sometimes I have to remind myself that the journey is exhausting and so I make time for self-compassion, but I know I can use my position and privilege to challenge systematic barriers and oppression to keep the narrative surrounding disability moving forward. 

Lisa Brooks-Lewis 

Social Impact and Inclusivity Manager

CRCC to host the symposium ‘Reactionary politics, women, and popular culture’

Universities must lend their weight to combating AI disinformation

Image courtesy of Getty Images

This piece written by Professor Nick Jennings and Andrew Chadwick was originally published on Times Higher Education.

By the end of this year, about four billion citizens across more than 40 countries will have voted in elections.  

Accordingly, the early months of 2024 saw a global outpouring of speculation about the democratic collapse that might be caused by AI-enabled online disinformation. Most of the commentary focused on the potential for highly realistic deepfake video to deceive the public. Some predicted the “first deepfake elections”.  

This was part of the “hype cycle” that history tells us all new technologies go through. Inflated early expectations of social and political impact –rose-tinted or, as here, doom-laden – are displaced over time by the realities of evidence and adaptation.  

The important thing is to quickly get beyond the hype – and the fatalism and sense of powerlessness it can promote – and focus on the technology’s real and lasting effects. These are often substantial but subtle, complex and more gradually felt than forecast by early optimists and pessimists.  

The challenge for researchers across all disciplines, then, is to learn rapidly from events and help citizens and regulators pinpoint when, where and how AI makes a difference – positive or negative – to civic life.  

In the event, there was no apparent deepfake crisis in the UK election, but this produced a narrative just as unhelpful as the doom-mongering. “Nothing to see here” quickly became the new vogue – just as revelations were emerging of some serious cases of AI-driven disinformation. 

During the campaign’s final weekend, investigative journalists at Australia’s ABC News uncovered a coordinated foreign disinformation campaign targeting UK citizens on Facebook with divisive, often racist, material (some of it illegal, unlabelled paid advertisements). Fake, AI-generated images were common – showing, for example, groups of asylum seekers massing at the UK coast.  

Facebook’s parent company, Meta, took it all down as Rishi Sunak issued a formal statement of concern. A government investigation was reportedly set up, but, by then, polling day had arrived. 

Meanwhile, Germany’s main public service news organization, ARD-aktuell, reported that similarly racist, anti-immigrant accounts on X were targeting the UK elections. Environmental campaign group Global Witness confirmed that automated X accounts were spreading divisive disinformation on climate change and migration, in posts viewed 150 million times. And two days after the UK vote, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed that a Kremlin-backed network of fake news sites had targeted the UK, French and US campaigns.  

Significantly, though, the much-feared deepfake videos – which, for now at least, remains difficult to produce – were largely absent from these influence operations – illustrating that AI-generated prose, still images and audio could actually prove more consequential. 

The network included sites that intelligence consultancy Recorded Future revealed in May as having used AI to “plagiarize, translate, and edit content from mainstream media outlets, using prompt engineering to tailor content to specific audiences and introduce political bias”.  

Meanwhile, at the start of the year, a canvassing call that used a synthetic version of Joe Biden’s voice disrupted the New Hampshire primary. A convincing fabricated audio clip of Sadiq Kahn impacted Spring’s London mayoral campaign. Equally convincing fake audio depicting health secretary Wes Streeting emerged during the UK election. 

Much of that campaign’s AI-generated visual fakery, such as the material ABC uncovered, consisted of still images. But, as we have also seen over recent weeks in the US campaign, most of these are not even photo-realistic. Evidently, they can still elicit strong emotions, but the fact that they are instantly recognisable due to their digital-paint aesthetic is due to leading generative AI platforms’ efforts – initiated under pressure from fact checkers, citizens and emerging regulators – to restrict how they respond to user prompts.  

These moves gathered momentum following February’s signing by major global tech companies of an AI Elections Accord. And though still highly imperfect and unevenly applied (for example on X’s Grok platform) they show how public pressure for regulatory guardrails can shape design choices that safeguard democracy.  

In other words, the social contexts of new technologies change as organisations and people adapt to them. Agile, well-informed regulation is achievable and starting to emerge, and vigilance among public bodies, media organisations and policy wonks about electoral threats is increasing.  

The UK Cabinet Office issued guidance on generative AI to electoral candidates and local officials. The government established a Joint Election Security Preparations Unit in early 2024. And during the campaign itself, a simple but effective Channel Four Dispatches documentary highlighted deepfakes, further raising awareness. We’re not as susceptible as we once were. 

Moreover, AI is starting to be used to promote accountability and fight fakery. While AI-driven online microtargeting has not yet taken off in election campaigns, the Labour Party experimented with Campaign Lab’s chatbot scripts to help canvassers communicate effectively with voters, using research by anti-polarisation think tank More in Common. And an Electoral Commission guidance bot helped candidates stay within the increasingly complex law regulating privacy and spending. 

Similar tools are now used to help human fact checkers – at the UK’s Full Fact, for example. Meanwhile, evidence from the US suggests prose AI generators can help journalists provide sophisticated rapid responses to live televised debates. 

Universities across the world must lend their weight to such efforts. They must sidestep the hype cycle to help regulators and communicators respond quickly and effectively to the threat of online disinformation in time for the next big year of elections. 

Andrew Chadwick is professor of political communication and director of the Online Civic Culture Centre at Loughborough. Professor Nick Jennings is vice-chancellor of Loughborough University and was the UK’s chief scientific adviser for national security from 2010 to 2015. 

This Week at Loughborough | 9 December

General

Disability History Month: Screening and Discussion ‘When homosexuality was labelled a disability’

10 December, 1pm-2pm, Online

In this session, Dr Marcus Collins, Reader in Contemporary History, introduces broadcast footage to show how the medicalisation of homosexuality took hold in post-war period and how it was overturned by gay liberationists and renegade medics in the 1970s.

University Carol Service

10 December 2024, 5.30pm-7pm, Edward Herbert Building, Atrium

Join the Chaplaincy for the annual University Carol Service. A time for Christmas reflections, carol singing and festive cheer before the end of semester one.

Create and Connect – Art Cart Session

11 December, 2.30pm – 4.30pm, Loughborough Students’ Union

Creative Workshops and networking sessions for International students. In this session you will create Christmas cards for children in hospital.

Stage society – The Crucible

13 December, 7.30pm, 14 December, 1.30pm, Cope Auditorium

Stage society are performing The Crucible this weekend in the Cope Auditorium.

Loughborough Festivities

Wellbeing Service Drop In Session

13 December, 11am – 2pm, Pilkington Library

If you would like to speak to a Wellbeing Advisor please come along to the Library for a drop-in appointment.

Loughborough Men’s Rugby: Loughborough vs. Redruth

14 December, 2pm kick off, Loughborough University 1st XV Rugby Pitch

In their next home fixture, Loughborough Students Rugby will face off against Redruth. Come and cheer on the African Violet as they battle it out on the field.

Loughborough Men’s Football: Loughborough vs. Corby Town

14 December, 3pm kick off, Loughborough University Stadium

Come and enjoy the full match day experience as Loughborough take on Corby Town FC. Students can attend for a discounted price of £2 if you pre-book. 

Design in Organisations Module to host an engaging, industry-leading guest speaker lineup. 

Design in Organisations module, run at the Institute for Creative Futures as part of MA/MSc Design Innovation and MSc Service Design Innovation programmes, is hosting an external guest speaker line-up as part of the module. It will feature industry experts in the area of design and innovation in organisations, providing students with a real-world insight into the broader question that underpins this module: what are the different ways in which design materialises and is applied in the organisations within a service economy?

For any queries, please contact the module leader and MA/MSc Design Innovation programme director, Dr. Ksenija Kuzmina on k.kuzmina@lboro.ac.uk

Upcoming talks will include:

Cheryl Cheung – Date: 02.12.2024

Lecture title: Designing for Impact: Harnessing Design to Transform Public Services and Organisations

Biography: Cheryl Cheung, is an alumni of MSc Design Innovation, Loughborough University London (2018), and a seasoned service designer with over a decade of experience spanning social impact, public services, and sustainability-focused design. 

Talk synopsis: In her lecture, Cheryl will delve into how design bridges the gap between strategy and implementation in organisations, using lessons from her work to inspire students to think critically about design’s potential for creating meaningful change.

Dr. Clemens Kerschbaum – Date: 9.12.2023 

Biography: Clemens Kerschbaum is an Assistant Professor at New Design University in St. Pölten, Austria. In addition to his academic role, he works as a researcher and consultant at Argus-AI. His research focuses on non-rational types of knowledge and their application in various business domains, including innovation, business development, and the secure integration of new technologies into existing organizational structures. Clemens is currently the program director of the interdisciplinary master’s program Management by Innovation that addresses the intersection of Management and Design.

Talk synopsis:
Organizational or corporate purpose has become a highly debated topic in recent years, both as a way to articulate the reason for an organization’s existence and as a means to challenge the traditional fixation on profit maximization. Yet, beneath the surface, much of an organization’s purpose remains implicit—woven into its values, history, culture, and broader context. This implicit nature poses a critical challenge: when corporate actions fail to align with this underlying purpose, stakeholders often perceive the organization as inauthentic or unsuccessful. Yet, how can organizations and respective decision-makers uncover or act upon their true purpose? A novel perspective lies in the concept of organizational aesthetics, which allows us to understand organizing in a profoundly human and sensory way. By leveraging this perspective, organizations can move beyond abstract ideals and design purpose-driven systems that resonate with both their internal and external stakeholders. This talk explores how aesthetics can serve as a transformative tool for identifying and enacting organizational purpose, offering insights for building organizations that are authentic, aligned, and future-ready.

Prof. Eenasul Fateh – Date: 10.12.2024

Lecture title: The dynamics of ‘high performance’ in advanced organisational leadership and management.

Biography: Professor Eenasul Fateh is a social scientist, psychologist, strategy consultant and artist-researcher. At this lecture-workshop on ‘high performance dynamics’, he will be sharing his  knowledge of the biopsychosocial determinants of “human performance”, founded on his ground-breaking interdisciplinary practice across sectors, including trauma-informed work in clinic.

Professor Fateh is a senior associate and board member of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations (originators of the concept of “high performing teams). For several years he was a member of the British Psychoanalytic Council award-winning Trauma Service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust (pioneers of ‘trauma-informed’ therapeutic practice with patients with complex trauma), continues as a board member of its associated charity and has been a specialist youthworker engaging with street gangs; he trained at the Tavistock and Portman, the Institute for Psychosynthesis and Goldsmiths University.

Photo credit: Sofiia Vinnichenko

As a strategy consultant he has advised an array of innovators, including Citibank, LVMH, Schlumberger, Adidas, DEFRA, Bureau of Investigative Journalism, bdnews24.com, TheCowgirls.Co, the Mayor of London, regeneration projects in Fogo Island,  Aarhus, Berlin, Deptford etc. In 2002 his strategy consultancy work for EDF received the Financial Times/Arts+Business award for  CPD. He has taught at Loughborough, LSE, LBS, Cranfield, Copenhagen Business School, Manchester University, Royal College of Art etc. As an interdisciplinary artist his work has featured at the ICA, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Manifesta Biennial etc. https://bit.ly/3Q0vN4

Talk synopsis:
Exploring the core psychological, behavioural, ‘biopsychosocial’ and trauma-informed skills and strategies essential for generating, sustaining and accelerating the development of resilient and high performing leadership and management – using a step-by-step, actionable approach.

Aleksandra Melnikova – Date: 12.12.2023 

Lecture title: (Un) Designing Organisations

Biography: Aleks is a co-founder of Cosmic Velocity, a product and service design agency that places inclusivity at the core of what they do. Aleks has led various design teams across top UX/product design agencies such as ORM, Foolproof, BIO, Radley Yeldar, Publicis Poke and Inviqa (ex-Webcredible), delivering successful products and services for many clients worldwide. She’s driven by passion for helping people and businesses create truly inclusive experiences.

Talk synopsis: The role of design in organisations has grown over the years, so much so we are talking about applying it to the organisation itself: how many of organisations that exist today are intentional, and how many developed in a fairly unorganised manner? Businesses are difficult to change and challenge, often due to their systematic and interconnected nature – so where may we start, as designers?

In order for us designers to have “a seat at the table” we often help organisations re-design the table: looking at people, processes and the product itself, changing the business. In this talk, we will look at real-world examples of building design capabilities within organisations of various sizes, and will talk about the challenges and successes we had along the way in implementing design methodologies and thinking across multiple client groups.We will then try our hand at understanding the building blocks of an org design, and the potential for impact – in a game / workshop form.

Reviewers - how to advocate for Open

If you review for journals (or other such publications) you have an opportunity to advocate for Open Research. Below are two paragraphs from Krzysztof Cipora (Open Research Lead for School of Science), which you can remix as you want:

DRN2025: Drawing Negation Call for Presentations

Deadline 10th January 2025

Submission link: https://forms.gle/yNhkShf9YYDpFoXr9

This series of online events aims to explore the role of negation in drawing. By this we suggest that negation is inherent to drawing as a verb and noun.  

Before the first gesture, before its leap, before the best shot of intention casts its arc, there is perhaps a reverence to be found as witness to the surface in advance of the mark. A suspension of dis/belief. An arrest on a groundless ground of the here and now, haunted by the yet to be and the yet to be otherwise. This is the not here, not now, and we await the dehiscing of that which brings to be in the augenblick. Where is it that negation runs untied to its positive opposite in dialectical trajectory? As an unsublated radical, a remainder, always and forever out of reach of the totalising grasp of concepts. Or as an interior otherness, a ghost. An empty origin for this trembling before the page. To place is to displace, and then we leap and the mark is made. A trace of that which it is not.

Each session of presented papers aims to provide a space for discussion, dissemination, and the exchange of knowledge. With the intention of promoting fertile interactions that explore this conceptually rich terrain, we suggest the following as starting points and as possible themes, prompts and provocations:

• How can negation be absorbed into personal practice? 
• In what ways can negation be co-emergent, co-creative, or multi-disciplinary through drawing? 
• How can the relation between negation and the accidental or unintentional be investigated?
• Can negation be politically transformative through acts of drawing? 
• In drawing, does the space around meaning construction present positively, or negatively, or something other? 
• How can gaps, spaces between, and discontinuities be explored beyond the binary of positive and negative?
• How can the relationship between mark and surface be investigated with or without negative space?

Each event will take the form of 2/3 presentations, which address the call’s theme, followed by a Q&A session. We would like to invite proposals for a 20-minute presentation which addresses the theme from practitioners, theorists, and practitioner-researchers. To apply please submit one word .docx document, labelled as follows: surname.forename.presentation and include the following:

• 250-word abstract detailing the research question and proposed presentation
• 1 or 2 supporting images of personal practice
• 50-word biography
• If appropriate, a link to your personal website

Submission link: https://forms.gle/yNhkShf9YYDpFoXr9

Five Minutes With: Stevie Ashurst

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

My job title is Senior Web Designer / Developer, but I’m also the LGBT+ Staff Network Chair and I take great pride in both roles. I still can’t believe I’ve been at Loughborough University for over 26 years but as I have a long service award it must be true.

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

I love the fact that from from one day to the next I can be engaged in very different types of work – from sitting quietly with headphones on staring at HTML or CSS code, to representing all of the University Staff Networks at an EDI Operational Board meeting. I thrive on variety and the opportunity to solve problems, whether that’s a technical challenge of making a web page look or behave the way it’s should, or a logistical challenge of how we take a research project that might have partial information and difficult timescales then producing a clear and focused solution for the target audience, through to deciding whether we have enough flags for the LGBT+ Pride March.

As a lot of people do these days, I find I have a lot of meetings, but I actually really enjoy these. Following the pandemic where we were all forced into isolation, I discovered that I actually do like spending time with people.

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

I’ve worked on so many projects at Loughborough, from webcasting literally hundreds of graduation ceremonies to attaching a video camera to my car and doing a virtual drive round campus, to realising I have built 5 generations of the University Library website! But I think my favourite project has been looking after the University Research Projects hosting and delivery. I realise most projects are referring to something short term that has a clear start and finish, where as this is something that has been ongoing for many years and will hopefully continue for many more years, but I take pride in the fact that (with support from IT colleagues) it runs smoothly and that we’re able to deliver websites for so many varied and fascinating research projects. I love that no two are the same and that for each instance we need to be able to find the focus and reach the right audience.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Again, having worked here for so long I have a lot of proud moments – within the Web and Digital team and within the LGBT+ Staff Network. But I think I have to say that the moment that sticks in my mind, was leading the LGBT+ Pride March earlier this year on a glorious sunny day, so much positivity in the air and walking with friends and colleagues. The point that stuck in my mind particularly was walking in front of the Hasslegrave building and looking back to see so many people accompanying us that they were still emerging from behind the Hazlerigg building. At that moment I felt a particular emotional connection to the reason we were there. That’s going to stay with me for a very long time.

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

I realise I can’t sit still for very long, as I interests in painting and digital art as well as writing and publishing short stories. But whilst these things come and go depending on my mood, I absolutely couldn’t do without playing badminton. I started playing when I was young, but following a back injury in my mid-twenties I decided to take it more seriously, getting coaching and joining multiple clubs, eventually getting to play in the Leicestershire League and played matched as high as division three. Having a family changes priorities not to mention time available. I’ve never stopped playing but now I play at a more casual level. My claim to fame is that once during a staff badminton session I played doubles, paired with a visiting player – who never made a mistake – only to discover afterwards that it had been a previous world champion visiting the university.

What is your favourite quote?

“Do one thing every day that scares you” – Eleanor Roosevelt. This quote has really stuck with me and inspires me to really try and live life to the fullest.

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

Graduation: the perfect ending to my incredible Loughborough experience

My graduation in the summer of 2024 was the ultimate highlight of my academic career. After four years of studying through Covid, writing a dissertation, studying abroad in America and making memories to last a lifetime, my graduation was the final step to close this incredible chapter of my life. 

The excitement I had for my graduation had been building since my first year and thankfully it was everything I could’ve hoped for. I spent the morning getting ready by myself, reflecting on the past four years, putting on my dress, and going to get my robes with friends I made the first week I moved to university and others I met on the journey.

My family joined me later on in the day and showered me with flowers. As the first university graduate in my family, I could see on all their faces just how proud of me they were, a direct reflection of how I felt about my accomplishment. The day I graduated was my dad’s birthday and he said that this was the best present he could’ve received, to watch his daughter officially become smarter than him.

I hadn’t been completely sure about university until I came to Loughborough, but as soon as I got here it felt like home. The day of my graduation truly solidified to me just how much Loughborough meant to me and how it had become my new home.

I felt so privileged to be sat in that ceremony, surrounded by some of my best friends and course mates that I feel I grew up with, with my family sat in the crowd filming every part of my achievement. It truly was the best day of my life thus far.

Walking across that stage was surreal. When I heard my name called out over the speaker I don’t even remember actually walking across the stage; I just remember the cheers from my friends and families. It made me really glad they filmed it so I could look back at the ceremonial receiving of my degree.

After the ceremony I took copious amounts of photos to be able to look back on this momentous day and remember all who helped me get there, which was followed by my friends and family joining me at the pub for a dinner. It was the best send-off I could think of to officially end my chapter of university. It also felt fitting that my first official outing after Covid restrictions lifted at Loughborough was a pub trip with my new flat mates and my last one was the same, a true full-circle moment.

There are many things that I am going to miss about university: studying a subject I am truly passionate about, late night library sessions with all my friends (where there was definitely more chatting than studying), spontaneous outings to the union which we decided on 15 minutes before leaving, and so many other things.

Since finishing my degree, I knew I didn’t want to stray too far from my home at Loughborough and thankfully secured a job which allows me to share my experience at university with the next generation. I now get to spend my time talking to students about how impactful university can be, how Loughborough can help them achieve their dreams, and the memories you get to make that don’t compare with anything else.

How to beat the winter blues

As the days get shorter and temperatures drop, winter brings unique challenges for both our physical and mental health.

Winter colds, lower energy, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can impact our wellbeing and productivity. For some, the run-up to Christmas can also heighten feelings of stress and anxiety.

Here are some tips to keep yourself healthy during winter:

• Get a flu vaccination – Find out how you can get the vaccine
• Stay warm – Cold weather can increase blood pressure and breathing in cold air can increase the risk of chest infections, so it’s important to ensure your home is the right temperature, the Energy Saving Trust recommends heating your home to between 18-21 degrees Celsius
• Take a vitamin D supplement – According to the NHS, between October and early March we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight, government advice is that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter
• Regularly sanitise your workspace – Use disinfectant to clean surfaces and make sure to switch off devices before sanitising
• Try light therapy – Light therapy lamps can be an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
• Incorporate key nutrients into your diet – As well as vitamin D, other important nutrients to keep you healthy in winter include vitamin C, iron, zinc, and vitamin B6
• Use a good moisturiser – Cold, dry air in winter can strip your skin of moisture

Try out some of these self-care ideas to lift your mood

• Start a journal – Document your thoughts and goals, you can pick up a free copy of the LU Arts journal
• Decorate your home or office with seasonal colours and decorations
• Create a winter reading list – You can borrow books from Pilkington Library on campus and explore their online reading lists
• Create a vision board for the year ahead – Try using Canva’s Vision Board Maker
• Do some winter baking – Experiment with comforting seasonal recipes
• Attend a meditation session on campus
• Create a self-care box – Include your favourite book, photos, snacks, or anything that brings you joy
• Go for a walk with a hot drink

Hopefully some of these ideas will help you stay healthy and brighten your winter.

This Week at Loughborough | 2 December

Men’s BUCS Super Rugby vs Leeds Beckett

4 December, 7pm, Loughborough University 1st XV pitch

Join us and cheer on the boys in AV as they aim for victory and work towards reclaiming this year’s league title.

University Choir Christmas Concert

4 December, 7.30pm-9pm, Cope Auditorium

The programme is packed with traditional carols, lesser-known pieces, new versions of familiar carols and light-hearted Christmas music.

Film Screening: Bajo Fuego/Under Siege

5 December, 4pm-6pm, James France, CC013

Bajo Fuego depicts the unravelling of peace for a group of coca-growing peasants in the southwest of Colombia.

Fruit Routes Autumn Walk

6 December, 2pm-3.20pm, Barefoot Orchard

This is the first in a series of walks following the seasons with our senses and connecting in embodied ways to experience nature.

Flix Cinema – Kneecap

5 December, 7pm, Cope Auditorium

When fate brings Belfast teacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed ‘low life scum’ Naoise and Liam Og, the needle drops on a hip-hop act like no other.

Stage society – Frankenstein

6 and 7 December, 7.30pm, Cope Auditorium

Stage are putting on two performances of Frankenstein this week.

Loughborough Students vs Macclesfield

7 December, 2pm, Loughborough University 1st XV Rugby Pitch

National League 2 West, part of the English rugby union’s tier four, offers semi-professional competition, featuring teams from across the Midlands and Southwest England.

Loughborough Lightning FC vs Lincoln City

8 December, 2pm, Loughborough University Stadium

Join us at Loughborough University Stadium for Loughborough Lightning FC’s next home game of the season as they face off against Lincoln City in the FA Women’s National League.

From the Vice-Chancellor – November 2024

In my November newsletter: Building partnerships in Singapore and Malaysia, an additional £44m for the Modern Energy Cooking Services research programme, the inaugural Autumn open day, and marking Disability History Month.

Reinforcing our connections in Singapore and Malaysia

At the end of October, I undertook my first official visit as Vice-Chancellor to Malaysia and Singapore. These overseas delegations are an important aspect of our strategic activity, as they enable us to showcase the University’s research and education strengths to influential individuals and organisations, explore new partnership opportunities and strengthen our in-country alumni networks. 

Our first stop was Malaysia, where we went to the Ministry of Higher Education and visited the University of Technology Malaysia to find out more about their research ambitions in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Their new AI Faculty will play a central role in Malaysia’s aspirations to embrace AI technology. 

We met with representatives from Petronas to explore research collaborations in sustainable energy engineering and how Loughborough could support the company with its continued recruitment of high-quality graduates, and we also hosted a reception attended by around 100 alumni based in Malaysia. 

On the Singapore leg of the visit, we met with Nanyang Technological University, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and the National University of Singapore to discuss research collaboration in sport, health and hydrogen. 

We had also been invited to take part in Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology, known as SWITCH – a major global event that brings together founders, investors and industry leaders in pioneering technology across a range of sectors, including health, environment, digital and manufacturing. 

Three key Midlands’ collectives – Midlands Innovation, the Midlands Engine Partnership and Midlands Enterprise Universities – joined forces for the event to showcase the combined capabilities of 17 universities from our region, with a view to encouraging partnership development and investment. Loughborough’s focus for the exhibition was the work that’s underpinning our ambitions for the Hydrogen Works initiative to drive skills development, innovation and productivity, and the ways that global organisations can benefit from our world-class research and innovation base through the Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP). 

I was also invited to give a keynote speech at the SWITCH AI Summit on the creation of effective AI innovation ecosystems and participate in a panel discussion on the ways that the UK is building a flourishing AI habitat. 

It is the first time that we have joined forces with others to be part of an overseas event such as SWITCH. If we harness the power of working together, to scale-up our strengths, our ambitions and our offer to investors, universities are undoubtedly stronger in the hunt for investment and partnership building.

Further Government funding awarded to MECS

Each year, some of the most powerful and influential people from around the world gather for COP, a global summit focused on the climate crisis and, importantly, the steps the world needs to take to address it.  

A number of Loughborough colleagues from the Sustainable Transitions: Energy, Environment and Resilience Centre (STEER), in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, contributed to this year’s event in Baku, Azerbaijan. For example, researchers from Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) were part of an event to spotlight the Green Grids Initiative, which brings together governments, legislators and international organisations to accelerate the construction of the new infrastructure needed for a world powered by clean energy. 

At COP, the UK Minister for Development, Annelise Dodds, announced a further £44 million of funding for the Loughborough-led Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) research programme, taking the total investment to £99 million.  

The additional funding from UK Aid (the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) will extend the MECS programme by five years and enable the team to continue their mission to support 10 million people across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific to transition from biomass to clean cooking. 

MECS was launched to find clean, affordable, reliable and sustainable cooking alternatives to biomass fuels, such as charcoal and wood. Currently, over a third of the world’s population cook using these polluting fuels, leading to poor air quality and around four million premature deaths each year – primarily among women and children. Using charcoal and wood to cook also has a significant impact on climate change, contributing three per cent to global CO2 emissions every year.  

MECS embodies our strategic aim to work in partnership to undertake research that has the potential to make a global impact and bring about meaningful change. Since its establishment in 2018, MECS has enabled more than 3.8 million people to access cleaner and more efficient cooking equipment and practices, which has helped to reduce their fuel consumption and improve air quality. 

Additional open day held in November

Ensuring that Loughborough continues to attract the very best students is one of our key strategic aims, and the open days we hold each year play a crucial role in showcasing the University to prospective students. The events enable Year 12 students and their families to visit academic departments, talk to staff and students, view accommodation and find out more about sport, recreational activities and why Loughborough is one of the leading universities in the country.   

Each year the Loughborough open days attract thousands of visitors – attendance at our events has increased by almost 50% over the last 10 years and the open days this year, in June and September, attracted almost 32,000 visitors. The events are now so popular that we decided to add an additional autumn open day to our calendar and on 16 November we welcomed more than 4,000 visitors to the Loughborough campus.  

As the open day was held during term-time, some elements were slightly different from our June and September events – for instance, visitors were able to take virtual reality tours of hall accommodation – but having our current students around gave the campus an authentic feel and allowed the prospective students to gain a real perspective on university life. 

I know that holding an additional event in our open day calendar has increased the demands on staff in some areas, and I want to thank you, as always, for your commitment and support in ensuring that prospective students have the best experience here when they visit us. I always get lots of positive feedback from those who’ve attended. Given the current financial climate, it is more important than ever that we do everything we can to ensure that Loughborough continues to attract good numbers of well-qualified students, who will contribute so much to the continued success of the University.

Marking Disability History Month

From the middle of November to mid-December, we are marking Disability History Month, which this year has the theme of ‘Disability, Livelihood and Employment’.

Alongside the events we’re hosting, members of the University’s Disability and Inclusion Network have written a blog to share their personal experiences of living with different visible and invisible disabilities. They want to raise awareness of different conditions, some of which you may be aware of and others perhaps not, to reduce stigma and help colleagues across the University to be mindful of what others may be going through. I’d encourage you to take ten minutes to have a read. 

The Disability and Inclusion Network, which is one of our staff network groups, supports those at Loughborough who have disabilities or care for others who have a disability. They have recently established two subgroups: the Cancer Support Group and Neurodiversity Support Group. 

Our staff networks offer safe and supportive spaces, where staff can share and discuss their experiences, ideas and opinions. They play a significant role in influencing and shaping the University’s policies and practices and are integral to our work around Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. 

Save the date! Open Research Week 3-7 March 2025

Loughborough University has again joined with De Montfort University and the University of Leicester to arrange Open Research Week, scheduled for 3-7 March 2025. Stay tuned for all the detail and save the date.

(Here’s a link to what we did in 2024.)

Webinars and whatnots - November 2024

Figshare and Symplectic EMEA User Conference 2024

Open (as possible) research: Some things to think about when we can’t do it all – Open Research conversation from University of Sheffield.

Don Steward's blog 'Median': a source of high-quality teaching and practice materials

This blogpost was written by Dr Tom Francome. Tom’s work connects research, scholarship, and practice. He also leads Loughborough’s mathematics PGCE. His recent research focuses on practising mathematics and developing both mathematics and mathematicians through curriculum. There are links to learn more about Tom’s work, and the subject of this post, at the bottom of the blogpost. Edited by Dr Bethany Woollacott. 

Don Steward’s median blog (https://donsteward.blogspot.com – linked at the end of this blogpost) is an invaluable repository of mathematics teaching resources. Don’s notes are being published for anyone who would like to go deeper. In this blogpost, Tom Francome remembers Don Steward and pays tribute to his work as a mathematics educator and task designer. 

Introduction

Don Steward (1950-2020) inspired countless teachers and learners in his fruitful career as a mathematics educator and resource designer. He worked as a mathematics teacher and advisor for 47 years in Shropshire, UK, and led professional development across the country. Don was also an expert task designer, sharing his ideas through his advisory work, his company (MEDIAN), and later his popular blogsite (Median – linked at end) where he freely shared his resources for teaching mathematics.  

Don’s hugely popular blog, where he’s published his delightful ‘tasks with depth’ since 2007, has been a source of reliably high-quality inspiration with millions of views from across the globe. The tasks are mainly aimed at learners in the 11-16 age range and are easily searched by topic or by clicking the links on the right-hand side of the page. Don designed his resources to support teachers in delivering engaging and thought-provoking mathematics lessons. His resources help develop problem-solving skills through carefully curated mathematical tasks that encourage deeper thinking.  

The magic of Don’s mathematics teaching resources

Don’s teaching materials were often crafted with hidden depths, but one of his greatest talents was making these tasks feel approachable. To both pupils and teachers, they appeared like any regular exercise; however, while students could engage with them like simple exercises, they would often find themselves noticing and discussing interesting patterns and ideas along the way. Over time, and with a bit of exploration, teachers could uncover these deeper aspects, leading to richer discussions and greater insights from their students. 

I was fortunate to know Don, having first met him when I was a newly-qualified teacher in 2003 during a local authority training day. Somehow that day he managed to share hundreds of ideas from his ‘Median’ resources, alongside insightful ways of bringing out the richness of the mathematics and getting children noticing and generalising relationships. He profoundly influenced my teaching from then on. I got to know him better through professional development meetings, conferences and conversations about developing teaching, particularly on the mathematics PGCE where he led brilliant sessions that were different every time. He was always generous and supportive of me and this generosity extended to the wider community as he was always willing to give up his time to talk or provide materials or ideas for others. Sadly, on 3^rd May 2020 Don died of Covid-19.  

The last time I saw Don, we spent a day planning our joint ATM¹ conference session just before the first lockdown. As always, he was generous, interested and excitable, and I was looking forward to working with him much more in the future. He had offered to support us in developing the LUMEN Curriculum (Loughborough University’s free, research-informed secondary mathematics curriculum, linked at the end of this blogpost), and whilst some of his ideas are adapted there, their main home is his blog. 

I said in Mathematics Teaching:

However, that might not offer enough insight into the thinking. Mathematics teachers like it when they get to see people’s working. So, when Don’s paper notes were passed on to us, we thought others might enjoy seeing how his ideas evolved and what influenced his thinking. Don’s family gave us permission to digitise the materials to be shared on his blog. Don’s notes on tasks for teaching mathematics were stored in over 140 ring-binders. The tasks are mainly aimed at learners aged 11-16 and the notes include early versions of tasks on his blog, some of the paper-based Median resources, and notes, workings, and ideas in development.

It took quite a while to do the scanning – consisting of over 22,000 pages and presented somewhat idiosyncratically. While Don’s blog is easily navigated to quickly find something you need, these notes are better suited to more leisurely browsing. Don’s notes are now freely available on his site (link at end).

 Some favourite lessons from Don

Here I offer some examples of the kinds of material available in Don’s notes that might pique your interest. There are lots of Don’s ideas I might have drawn on here by way of example – I’m particularly fond of his classic median worksheets. 

‘2 congruent halves’ is perhaps my favourite ever worksheet and I was excited to find an original hand drawn version within his notes. [Shape bits, p.119] 

He developed this task over time and a number of variations can be found on his site. For example, if you want something a bit more open:  

How many ways can you dissect this shape into two congruent halves?  

For a while, Don and I were both working on the idea that school geometry could be helpfully introduced by working where possible within the structure of a grid. I was very excited to see some notes he’d made on a task he developed and gave to my PGCE students. I thought I’d lost the only paper copy! This task exploited the grid structure and askes learners to complete shapes to make a certain fraction or area of a rectangle. You can see part of the task below. 

His notes also provide some insight into the level of care he put into developing tasks as he worked on and reordered problems to provide the best mathematical experience.  

I expanded on the idea of exploiting the grid structure in the Mathematical Association’s Journal, ‘Mathematics in School’’s tribute to Don⁴ and also within, in particular, the Length and Area module of the LUMEN Curriculum (you can find links to these, and others, at the end). 

Don’s Legacy

Don would have described himself as a ‘collector’ of resources, but he was also an innovator – constantly tinkering, adapting, extending and polishing tasks – adding his own sparkle to make the tasks shine.  He never considered any of the tasks to be ‘his’, but wanted his work to remain freely available to help teachers and learners. He hoped people who use his resources might donate to charities supporting education in Africa, so please consider doing so if you are able: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jessesteward

On Don’s website, there are many tasks that develop mathematical thinking in interesting and thought-provoking ways and I would encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it to spend some time exploring his blog. If you’d like to know more, we hope you will find something of interest within Don’s notes. If you are interested in task design, you may like to see how early versions of tasks (such as two congruent halves above) evolved. You might also be able to see where some of the inspiration came from for Don’s more polished ideas. As Dave Hewitt noted,  

Although he was an expert task designer, he was relentlessly modest and was always eager to credit others for inspiring him.  

Losing Don has been a great loss to me personally and to the profession, but thankfully the huge contribution he has made will live on to inspire future teachers and mathematicians.  

Note: This work was made possible thanks to generous support from Loughborough University’s Centre for Mathematical Cognition funded by Research England. 

Don’s blog contains all the polished tasks, resources and ideas for teaching mathematics to 10 to 18 year student. They are for teachers “who like tasks with some depth, novelty and a focus on generalising relationships and on transformation”. These resources can be used, reproduced, and modified, for non-commercial purposes by teachers and learners. If you want tasks on a particular area of mathematics, then look at the topic menu on the right hand side. Click to bring up all posts on that topic. 

As noted above, we had permission to digitise Don’s paper notes and these were recently uploaded to his site. They can be accessed by clicking one of the eight folders at the bottom of the page. This takes you to Google Drive where you can view the files. 

Don wanted his work to support the teaching of mathematics so please feel free to use it in your teaching. This material (and other material on Don’s blog) may be reproduced, and modified, for non-commercial purposes, under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 detailed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ – all other rights reserved by Don’s family. If you recognise any third-party materials that you hold the copyright of then please email: Dme@lboro.ac.uk  

Further reading 

Francome, T., Sugarman, S., Hewitt, D., Pitt, A., and Charles, G. (2020) ‘Remembering Don Steward’, Mathematics Teaching, 272, pp. 42-43. https://atm.org.uk/write/MediaUploads/Journals/MT272/18__Remembering_Don_Steward.pdf   

The files referenced above can be found in 8 – ‘shape bits’ : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TGCfIFww4skIdAdtQz0sW4BWo5jSw5SZ

Two congruent halves: p.161,  

The newer versions for comparison are here: https://donsteward.blogspot.com/search/label/congruent%20parts  

Fraction rectangles: p.223 

Building on Don’s work of using grid structures to help with learning mathematics, I suggest ways grids can be exploited here n the Mathematical Association’s Journal, Mathematics in School’s tribute to Don:  

Francome, T. (2021) ‘transforming the way you teach quadrilateral properties’, Mathematics in School. Vol. 50 – No.3, pp. 12-14 https://hdl.handle.net/2134/19341782.v1 i

Also within, in particular, the Length and Area module of the LUMEN Curriculum: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/lumen/curriculum

where grids are used very intentionally. Some of Don’s impressive thinking can be found on his blog here: https://donsteward.blogspot.com/search/label/angles%20on%20a%20grid

and this has been expanded on in more depth by Anne Watson: http://www.pmtheta.com/dose-of-don.html  

If you want to know more about Don and his life, please see the memorial page here: 

https://www.gatheringus.com/memorial/don-steward/3488?c=973

References

1 Association of Teachers of Mathematics: https://atm.org.uk/

2 Tom’s ref

3 Dave’s ref

4 MA tribute to Don

This Week at Loughborough | 25 November

Webinar: How to Apply for a PhD

26 November, 12pm-1pm, online

Our panel will be on hand to give you information and advice about the application process, writing a research proposal, finding a supervisor and more. 

International Futures – How to Unravel the UK’s Hidden job market

26 November, 6pm-7pm, EHB 0.01

The UK’s Job Market is one of the most competitive job markets in the world as an international student this can be difficult to navigate! This session will help you unravel the job market

Men’s BUCS Super Rugby vs Exeter

27 November, 7pm, Loughborough University 1st XV pitch

BUCS Super Rugby returns to campus as the reigning 2023/2024 National Champions in African Violet gear up to host Exeter in their next BSR showdown.

Mock Assessment Centre

28 November, 6pm-7.45pm, online

Delivered by the Careers Network and staff from a range of top companies, you’ll hear first-hand what to expect and learn how to prepare effectively.

LSU Christian Union Carol Service

29 November, 7pm, Emmanuel Church

Join LSU Christian Union for their annual Carol service with LSU Classical and LSU Sing.

Disability History Month: Living with a disability or neurological condition 

The Disability and Inclusion Network at the University is committed to supporting all staff with disabilities at work across both campuses, and those who care for other people with a disability.  

Members from the Network have shared their personal experiences of living with different visible and invisible disabilities below, each offering a unique perspective into their feelings and the way they manage it in day-to-day life.  

This blog intends to raise awareness of different conditions you may or may not know about, to reduce stigma, and to help colleagues be more mindful of what others may be going through.   

Arthritis 

Arthritis is a condition that can cause symptoms such as joint pain, swelling and stiffness. There are different types of arthritis, and it can affect people of all ages. Whilst there is no cure for arthritis, treatment can help to manage the symptoms.  

“It’s like having toothache in your joints. No- can see if you have toothache. Some days are bad, others are fine, but you just fight through the bad days. You realise that some days, it just takes longer to get up and working.” 

ADHD  

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a neurological condition that affects a person’s ability to focus and control themselves. Symptoms can include hyperactivity and impulsiveness, as well as difficulty concentrating. ADHD is often diagnosed in childhood, but for many it can be undiagnosed when symptoms seem less obvious.  

“ADHD to me is like having 15 emails open, 30 unfinished books on my kindle but knowing I could go back into them at any time and carry on reading. Hyper focusing on a new Netflix series or book series until I have watched/read everyone available and then feeling lost when I have finished them.  Its craving routine but then wanting excitement and a challenge.” 

“Having ADHD means that you lack the social filters that neurotypical people enjoy. Every unread or poorly structured email in your inbox and every undisciplined meeting makes you shrink inside because it’s like a noisy room full of people screaming for attention; where every voice needs to be given full attention because it might, possibly, be something important.” 

“It’s like having a head full of crickets, each singing a different song, but you can’t pick out just one song…” 

Fibromyalgia 

Fibromyalgia causes pain and tenderness across the body, resulting in symptoms such as fatigue, joint stiffness, headaches, depression, tenderness, numbness or tingling, increased sensitivity to light and noise. It is a long-term condition which means symptoms can suddenly get better or worse. There’s no cure for Fibromyalgia, but treatments can make the symptoms easier to live with.  

“I look fine, smile almost always in place, but I live in constant pain. I’m fatigued. Not just tired, but exhausted. Balancing work, life, rest, appointments, medication, is wearying, and using annual leave to rest is essential, but really sad. I miss my energy.” 

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)  

GAD is a mental health condition which causes an individual to experience anxiety about lots of things. As a result, individuals can feel restless, have difficulty sleeping, feel lightheaded or dizzy, experience stomach problems, and be more likely to experience low mood or depression. GAD is a common condition, and treatment can range from talking therapies to medication.  

“The thing about an anxiety disorder flare-up is you don’t always realise it’s taken hold until it’s too late. When the spiral hits, you’re already sinking. It makes you live on your guard not just for external threats, but for anxiety itself every minute of every day. It’s exhausting.” 

Colitis 

Colitis is a long-term condition causing inflammation of the colon and rectum. The main symptoms are stomach pain, recurring diarrhoea, and the need to go to the toilet frequently. This can cause extreme weight loss, fatigue and loss of appetite. Colitis flare-ups can occur for individuals with the condition, which can cause further symptoms. Medicine can treat the condition, but in more severe cases surgery may be considered.  

“I do not have the vocabulary to explain how I am to my IBD nurse. I eventually resort to language used by children to explain the issues for fear of appearing coarse or rude. It’s hidden and not discussed in open conversation. Sometimes it can be very debilitating and embarrassing and it’s always at the back of my mind when planning anything.” 

Autism 

A neurological condition where the brain works in a different way to those who do not have autism. Autism is a spectrum, meaning those with the condition all have very different experiences. Symptoms can include finding it hard to communicate with others; difficult understanding how others think and feel; and finding situations or certain external factors like light and noise overwhelming and stressful.  

“It can feel like every day is your first day. Sometimes, I ask myself if everyone else has been given a handbook on how to be a human and I’ve been missed out.” 

Type 1 Diabetes 

Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body cannot make a hormone called insulin, which helps your body to use glucose (eg sugar) for energy. Type 1 diabetics need to take insulin every day to manage their blood glucose levels. There is no cure and people can be diagnosed at any age, although it’s more likely to start during childhood.  

“It means you are constantly fighting to maintain good blood sugar levels.  Too low and you risk hypo’s where you can easily go unconscious.  Your brain activity, ability to focus and speech is all affected. Too high and you feel tired, nauseous, aching joints and eyes. You have to remember to always keep food and insulin injections with you, wherever you go.” 

Cancer 

Cancer is a condition where cells from a part of the body grow and reproduce uncontrollably and can invade nearby healthy tissue such as organs. It is believed that 1 in 2 people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime, with the four most common types of cancer in the UK being bowel cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. Treatments for cancers can vary and can include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.  

“A cancer diagnosis stops everything in its tracks. And it throws you into a world of paradoxes: you (might) feel healthy but you’re not; you are strong but you’re vulnerable and wobble; everyone around you wants to help and support you but you feel alone.” 

Epilepsy 

Affecting the brain, Epilepsy causes frequent seizures which can cause other symptoms to occur. It can start at any age and is lifelong. Treatment options can include medicine, surgery, and diet management.  

“People have a very narrow view of what this is – unconscious seizures. What it actually is – tiredness, sensory overload, no driving license, seizures no one can see, brain altering medication, but also, the love of family and friends, supportive colleagues, learning self-care and prioritising your wellbeing.” 

PTSD 

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur following a particularly distressing and/or frightening event. Symptoms such as flashbacks, insomnia, and nightmares can all play a significant impact on an individual’s day-to-day life. It can occur immediately after an event or a week, months or even years later. PTSD can be treated, dependent on the severity of symptoms.  

“It affects your sleep (nightmares), your perceptions of reality (flashbacks), everyday activities you no longer can or want to perform (avoidance), your social interactions (disconnection), your thinking patterns (brain freeze), and pretty much your whole identity.” 

Support 

• Any staff members who have or are affected by physical or invisible disabilities are welcome to join the Disability and Inclusion Network. Find out more about the Network on their dedicated webpages.  

• The University has a range of support services available for staff, including the Employee Assistance Programme, opportunities to get involved in sport and physical activity, as well as policies to support a work/life balance. Discover the staff wellbeing offering available at Loughborough. 

• If you want to learn more about living with a disability or neurological condition, many colleagues have previously shared in-depth personal experiences of living with or caring for someone with a disability or neurodiverse condition on the EDI blog   

Explanation– Proofs providing Insight

This blogpost was written by Saf Shah, a PhD student investigating mathematics undergraduates’ conceptions of intuition and rigour.  Saf has been at the DME since 2020, and his PhD supervisors are Dr. Paola Iannone, Prof. Lara Alcock, Prof. Ian Jones, and Dr. Fenner Tanswell.  There are links to learn more about Saf’s work, and the work of his supervisors, at the bottom of the blogpost. Edited by Dr. Bethany Woollacott.

In this blog post, Saf reviews the literature on the role of explanation and its relationship to proof. Saf starts by reporting theoretical research into the purposes and roles of explanation and how it relates to instruction in undergraduate mathematics.  This is followed by reporting two empirical studies investigating undergraduate students’ understandings of proofs, which can give insights into undergraduates’ engagement with proof validation and construction and the explanatory role of proof.

Introduction

There is much research into the different roles of proof in undergraduate mathematics¹. These roles can be more than simply verifying a mathematical statement (verification), including explanation, communication, and discovery¹. In this blog post, I focus on explanation.

Theoretical Research

Mathematicians often use proofs to gain insights into conjectures and to comprehend the underlying reasons behind their validity. According to Rota², while verification is an aspect of proof, it may not “necessarily provide a reason” (ibid., p. 186) as to why a theorem statement is correct. Therefore, appealing to reason or explanations is crucial in mathematical practice³. Hanna⁴ distinguishes between proofs that confirm and proofs that explain, arguing that solely using syntactic methods (using quantifiers and formal language) does not often provide a rationale based on underlying mathematical ideas and, thus, is not explanatory. Practising mathematicians value proof as a tool for conceptual understanding – like an explanation – rather than just correct syntactical derivations (i.e., using first-order logic)^4,5.

“According to Rota, while verification is an aspect of proof, it may not “necessarily provide a reason” (ibid., p. 186) as to why a theorem statement is correct.“

The Role of Mathematical Proofs in Teaching Undergraduates

In the context of undergraduate mathematics instruction, proofs should be presented and described considering the level of detail, classroom context, and students’ experience⁶. Explanatory proofs can take various forms, such as a calculation, a visual demonstration, or a guided discussion, depending on the grade level and instructional context⁶. Hanna⁴ suggests that the challenge for students is understanding the accuracy of known results and why they are true. Students can gain insight by relating mathematical statements to specific examples, facilitating the transition from procedural to conceptual knowledge^7,8. Additionally, specific proof methods, such as proving through contradiction or mathematical induction, may verify but not explain.  As such, it is essential for instructors to carefully select examples of proof to enable undergraduates to gain insights into the underlying reasoning in proofs and gain explanations from them.

“Explanatory proofs can take various forms, such as a calculation, a visual demonstration, or a guided discussion, depending on the grade level and instructional context.“

Below is a visual proof as an example of the explanatory role of proof.

Empirical Research

A large body of existing empirical research relates formal proof (in the educational sense) to its role as being explanatory^7,9. In this review, I present the results of two empirical studies (a mixed methods study and a qualitative study) to illustrate the main findings within the corpus of research literature on the explanatory role of proof in undergraduate mathematics.  The findings presented are corroborated by other studies in this domain¹⁰. 

Firstly, Stylianou and colleagues¹¹ investigated students’ beliefs about proof relating to the roles of verification, explanation, and communication.  The authors used mixed methods and asked 535 undergraduate students to (i) complete a multiple-choice test and (ii) a questionnaire. The multiple-choice test was designed to ask students what constitutes proof and their thoughts on its role in mathematics – it also asked students to evaluate simple proofs to check their competency. The questionnaire (again multiple-choice) aimed to elicit students’ beliefs about proof and their previous classroom experience with proof.  60 of the 535 students also participated in a written test. The written test asked students to construct proofs for conjectures included in the multiple-choice test.  Then, finally, out of the 60 students who completed the written test, 40 were interviewed for 30 minutes using a list of carefully prepared questions.

The findings suggest that students have a double conception of proof: proof arguments that they thought would receive the best mark or proof arguments that they would adopt for themselves (ibid.). Further, the authors found that students did not perceive symbolic-deductive arguments (e.g., proof by contradiction) as explanatory and saw proofs explained in words as explanatory.  This finding suggests that semantic parts of a formal proof can help undergraduate students derive explanations – from such statements, which is significant in the context of university education.  If semantic arguments can facilitate proof validation (and production) within a proof and are seen as being explanatory, then engaging with such arguments can act as a bridge to better understanding the overall reasoning of a given argument or proof.

A second study by Simon and Blume¹² corroborated the finding that engaging with proving (e.g., validating proofs) can aid in understanding the overall reasoning in a given proof and help gain insight. The authors presented research from a three-year project with prospective elementary school teachers’ mathematical and pedagogical development in a teacher preparation program. The authors interviewed 26 prospective teachers and found that validating and constructing proofs helped the participants gain insight into the underlying reasoning in the given proofs. Participants could create and validate their ideas relating to proof and develop understanding by engaging in the justification of mathematical conjectures and statements. The study also found that conceptual understanding affected what participants accepted as a valid justification. When participants justified their answers, they relied on explaining procedures and their appropriateness, which helped students gain insight into the procedures and concepts being explored. This study found that when participants aimed to justify conjectures, this activity developed insight and resulted in learning (ibid.).

Although both studies addressed the need for proofs to be explanatory, neither investigated the potential context dependency of the proofs presented. It is plausible to assume one proof may be explanatory for one student while not for another due to contextual factors (e.g., targeted audience, conventions of writing proofs in sub-disciplines, etc.). For example, a proof may be relevant for publication and explanatory within the relevant mathematical communities, while the same proof may not be explanatory to undergraduate students. Therefore, contextual factors relating to explanatory proofs within undergraduate mathematics need further empirical research.  My PhD research is focused on exploring undergraduate students’ awareness of this explanatory role of proof by presenting them with a visual proof from Ording¹³.

Summary

In this blog post, I have concentrated on presenting theoretical and empirical research into the explanation role of proof. The theoretical research shows that proofs can provide insight and explain why a theorem is true. The literature surrounding instruction in undergraduate mathematics suggests that teaching explanatory proofs allows the learner to gain further insights into proof beyond verification. The two empirical studies that I have presented here corroborate this view and further show the value of explanatory proofs, suggesting that exposing undergraduate students to proof methods can develop their conceptual understanding of an underlying theorem.  It is important to note that context can play a large role in mathematical proofs, with a certain proof giving insight for some but not others.  For one of my PhD studies, we aimed to corroborate existing literature to understand whether undergraduate students are aware of the different roles of proof (like explanation) other than just their verifying role – please get in touch if you have any questions using my contact details via the link below.

References

1. Hanna, G. (2000). Proof and its classroom role: A survey. Atas do Encontro de Investigação em Educação Matemática-IX EIEM, 75-104.
2. Rota, G. C. (1997). The phenomenology of mathematical beauty. Synthese, 111, 171–182.
3. Mancosu, P. (2001). Mathematical explanation: Problems and prospects. Topoi, 20(1), 97–117.
4. Hanna, G. (1990). Some pedagogical aspects of proof. Interchange, 21(1), 6–13.
5. Weber, K. (2014). Reflections on justification and proof: Justification and proof in mathematics and mathematics education. Mathematics & Mathematics Education: Searching for Common Ground, 237–257.
6. Hanna, G. (1995). Challenges to the importance of proof. For the Learning of Mathematics, 15(3), 42–49.
7. Weber, K., & Alcock, L. (2004). Semantic and syntactic proof productions. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 56, 209–234.
8. Easdown, D. (2007). The role of proof in mathematics teaching and the plateau
   principle. Proceedings of The Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education.
9. Weber, K. (2010). Mathematics majors’ perceptions of conviction, validity, and proof. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 12(4), 306–336.
10. Weber, K. (2001). Student difficulty in constructing proofs: The need for strategic knowledge. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 48, 101–119.
11. Stylianou, D. A., Blanton, M. L., & Rotou, O. (2015). Undergraduate students’ understanding of proof: Relationships between proof conceptions, beliefs, and classroom experiences with learning proof. International Journal of Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, 1, 91–134.
12. Simon, M. A., & Blume, G. W. (1996). Justification in the mathematics classroom: A study of prospective elementary teachers. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 15(1), 3–31.
13. Ording, P. (2019). 99 variations on a proof. Princeton University Press.

Five Minutes With: Sam Grogan

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

I’m the new Pro Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience and I’ve been here 12 days!

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

Based on 12 days of work here, I’m not sure there is one…..

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

Ask me again in 3 years! There’s lots to do and exciting times are ahead in an HE environment which places a number of challenges at our door. What’s been great in these early days of my time here is getting to see and understand the phenomenal strengths and fantastic practice. This provides an amazing bedrock for future innovation. It’s going to be fun…

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

On day 12 of my time here, there’s undoubtedly more to come…. My proudest moment to date was visiting the open day with my family and them seeing the passion and knowledge of colleagues, students on display in an amazing setting, and then it sinking in that I’m part of this and I have something of value to give to our university. Very humbling.

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

I am an outdoors enthusiast – happiest when I’m under canvas, or in our campervan (affectionately called Ruby). I love trail running, walking, surfing, paddleboarding or anything that puts me on a board, or up a hill/ mountain. Ruby is a 1971 VW baywindow. I’m restoring her and so I also spend a fair bit of time swearing/ celebrating the wins. Its a long term project and a lot of fun….

What is your favourite quote?

I have a couple – its impossible to choose! ‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover’ Mark Twain. ‘Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.’ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, Chapter 1. ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.’ Ferris Beuller

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

TRACEY Journal call for articles: Drawing beyond the visible

Guest editor – James Bowen 

Deadline – 31st January 2025

Submission: https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/TRACEY/about/submissions

This edition seeks to question the primacy of vision through explorations of trace-making beyond the optic or graphic mark. To explore drawing beyond the visible is as much a call to acknowledge drawing as having the capacity to exceed or escape itself—to be more than. The fundamentality of a drawing act is perhaps expressed through its engendering a sense of immediacy; of a gesture, becoming mark, becoming trace. Here, questions around binaries of presence and absence, subject and object, and permanence and impermanence have proved pertinent to the ongoing debates in drawing that seek to navigate its richly ambiguous terrain. Yet to make a graphic mark is also to make a sound and to engage with sensation, thought, and matter beyond the optic. 

In drawing, connections are made between divisible surfaces, relations are engendered. Rather than being isolated, these surfaces exist in relation to their milieus. In this way relations propagate and disseminate outwards. Simultaneously relations are brought inwards, what is exterior and separable to the drawing act is interiorised; the milieu makes its way onto the page. To draw is to make contact, to touch and be touched in and out of the act. Like drawing, sound transgresses. Vibration can pass through a surface as much as be reflected by it. Sound can be considered an ‘object’ yet one that endures only in its passing. An object or ‘thing’ but also an event—much like drawing itself (Newman, 2003; 105).  If the senses of sight and audition share a commonality, it is perhaps how they both act haptically. That is, as modes of touch. To look is to touch and be touched at a distance; to listen is to realise the intimacy of the far away (Bonnet, 2016; 142). 

By acknowledging the excesses in drawing this edition seeks investigations that engage in the apprehension of trace-making across senses. By doing so we ask what might other academic fields such as sound studies, cognitive science and psychology, and philosophy offer drawing, and how might this enliven critical debates into what it means to draw? 

Particular areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following questions:

• In what ways can drawing be used as means of exploring sound beyond its visualisation?
• How might collaborative practice be used to explore non-graphic trace-making in drawing? And how can techniques, processes, and ideas be shared across academic fields and used to generate further knowledge? 
• How might the ephemerality and inherent relationality of sensation be used to explore the spatio-temporal nature of drawing?
• How can sensation be considered a drawing? And how can this be used as a means of practice-based/led research?
• In what ways can drawing be used to explore and enrich ontological debates in sound studies such as phenomenological and/or material vibrational definitions of sound?
• How can non-graphic traces be used to explore identity and difference, be that social, political, material, and/or metaphysical? 
• How can digital and/or analogue technologies be used as a process of non-graphic trace-making? 

Responses are sought from outside and on the fringes of the arts – all rigorous research related to drawing or the ideas mentioned above, whatever your field, will be warmly welcomed.

TRACEY would like to invite the following submissions in response to the theme:

Full academic papers between 4500 –6000 words to be submitted through TRACEY’s online submission portal: https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/TRACEY/about/submissions Please note, as we have updated the submission portal, even if you have previously submitted a paper to TRACEY, you will need to register for an account to be able to make a submission.

Please ensure that you use the template for your submission, which can be downloaded from the submissions link above.

Deadline for all submissions: 31st January 2025

Please include the following information for papers:

Author(s)

Institutional Affiliation (if appropriate)

50-word biography

This Week at Loughborough | 18 November

Why do we need International Men’s Day?

18 November, 1pm-2pm, Edward Herbert Building, 205

EDI Services are pleased to announce their next ‘Voices of Diversity’ event, Why do we need International Men’s Day? They have invited a panel of men from across the University to share their experiences and explore some of the issues faced by men today. 

Whatuni Student Choice Awards review collection stand

19 November, 9.30am-4.30pm, Loughborough Students’ Union

To participate in the review collection process, visit the Whatuni Student Choice Awards stand in the and submit a review to tell us about your student experience and the first 200 students will receive a BomBom cookie for their time.

International Men’s Day Walk

19 November, 12.30pm-1.30pm, Meet outside Hazlerigg Building

The walk will be a space for individuals to discuss their experiences and to encourage everyone to unite and raise awareness about men’s mental and physical wellbeing.

Webinar: How to Apply for a Master’s Degree

20 November, 12pm-12.45pm, Online

In this webinar, our panel will be on hand to give you information and advice about the application process, personal statements, key deadlines and more. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask your own questions live during the session.

Transgender Day of Remembrance Service

20 November, 1.30pm-2pm, University Chaplaincy

Loughborough LGBT+ Staff Network, LSU LGBT+ Students Association, and the University Chaplaincy will hold a service of remembrance to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance on Wednesday 20 November in the University Chaplaincy.

White Ribbon Day: Panel Discussion

20 November, 3.15pm-4.15pm, Edward Herbert Building, 001

‘It Starts with Men’ is the theme for White Ribbon Day 2024, which encourages men to take action to end violence against women and girls. Loughborough University’s Maia Network recognise the importance of this day in terms of communicating message of accountability and support and will be hosting a panel discussion event with colleagues from across the University.

Film Screening – Trap

21 November, 7pm, Cope Auditorium

Flix will be screening Trap at the Cope Auditorium this week at 7pm! A man and his teenage daughter realize they’re at the centre of a dark and sinister event while watching a concert.

Tuxedo Swing 24 Hour Tux-a-thon

22 November – 23 November, 7.30pm – 7.30pm, Cope Auditorium

The event kicks off at 7:30pm and runs straight through to 7:30pm the following day. A single ticket purchase grants you a wristband for unlimited entry, so you can join them as many times as you like throughout the event. Every penny raised goes directly to Movember!

International Students Day: Our Testimonials

At Loughborough University, we pride ourselves on fostering a welcoming and diverse community that empowers students from all over the world to pursue their dreams, connect with peers, and grow in a supportive environment. In honor of International Students Day, we’ve gathered testimonials from international students to share their backgrounds, experiences, and advice for future students.

Nekbeer Mangat

Course: Economics BSc

Country: Singapore

Tell us about yourself and your time at Loughborough.

I’m 23 years old and served in the Army for two years before coming to the UK for university. I enjoy playing sports, mainly football and tennis. My time at Loughborough as been full of adventures and eye opening opportunities. There have been ups and downs, but it’s mostly been fun and I’m excited to see what comes next!

What’s your favorite thing about your home country?

Definitely the food, especially because my mother is there and she makes the best meals.

Why did you choose Loughborough?

The University’s sports facilities and high rankings really appealed to me. I also prefer rural areas over urban ones, as they’re less crowded and noisy, except on clubbing nights.

What’s been your favorite experience here?

Managing the Malaysian and Singaporean Society has been amazing. I didn’t expect to take on that role, but I loved helping freshers settle in and planning fun events.

Your advice for future international students?

It may be hard to grow out of your shell when moving to a different country, but once you meet the right people, the university experience becomes better and more enjoyable. So go out and join something that works for you, something that you find pleasure in, like sports, societies, clubs, or hall activities. You might just meet lifelong friends, even at a fire drill!

Sarjeel Rashid

Course: Mechanical Engineering PhD

Country: Bangladesh

Tell us about yourself and your time at Loughborough.

I completed my BEng in Mechanical Engineering here and did a research internship that led to my PhD offer. Loughborough has given me incredible opportunities to grow in my field.

What’s your favorite thing about your home country?

The people, the winter weather, and of course, the spicy food.

Why did you choose Loughborough?

My dad was doing his PhD here when I was applying to universities. I visited the beautiful campus before my A levels, and I was hooked!

What’s been your favorite experience here?

It’s a tie between joining the Hiking Club and volunteering for Lboro Sport. I’ve seen stunning UK landscapes and played badminton with people from around the world.

Your advice for future international students?

Academics come first, but get involved! Meeting people from different cultures can change your perspective on life. Join societies, volunteer, and keep an open heart and watch the most incredible people walk into your life!

Lisa Ndubai

Course: Business Analytics MSc

Country: Kenya

Tell us about yourself and your time at Loughborough.

I’m in my final year and love sports like football and futsal. My time at Loughborough has been full of varied and exciting experiences. I’ve met people from different backgrounds, each with interesting stories to share.

What’s your favorite thing about your home country?

The food and stable weather!

Why did you choose Loughborough?

I heard Loughborough had a strong reputation in sports and the Business School’s high ranking both appealed to me.

What’s been your favorite experience here?

Going to the yearly Loughborough town fair with my friends and trying out all the rides!

Your advice for future international students?

Get involved in as many extracurriculars as you can. It’s a fantastic way to make friends and have a diverse range of experiences.

Shirlyn Ng

Course: Media and Communications BSc

Country: Malaysia

Tell us about yourself and your time at Loughborough.

I’m in my final year and came to Loughborough as a non-athlete. Now, I’m deeply involved in the Recreational Sport program, encouraging students to stay active. It’s been a great way to try new sports and connect with others.

What’s your favorite thing about your home country?

The food! I especially miss my grandmother’s cooking.

Why did you choose Loughborough?

I wanted a university with high student satisfaction. Loughborough’s reputation in both student support and my course made it the ideal choice.

What’s been your favorite experience here?

Being part of multiple committees has allowed me to make a real impact on student life and I love being a course ambassador.

Your advice for future international students?

Branch out and meet different people. Your nationality’s community is important, but you’ll add so much to your experience by connecting with others

Jie Zhan

Course: Media and Communications BSc

Country: China

Tell us about yourself and your time at Loughborough.

I’m a media student who loves sketching and journaling. As an introvert, Loughborough has helped me find a balance between enjoying solitude and meaningful moments with friends.

What’s your favorite thing about your home country?

Our diverse culture and amazing food. China has so much to explore!”

Why did you choose Loughborough?

The media program is excellent, and the sports culture here inspired me to try new things and stay motivated.

What’s been your favorite experience here?

Being part of the International Student Network, where I’ve met incredible people and learned a lot through our events.

Your advice for future international students?

Don’t be afraid to communicate, even if English isn’t your first language. Approach cultural differences with curiosity, and you’ll find your place.

Geoffrey Sie

Course: Computer Science BSc

Country: Malaysia

Tell us about yourself and your time at Loughborough.

Hi, my name is Geoffrey, and I’m a Computer Science student currently in my placement year working in cybersecurity. I aspire to pursue a career in tech, ideally in cybersecurity or a related field.

What’s your favorite thing about your home country?

I love the diversity of our food—it’s unique because it comes from so many different cultures.

Why did you choose Loughborough?

I chose Loughborough because of its strong reputation in Computing and the beautiful campus atmosphere.

What’s been your favorite experience here?

My favorite experience has been the late-night study sessions with friends, although we didn’t get much studying done.

Your advice for future international students?

Always be on the lookout for new opportunities around campus, like Get Ahead Together and Study Café. They’re fantastic ways to meet new people and often come with lots of freebies!

Our international students bring their own cultures, perspectives and passions to our campus, making Loughborough a great place to live and learn. To all our international students, thank you for making Loughborough a diverse and welcoming community!

Top 5 downloads from the Loughborough Research Repository October 2024

The Loughborough Research Repository currently contains over contains 56,508 items.

Staff processed 358 new research deposits during October 2024.The 5 most downloaded articles from the repository are below. These figures comes from IRUS UK, a JISC funded service that provides standardised statistical tools for measuring institutional repositories.

• Hignett, Sue; McDermott, Hilary (2015). Qualitative methodology for ergonomics. Loughborough University. Chapter. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/23558 Downloads 213
• Keiningham, Timothy; Aksoy, Lerzan; Bruce, Helen L.; Cadet, Fabienne; Clennell, Natasha; Hodgkinson, Ian; et al. (2019). Customer experience driven business model innovation. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/9205919.v1 Downloads 161
• Hogervorst, Eef; Craig, Jen; ODonnell, Emma (2021). Cognition and mental health in menopause: a review. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/17155811.v1 Downloads 149
• Asadullah, Ahmad; Faik, Isam; Kankanhalli, Atreyi (2018). Digital platforms: a review and future directions. Loughborough University. Conference contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/24081825.v1 Downloads 148
• Greipl, Simon; Moeller, Korbinian; Ninaus, Manuel (2020). Potential and limits of game-based learning. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/13621973.v1 Downloads 124

There are other items which, while not having the highest number of downloads, have had the the highest increase over the last three months. These are items that seem to be attracting interest.

• Hodgen, Jeremy; Foster, Colin; Marks, Rachel; Brown, Margaret (2018). Evidence for review of mathematics teaching: Improving mathematics in key stages two and three. Loughborough University. Report. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/36958
• Arcelus, Jon; Witcomb, Gemma; Mitchell, Alex (2014). Prevalence of eating disorders amongst dancers: a systemic review and meta-analysis. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/18993
• He, Yu; Song, Kechen; Meng, Qinggang; Yan, Yunhui (2019). An end-to-end steel surface defect detection approach via fusing multiple hierarchical features. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/12249215.v1

This information was collated by a Rising Items app created by Lara, our Research Data Manager. If you are interested in the statistics of the repository (and why wouldn’t you be?) she has developed more tools such Map your repository for tracking which countries download our research.

From the Vice-Chancellor – October 2024

In my October newsletter: Celebrating our athletes’ achievements at the Paris Games, a successful Aftrak trial, marking Black History Month, the first symposium for the UK SCALE Centre, engaging with the political agenda, and Dame Angela McLean’s public lecture.

Event celebrates Loughborough’s sporting success at Paris 2024

This month we held an event at The Kia Oval in London to celebrate the success of Loughborough’s athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Hosted by alumnus, University Council member and Sky Sports News presenter Mike Wedderburn, the evening brought together athletes, coaches, support staff, researchers, sporting partners and University staff to celebrate Loughborough’s enviable success in Paris, with our athletes bringing home an incredible 35 medals across both games.  

The celebration event included panel discussions hosted by alumnus and University Chancellor Lord Sebastian Coe. Medal-winning athletes Daniel Wiffen, Tully Kearney MBE, Alex Haydock-Wilson and Charlie Dobson discussed how they have cultivated performance mindsets and worked with their teams at Loughborough to deliver truly world-class performances. Our coaching teams and leaders from UK Athletics and Paralympics GB shared how they have built outstanding performance support teams over Olympic and Paralympic cycles. Our video provides a summary of the evening. 

I am incredibly proud of the world-class ecosystem at Loughborough, which underpins these successes and recognises the transformative power of sport. Our inclusive approach is also reflected in our landmark partnership with ParalympicsGB announced earlier this month. By working together ParalympicsGB and Loughborough will support our world class athletes, and inspire and empower individuals of all abilities to participate in sport. 

Our newly-launched Para and Disability Sport Strategy similarly has opportunity at its core – opportunity for disabled students to be active in the way they want, opportunity to become a coach or official, or the opportunity to strive for glory at the Paralympic Games. 

One of our strategic aims is to excel in sport and use our pre-eminence to create new opportunities; I think we’re making huge strides in doing just that. 

First phase Aftrak trial proves successful

When undertaking research, we often strive for it to have an impact on society. Sometimes this takes time, and sometimes it’s more immediately evident, as with the Loughborough-led Aftrak project, which this year won the international, $1million Milken Motsepe Prize in Green Energy.  

Aftrak combines solar microgrids and tailored tractors to empower smallholder farmers, with the aim of significantly increasing crop yields and incomes and providing rural communities with access to clean, green electricity; currently 89% of the population in Malawi lives without access to electricity. 

Over the summer a team that included academics from Loughborough went to Malawi to implement the first phase of Aftrak’s integration within local communities. They built a solar farm with eight panels that is sufficient to provide electricity to the village and also set up a small solar farm as a demonstrator at the headquarters of Tiyeni, a Malawian non-governmental organisation. Our video shows the team’s work. 

Following the success of the initial trial, the team is now looking to carry out a further field trial that will run for up to two years. Ultimately their aim is to roll the project out throughout Malawi and into neighbouring countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. 

Aftrak is currently raising investment to deploy its innovative technology across Malawi and aims to contribute to World Bank goals of providing electricity to 380 million people in Africa by 2030. 

Projects such as this are hugely strategically important. Aftrak involves a partnership of researchers from the University’s Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology, Tiyeni, and the Consortium for Battery Innovation. It has been supported by Innovate UK, and one of the world’s largest battery manufacturers, Varta by Clarios. It also shows how cutting edge research and innovation can bring tangible international engagement and impact, in line with our Climate Change and Net Zero theme.

Events mark Black History Month

Throughout October we have been marking Black History Month with a series of events and workshops themed around ‘Reclaiming the Narrative’, which encourages us to challenge the dominant voice, correct historical inaccuracies, tell untold stories and honour those who have been overlooked. 

There have been a number of engaging events over the course of the month, including the annual Black History Month March that took place yesterday. There’s still time to catch the final event in the series; next month’s Presidential election in the US could see Kamala Harris, the first woman of African and South Asian descent, elected to hold the most powerful office in the world – on 5 November, a panel will gather to discuss what this could mean for women worldwide. 

Although Black History Month takes place in October, it’s important that we shine a light on Black histories, cultures and identities all year round. You can find out more about the race equity work taking place at Loughborough on our Black History Month webpage, including toolkits and resources to support your work and discussions with colleagues. 

I know that this year has been particularly distressing for many within our community, with ongoing conflict impacting so many people around the world, and violence in the UK, such as this summer’s race and Islamophobic rioting and the rise in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents.  

In light of this, next month the EDI team will hold a Peace Assembly, to bring together staff and students in solidarity for peace. The Assembly will be a space for expression through respectful discussion, creative and performing arts and quiet reflection. The aim is for the Peace Assembly to be a forerunner to community members coming together to form a Loughborough University Peace Alliance, supporting further community events to be held in the future. 

I hope you will consider attending the Assembly and joining the Peace Alliance.

First symposium hosted by new UK SCALE Centre

This month we held the first symposium hosted by the UK Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Centre, which was launched this summer and is part of the prestigious MIT Global SCALE Network. 

The centres in the MIT network bring together industry and academia to pool their expertise and collaborate on research projects that address real-world supply chain and logistics challenges, helping companies worldwide navigate an increasingly complex business environment.  

The symposium allowed partners from industry, policy and academia to share their vision, drive and ambition that will help to shape the future of supply chain management and logistics and accelerate the nation’s economic growth – a key strand of government policy. 

This month we held the first symposium hosted by the UK Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Centre, which was launched this summer and is part of the prestigious MIT Global SCALE Network. 

The centres in the MIT network bring together industry and academia to pool their expertise and collaborate on research projects that address real-world supply chain and logistics challenges, helping companies worldwide navigate an increasingly complex business environment.  

The symposium allowed partners from industry, policy and academia to share their vision, drive and ambition that will help to shape the future of supply chain management and logistics and accelerate the nation’s economic growth – a key strand of government policy. 

By working collaboratively across sectors through the UK SCALE Centre, we can deliver transformational impact. For example, we will be able to maximise advanced digital technologies to better track the movement of goods, enabling businesses to become more agile in meeting shifts in customer demands. And we will be able to accelerate the application of the circular economy to work towards a more sustainable future for everyone.  

We have worked with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – the world’s top-rated university in the global QS rankings – for many years, particularly on engineering collaborations and now on supply chain and logistics management. Intensifying and expanding strong partnerships such as these are the cornerstone of our strategic Partnerships core plan.

Engagement aims to help shape political discussions

Every autumn, UK political parties hold their annual conferences, bringing together politicians, party members and affiliated groups. The conferences offer opportunities for us to engage with key political voices on issues that are important to both Loughborough and the higher education sector.  

Staff from the University attended both the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences again this year. 

At the Labour Party Conference, we held a fringe meeting on the role hydrogen can play in meeting net zero targets. Professor Dan Parsons, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Loughborough MP Dr Jeevun Sandher (who is also chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hydrogen) and representatives from the trade body Hydrogen UK and the gas network company Cadent sat on a discussion panel with a very engaged audience. Opportunities such as these are important progressions in our ambitions for the for The Hydrogen Works – a strategic consortium led by Loughborough to drive skills, innovation and productivity to create a hydrogen superpower in the East Midlands. 

Alongside the Labour conference we took part in an event to showcase activity and regional strengths in creative technology R&D and innovation. The event was hosted by the CoSTAR Foresight Lab (a collaboration that includes Loughborough and focuses on the knowledge, trends and needs of the creative industries) and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. 

Alongside the Labour conference we took part in an event to showcase activity and regional strengths in creative technology R&D and innovation. The event was hosted by the CoSTAR Foresight Lab (a collaboration that includes Loughborough and focuses on the knowledge, trends and needs of the creative industries) and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. 

Following on from the party conferences we launched our Living Well Inquiry, which looks at what it takes for people and communities to live well in mid-21st Century Britain. The Inquiry is being led by Dr Holly Collison-Randall and Professor Mark Monaghan, who are Co-Fellows in the Policy Unit.  

The University is well-placed to shape the ‘living well’ agenda, with expertise across a broad range of relevant areas. Following initial engagement with the University’s research community, the Inquiry has published a White Paper, which defines ‘living well’, looks at how other nations measure and shape policy on wellbeing and poses questions for further consultation on five themes: Clean Living, Creative Living, Dignified Living, Healthy Living and Smart Living. 

The inquiry team is now undertaking a programme of external engagement with government departments, think tanks and advisors, as well as organisations and charities whose work contributes to the ‘living well’ themes. If you would like to contribute to the Inquiry you can still do so through the website.

Honorary Distinguished Professor gives public lecture

In July this year we appointed Dame Angela McLean, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA), as an Honorary Distinguished Professor at the University, and I was delighted to welcome her to campus this month for her first official engagement in that capacity. 

In her role as GCSA Dame Angela is responsible for providing scientific advice to the Prime Minister and members of cabinet, advising the government on aspects of policy on science and technology, and ensuring and improving the quality and use of scientific evidence and advice in government. She is the first woman to hold the role. 

In her lecture this month to staff, students and members of the public, Dame Angela set out her priorities for ensuring that science advice is central to decision making. She talked about the importance of knowing the right person to ask and what to ask them and outlined the science challenges of today and the future. In the face of ever-evolving global challenges, such as political instability, global pandemics or cost-of-living crises, ensuring that robust, evidence-based and high-quality scientific advice can inform government choices and policies is vital.   

Whilst she was at the University, we were able to show Dame Angela some of our facilities, including the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM), the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport and the National Rehabilitation Centre that are all playing a crucial role in driving forward knowledge and innovation in health sciences. 

If you missed it - October 2024

• An update on MRC’s Data Sharing Policy and Data Management Plan template (contact rdm@lboro.ac.uk for the passcode)
• Edinburgh Open Research Conference 
• OpenFest 2024 Universities of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam

This Week at Loughborough | 11 Nov

Armistice Day 2024 – Ceremony of Remembrance

11 November, 10:50am-11:10am, Garden of Remembrance

Ceremony of Remembrance will mirror other commemorative events held on this day in which we remember all whose lives have been touched or ended by wars, including those who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars.

‘The poetry is in the pity’: War Poetry Reading at the Carillon Tower

11 November, 11:15am-12:15pm, The Carillon Tower

The landmark Carillon Tower and War Memorial Museum serves as the backdrop for a pop-up poetry reading of famous and unexpected war poems on Armistice Day.

Workshop – The Hologram

11 November, 12pm-3pm, International House

Learn about The Hologram practice with artist Cassie Thornton.

East Midlands Conversations: Sharing Adjustment Experiences for Recruitment and the Workplace

12 November, 1:15pm-2:45pm, online

This online event is being offered as part of an East Midlands collaboration with other local university Employability and Careers Services, offering tailored events and opportunities to those with disabilities.

Care in the Ruins (roundtable discussion)

12 November, 2pm-4pm, International House and online

This event is part of Cassie Thornton’s Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) fellowship. The roundtable discussion will focus on strategies for practising care amidst the ruins: how can we engage in acts of solidarity, of rest, and of vital healthcare, when societal infrastructures fail?

Mock Assessment Centre

12 November, 6pm-8:15pm, West Park Teaching Hub

Delivered by the Careers Network and staff from a range of top companies, you’ll hear first-hand what to expect and learn how to prepare effectively.

Tech and Skills Builder Series

14 November, 11:30am-2pm, Careers and Enterprise Hub

This monthly event is designed to provide a hands-on experience with essential tools and techniques that can enhance your business offerings, improve your skill set, and make the most of the resources available at the Careers and Enterprise Hub.

National Theatre Live: Prima Facie

14 November, 7pm-9pm, Cope Auditorium

National Theatre Live presents the Empire Street Production of Prima Facie, written by Suzie Miller and directed by Justin Martin

Loughborough Students vs Clifton

16 November, 2pm, Loughborough University 1st XV Rugby Pitch

Rugby action returns to Loughborough as the Students continue their 2024/2025 campaign in the National League 2 West.

Diwali Disco Party

16 November, 6pm-12am, Village Bar

Join us for our Diwali party on campus – and enjoy an exhilarating celebration of the Hindu Festival of Lights, which marks the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.

AI-powered universities: Professor Nick Jennings presents public lecture for Royal Academy of Engineering annual regional event

Professor Nick Jennings CB FrEng FRS, Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University, presented a keynote lecture on the topic of ‘AI-powered universities’ at the Royal Academy of Engineering’s East Midlands Annual Regional Event held at the University of Leicester.

A recording of the lecture can be viewed below:

Movember at Loughborough Sport

Movember is an annual campaign dedicated to raising awareness and donations for men’s health, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. This year, our Athletic Union clubs are once again joining the movement, with events and challenges designed to engage students.

Loughborough Sport and Movember

Loughborough Sport are taking on Movember this year in a new way… through MO Mondays. For two Mondays in November, Loughborough Sport will be hosting challenges on campus, for everyone to take part in. All proceeds will go towards Movember, with each activity costing £1.

Monday 11 November

• Hollywell Fitness Centre: How fast can you burn 20 calories on the SkiErg?
• Powerbase: How fast can you ski 200m?

Monday 25 November

• Hollywell Fitness Centre: How far can you go on the rower in 1 minute?
• Powerbase: How quickly can you row 200m?

Both male and female winners of each challenge will receive a bundle from Kukri Sports.

The Athletic Union and Movember

Our Athletic Union clubs are known for their enthusiasm, camaraderie and dedication to causes that matter. This year, clubs across the University are gearing up for another memorable Movember, with a range of activities such as a 24 hour rowing challenge and a series of hockey matches. From charity matches to social media challenges, these events bring the University community together, highlighting the importance of men’s health in a fun way.

Spotlight on the Men’s Cricket Club

A standout participant has always been the Men’s Cricket Club, who are set to make a big splash – quite literally – as they continue their tradition of creative fundraising. Last week we caught up with Seb Schofield, the club’s welfare representative, to talk all things Movember.

The club has a strong history of supporting Movember, and this year, they’re planning to bring even more energy and innovation to the cause. The club understands that raising awareness for men’s health goes beyond growing a moustache – it’s about engaging the community and having a good time while making a difference.

In past years, the Men’s Cricket Club has hosted a charity football match between freshers and returners. This event is always a highlight, full of friendly rivalry, as players showcase their questionable football skills. Despite the lighthearted nature of the match, it’s taken very seriously by the returners, whose pride is always on the line. More importantly, the match has been a significant fundraiser, drawing in support from across the campus.

Last year, the club encouraged members to grow their most creative moustaches and raised £1,123 doing so. This surpassed their £1,000 target, but the club didn’t want to stop there.

The ‘Frosty Boys’ Challenge

A standout initiative from last year was led by a group called the ‘Frosty Boys’. What started with a simple bin in the back garden evolved into a unique and chilly event: ice baths. Known for their benefits in recovery and mental wellbeing, ice baths became the center of a live-streamed challenge that grabbed attention across the University and social media. The challenge was a hit, raising an impressive £588 and attracting coverage from Lboro Fan TV, Loughborough’s biggest student fan account on Instagram.

The ‘Frosty Boys’ have continued to build their legacy, growing their following on social media to 600 followers on Instagram and securing a partnership with OddBalls, a clothing brand raising awareness around testicular cancer.

What’s next for 2024?

This year, the Men’s Cricket Club has promised to bring new and exciting events to Movember, ensuring there’s something for everyone to get involved in. Whether it’s participating in challenges, cheering on charity matches or following the journey of those growing the wildest moustaches, the club encourages everyone to join in. Keep an eye out on @lborocricketmens and @frostyboyswcmb Instagram pages for updates for updates and opportunities to donate as the club aims to set another fundraising record and bring the community together for an important cause.

Movember at Loughborough is more than just a fundraising effort, it’s a celebration of solidarity, health, and the power of sports to make a real difference. Be sure to support the Men’s Cricket Club and all Athletic Union teams as they take on this year’s Movember challenge!

What is Inter Faith Week?

Inter Faith Week is an internationally recognised awareness week that takes place in mid-November of every year. This year it falls on the 10-17 November. It is a time to recognise and celebrate different faiths in the workplace and wider community, where different religious groups can come together to learn about each other and celebrate their cultures together.

What’s happening at Loughborough?

Interfaith Panel Discussion
Led by Professor Kristin Aune

Tuesday 12 November, 5:30pm-8pm, Edward Herbert Building Atrium

Linked to Chaplaincy’s Autumn programme of workshops and events inspired by research from the Doctoral College HOME CDT, join us during Interfaith Week, for an evening of food and conversations. With the help of members of a multi-faith panel, including Loughborough academics, students, and local and national representatives of different faiths, we will explore how our faith can help us understand the concept of making, creating, and feeling at HOME.

A portion of the ticket sales for this event will support the work of St Phillip’s Centre, Leicester, a centre of excellence in local, regional, and national interfaith work. In a divided world, St Phillip’s helps communities learn how to live well together.

Schedule as follows:

5.30pm – Gather for drinks and networking
6pm – Panel discussion, followed by a shared meal and conversation
8pm – Finish

Tickets cost £8 (£3 of your ticket will be donated to our chosen charity). Purchase your ticket.

Five Minutes With: Alexandre Christoyannopoulos

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

I’m a Reader in Politics and International Relations and, since August 2024, Head of International Relations, Politics and History. I joined Loughborough in 2010.

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

As with many others who have answered this question, and just like the British weather, the main constant is variety. That said, there are two main categories of days (or three): when on campus, and when working from home (the third would be conferences). On campus, the day will involve various formal and less formal in-person meetings with colleagues, and of course any teaching and student-facing activities. Home is where most of my research gets done, so when working from home, I try to focus on research in the morning, and turn to the inbox, admin work, and Teams meetings for the rest of the day. I think I’m more productive and focused from home, but the all-important social glue that keeps us together is mainly generated and renewed on campus.

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

It’s hard to say. There are all sorts, and I’m not sure about identifying single “favourites” anyway. But perhaps I’d mention the Journal of Pacifism of Nonviolence. Sparked by a helpful PDR meeting, it started by contacting some key researchers in the field and quickly snowballed into a project to set up and launch this new journal. A large and growing community of scholars across the world threw their support behind it. Our Institute of Advanced Studies was very helpful along the way. Now we’re two years into publishing the journal. As a big long-term project, it has involved lots of different activities – from finding a publisher to organising multiple workshops, roundtables and open events, growing the research network, running the journal and now reading lots of fascinating papers submitted to it – and I precisely like that variety.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Again, it’s hard to single out one moment. I’m proud when team efforts bring results (which could be around admissions, NSS results, research projects, etc.). It’s also always nice to get moving student feedback. Ditto when colleagues are grateful when you can help them. There are lots of different moments of ‘pride’.

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

I grew up in Belgium, where one thing that was (and still is) quite big is techno. And I still like it. I might be deep in my forties, but I like a good loud electronic music night (or just doing the dishes more efficiently on it).

What is your favourite quote?

There could be many. “Be the change you want to see” (attributed to Gandhi but without definitive evidence he ever said it) could be one. But I suppose one I often find myself paraphrasing is from Jiddu Krishnamurti: “It is not a sign of good health to be well adjusted to a sick society”. You come across many people in life who are struggling, internalising that struggle, and feeling guilty for it, when actually the wider context is at least as responsible as they might be. I like that quote as a reminder that not complying or being comfortable with widespread norms and expectations isn’t something one should necessarily feel guilty about. I think it’s incumbent on politics and international relations scholars (or at least for me anyway) to dissect some of these wider structural issues and help inform a more perceptive analysis of the way forward.

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

Islamophobia Awareness  

What is Islamophobia and how does it manifest? 

Islamophobia is defined in the UK as ‘rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness’. 

Under the Equality Act 2021, Muslims are a religious group so discrimination against Muslims would be a type of religious discrimination. However, hostility or prejudice is often based on what are perceived to be cultural and physical traits of Muslims, rooted in racism. People of colour, including many Sikhs and Hindus, report experiencing Islamophobic hate crimes. The perpetrators don’t care whether the target is Muslim or what their beliefs are – they target those who fit the description of what they believe a Muslim looks like.  

Islamophobia frequently employs harmful and untrue stereotypes to actively damage Muslims and the wider reputation of Islam. Misinformation from the media and far-right commentators continue to fuel active hatred towards Muslims (and those perceived to be Muslim), actions that affect millions of people of colour in the UK. 

Against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict and crisis in the Middle East, instances of Islamophobia and religious hate crimes in the UK have soared. In August this year, we saw riots throughout the UK fuelled by Islamophobia, racism and anti-immigration sentiment. Islamophobia Awareness Month is an opportunity to raise awareness and understanding of the experiences of Muslims in the UK, including within the Loughborough community. However, actions to combat Islamophobia and support our Muslim communities must continue all year round. 

What is Islamophobia Awareness Month and why is it important at Loughborough University? 

Islamophobia Awareness Month, held in November, is a charity organisation whose mission is to raise awareness of Islamophobia, challenge Muslim stereotypes, and showcase the positive contributions of Muslims in society.  

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is a core element in the University’s strategy. We have committed to prioritising activities that identify and remove systemic inequities and to promote and progress equity and inclusion. As an institution led by our values, we have committed to ensure all communities are welcomed to our campus and feel a part of the wider University community. We have a responsibility to support Muslim students and staff, provide a safe and welcoming environment, and allow them to freely express and practice their faith.  

During November, EDI Services and the University Chaplaincy will facilitate an Islamophobia Awareness Exhibition on both the Midlands and the London campus, showcasing positive Muslim contributions in the UK and highlighting the issue of Islamophobia in various areas of society. Dates for this exhibition will be confirmed and publicised soon. 

The University is facilitating a Peace Assembly on Wednesday 13 November, bringing together members of the University community in solidarity for peace. The Assembly will be a space for expression through respectful discussion, creative and performing arts and quiet reflection. The aim is for the Peace Assembly to be a forerunner to community members forming a Loughborough University Peace Alliance, which would support further community events in the future. Find more information and register your place at the Peace Assembly.  

What resources are available? 

For Muslim staff and students: 
Go to the Islamophobia Awareness webpage to find a full list of internal and external support services available to students and staff affected by Islamophobia, both reporting incidents and dealing with the effects.  

For managers and allies: 
EDI Services has compiled a list of resources and links to organisations working to combat Islamophobia in the UK. You can find lots of reading, resources and training on the EDI website. 

We hope line managers will encourage and accommodate staff who wish to attend the Peace Assembly on Wednesday 13 November or engage with staff networks or other support services at the University. 

Please contact EDI@lboro.ac.uk with any questions. 

Royal Society: have some Open Data to get the grant

If you are thinking of applying for a Royal Society grant, it’s best to check if you have published some data openly. The scheme notes of several funding opportunities include this in their section on assessment criteria:

“The ability of the individual to deliver the fellowship project and their potential to develop an independent research career. Track record commensurate with actual research experience including research career to date, contributions to publications, conferences and seminars, external recognition (e.g. awards), datasets held in repositories, software as well as any experience or commitment to public communication of science” (emphasis added).

If you would like some assistance in sharing your data or software in a repository, please contact RDM@lboro.ac.uk.

Overcoming fatigue and boosting your energy

We all experience fatigue at some point. Whether it’s a dip in the afternoon or a persistent sluggishness that seems to follow us through the week, feeling tired can sap your productivity, affect your mood, and reduce your overall quality of life.

Fatigue is more than just feeling tired. It’s a pervasive lack of energy that can result from various factors, including:

• Lack of sleep: Poor sleep quality or irregular sleep schedules can leave you feeling groggy and drained.
• Stress: Chronic stress releases cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’, which can wear down your energy reserves over time. Here are five tips to help you handle stress-related fatigue.
• Dehydration: Even mild dehydration can reduce your focus and make you feel tired.
• Nutrient deficiencies: A poor diet lacking essential nutrients like iron, vitamin D, and B vitamins can contribute to feelings of fatigue.
• Sedentary lifestyle: Inactivity can actually make you feel more tired, regular movement helps blood flow and energises your muscles and mind.
• Underlying health conditions: If you cannot explain why you’re tired and it’s been going on for a while, it could be a sign of a medical condition such as overactive thyroid, sleep apnea, or chronic fatigue syndrome. Find out more about conditions that can cause tiredness and fatigue.

Challenge yourself to try out these strategies for a week to combat fatigue and boost your energy

1. Prioritise sleep hygiene

Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. You can improve your sleep hygiene with a few simple habits:

• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule
• Create a bedtime routine such as reading, meditation, or stretching before bed
• Turn off electronics at least 30 minutes before bed
• Optimise your sleep environment by keeping your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet

2. Eat for energy

The food you eat is your body’s fuel, and poor eating habits can directly lead to low energy. Here’s how to nourish your body:

• Focus on whole foods rich in complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats
• Avoid processed foods high in sugar and refined carbs
• Make sure your diet includes iron-rich foods such as lean red meat, nuts and beans
• Don’t skip breakfast, a balanced morning meal fuels your body for the day
• Stay energised with healthy snacks like fruit that provide sustained energy between meals
• Aim for at least eight cups of water daily, more if you’re active
• Try to cut out caffeine

3. Incorporate movement into your day

Though it may seem counterintuitive when you’re feeling tired, regular physical activity can boost energy levels in the long run. Exercise increases the production of endorphins, the body’s natural energy boosters:

• Aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity each day such as brisk walking, cycling, or yoga
• If you’re pressed for time, even a five-minute walk or a few stretches can revitalise your energy

4. Manage stress

Learning to manage and reduce stress is key to combating fatigue:

• Techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga can help you relax, reduce anxiety, and re-energise your mind
• During a busy day, schedule short breaks to step away from work, clear your mind, and recharge
• Saying no to unnecessary tasks or demands helps to reduce overwhelming stress and prevent burnout

6. Check for nutrient deficiencies

If you feel persistently tired despite lifestyle changes, it may be worth checking for nutrient deficiencies:

• Iron deficiency is often associated with fatigue
• Lack of sunlight exposure, especially in the winter, can lower vitamin D levels, contributing to low energy

7. Stay social

Staying socially connected, spending time with friends and family, and engaging in activities you love can provide a natural energy lift. Social interaction stimulates the mind and helps break routines that can lead to mental exhaustion.

By focusing on sleep, eating well, moving regularly, and managing stress, you can gradually enhance your vitality and maintain a consistent level of energy throughout the day. The key is balance and listening to your body’s needs.

This Week at Loughborough | 4 November

General

Contemporary Jewellery: Exploring Its Impact on Well-Being (exhibition)

29 October – 8 November, 12pm-2pm (weekdays only), Martin Hall Gallery

View a jewellery exhibition of doctoral research on how contemporary jewellery impacts well-being.

Rehearsals (for a world we could live in): Programme launch

5 November, 2pm-4pm, International House and Online

Join LU Arts (in person or online) for the launch  of Radar’s new programme for 2024-26 with a discussion event.

Postgraduate Pop-Up Stand

7 November, 10am-12pm, Pilkington Library

If you’ve got questions about master’s degrees or PhDs here at Loughborough, the Postgraduate team will be on hand to help.

Grime Scene Investigation

7 November, 10am-3pm, Edward Herbert Building

Which hall is the best recycler and worst contaminator? Come and get your hands dirty and join the Sustainability Team in finding out!

‘The poetry is in the pity’: War Poetry Reading at the Carillon Tower

11 November, 11.15am-12.15pm, The Carillon Tower, Queen’s Park

The landmark Carillon Tower and War Memorial Museum serves as the backdrop for a pop-up poetry reading of famous and unexpected war poems on Armistice Day.

Workshop – The Hologram

11 November, 12pm-3pm, International House

This workshop offers those new to The Hologram practice a chance to learn about the history and reasoning behind it. 

Black History Month

Black History Month: What would a Harris Presidency mean for women worldwide?

This discussion is being held in recognition that the US Election 2024 is a historical event and is an opportunity to bring members of our community together to discuss its significance.

Autumn Careers Fest

Skill-Up Programme – Loughborough Enterprise Network

5 November, 6.30pm-8.30pm, STEMLab

Join us to upskill your entrepreneurial capabilities, whether you are interested in running your own business/side hustle or boost your personal skillset.

Get Ahead Together: Getting the most out of your first year

6 November, 1pm-3pm or 5.30pm-7.30pm, Stewart Mason

A group peer mentoring programme exclusively open to Foundation and First year students at Loughborough University.Sign up here and visit the Get Ahead Together website for more information!

Future Talent Programme

6 November, 2pm-4pm or 5pm-7pm, SMB.0.17

A group peer mentoring programme exclusively open to Part B and C pre-placement Future Talent Programme student members. Our 4th session “Strong Points: Understanding assessments to achieve academic success”. 

International Futures- How to create a UK style CV

7 November, 1pm-2pm, Online

This workshop will help you learn how to write a UK-style CV, which will make you employable to employers.

Mock Assessment Centre

7 November, 6pm-8.15pm, James France Exhibition Centre

Delivered by the Careers Network and staff from a range of top companies, you’ll hear first-hand what to expect and learn how to prepare effectively.

Looking for the persistent link to your Research Repository record?  

Each record in the Research Repository has its own persistent identifier link. A persistent identifier is a long-lasting link to a digital resource such as a thesis, journal article or data file. Types of persistent identifiers used in the repository are handles and DOIs. The persistent identifier can be found by clicking on the CITE button on the record, for example:  

Top 10 downloads for June, July & August 2024

Hignett, Sue; McDermott, Hilary (2015). Qualitative methodology for ergonomics. Loughborough University. Chapter. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/23558 Downloads 548

Keiningham, Timothy; Aksoy, Lerzan; Bruce, Helen L.; Cadet, Fabienne; Clennell, Natasha; Hodgkinson, Ian; et al. (2019). Customer experience driven business model innovation. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/9205919.v1 Downloads 399 

Abdulwahed, Mahmoud; Nagy, Zoltan (2009). Applying Kolb’s experiential learning cycle for laboratory education. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/5412 Downloads 312 

Hogervorst, Eef; Craig, Jen; ODonnell, Emma (2021). Cognition and mental health in menopause: a review. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/17155811.v1 Downloads 263 

Asadullah, Ahmad; Faik, Isam; Kankanhalli, Atreyi (2018). Digital platforms: a review and future directions. Loughborough University. Conference contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/24081825.v1 Downloads 239 

Case, Stephen; Browning, Ann (2021). Child First Justice: the research evidence-base [Full report]. Loughborough University. Report. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/14152040.v1 Downloads 226 

Fong, Daniel; Hong, Youlian; Chan, Lap-Ki; Yung, Patrick Shu-Hang; Chan, Kai-Ming (2007). A systematic review on ankle injury and ankle sprain in sports. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/21255 Downloads 222 

Herbert, Ian; Rothwell, Andrew; Glover, Jane; Lambert, Stephanie (2020). Graduate employability, employment prospects and work-readiness in the changing field of professional work. Loughborough University. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/11830254.v1 Downloads 220 

Mears, Aimee; Forrester, Steph; Fleming, Paul; Grant, Rebecca; Farmer, Jonathan; authors, Various (2024). ISEA 2024: The Engineering of Sport 15, Loughborough UK 8-11 July 2024: Conference Proceedings. Loughborough University. Conference contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/26312143.v1 Downloads 220 

This Week at Loughborough | 28 October

General

Culture through African Lenses (exhibition)

28 October – 1 November, 9am-5pm, International House

The exhibition will feature items loaned from members of the Loughborough community. Exhibits will have their origins in African heritage, identity, people and place. Diversity in African culture will be represented by objects, artworks, textiles, images and text.

Contemporary Jewellery: Exploring Its Impact on Well-Being (exhibition)

29 October – 8 November, 12pm-2pm (weekdays only), Martin Hall Gallery

View a jewellery exhibition of doctoral research on how contemporary jewellery impacts well-being.

Professor Camilla Gilmore and Professor Louise Holt Inaugural Lecture

30 October, 5pm-6.30pm, Edward Herbert Building 110B

Professor Camilla Gilmore and Professor Louise Holt deliver their inaugural lectures; Easy as 1, 2, 3? Uncovering the challenges of early mathematics, and Can children and young people change (future) societies through their sociality? Examining the immersive geographies of schools.

Service of Remembering 2024

2 November, 1.30pm-3pm, Garden of Remembrance and University Chaplaincy

A new annual service to remember those with memorial plaques in the University Garden of Remembrance.

Fireworks Extravaganza

2 November, 5.30pm-11.30pm, Loughborough Students’ Union

Get ready for a dazzling night of fireworks, fun, and fundraising at the Loughborough Students’ Union Fireworks Extravaganza!

Black History Month

Black History Month: March

30 October, 12.15pm-1.30pm, starts at Hazlerigg Fountain

Join us to round of Black History Month with a march through campus. This is a chance to meet, talk and walk with your colleagues and reflect on our activities over the last month.

Black History Month: Library Display

Open until 31 October, library opening hours, Pilkington Library

Library staff have carefully curated a display of books, digital resources and archives around Black History Month and this year’s theme of “Reclaiming Narratives”.

Autumn Careers Fest

Mock Assessment Centre

29 October, 6pm-7.45pm, online

Delivered by the Careers Network and staff from a range of top companies, you’ll hear first-hand what to expect and learn how to prepare effectively.

International Futures- UK Etiquette and Professional Behaviour

28 October, 1pm-2pm, online

As an international Student understanding UK Etiquette and Professional behaviour, is essential to be successful in your Career Journey. This session will help you navigate and understand expectations about professional behaviour in the workplace. 

Skill-Up Programme – Loughborough Enterprise Network

29 October, 6.30pm-8.30pm, The StartUp Lab – STEMLab

Join us to upskill your entrepreneurial capabilities, whether you are interested in running your own business/side hustle or boost your personal skillset.

Finalist Futures: Impressing at Interviews

30 October, 1pm-3pm, James France D002

This session will cover interview formats, question types, and the differences between good and bad answers. It will also include a demonstration of online tools, practice segments, and a Q&A for further support.

Get Ahead Together: Maximise your Money

30 October, 1pm-8pm, SMB 0.17

A group peer mentoring programme exclusively open to Foundation and First year students at Loughborough University.

Future Talent Programme: Get Ahead Together

30 October, 2pm-7.30pm, SMB 0.17

A group peer mentoring programme exclusively open to Part B and C pre-placement Future Talent Programme student members.

ABCE Careers Drop-in session

31 October, 11am-12pm, Sir Frank Gibb Atrium

Come along to the drop-in sessions to have your cv / cover letter reviewed or receive interview coaching in preparation for employment application process.

What is Diwali?

Diwali, also known as Deepavali or Deepawali, is the four-to-five-day festival of lights, colour and life celebrated by Hindus around the world. Occurring every year around late October to early November, or the 15^th day of Kartik in the Hindu calendar, Hindus gather to celebrate life and nature. On these days, Hindus will light up their surroundings with candles, fireworks and firecrackers to express their gratitude to the gods for the attainment of a peaceful and prosperous life.

Diwali celebrations take place across four or five days. On the first day, the festivals of Dhanteras and Yama Deepam mark a good time to purchase valuable metals and ask devotees to light a diya, an oil lamp made from clay, to honour Lord Yama. The second day marks Choti Diwali and Lord Krishna’s triumph over the demon Narakasura. Hindus will practice ritualistic bathing and celebrate good defeating evil through prayer on this day. On the third day of Laxmi Pujan, families gather to pray to the goddess of prosperity and happiness. On the final day of Bhai Dooj, brothers will present gifts to their sisters and swear to protect them, as their sisters pray for their health. Throughout this time, festivities of light and love are held in the evening in a celebration of belonging and goodness.

Diwali has many different spiritual and practical meanings to those who practice Hinduism. It is a time for people to forgive those who have wronged them, and instead people will languish in the air of freedom and festivity. Diwali unites people together, softening the hardest of hearts.  Hindus will usually wake up a couple of hours before sunrise, known as Brahmamuhurta, as advised by sages of the past, to receive a blessing of health, discipline, work efficiency and spiritual advancement. Most importantly, though, Diwali represents a time for inner illumination. While the lights of the world are to show appreciation to others, Diwali is a time to show appreciation to the self. After all, the light of lights is the one that steadily shines in the chamber of the heart.

What’s on in Loughborough? How can I get involved?

This year, Diwali will be held from Tuesday 29 October to Sunday 3 November. The main day of celebration will fall on the 31 October.

Loughborough University’s Asian and Indian student societies are celebrating Diwali alongside Leicester University this year. Students can join them for their Mastani celebrations with vibrant traditions, stunning performances and a festive spirit like no other. You can find out more information by messaging @asiansocietylboro and @lboroindiansoc on Instagram.

On Saturday 16 November, the REACH Staff Network is hosting a Diwali dinner and dance open to students, staff, family, friends and the wider community. Taking place at the Village Bar from 6pm to midnight, entry will be £12 for adults and £6 for under 16s. There will be a three-course Indian celebratory meal, catering to vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Present at the event will be a live DJ, a 360-video booth and a henna artist. Dress smart or in Indian attire.

Find more information and book onto the event.

Leicester is hosting plenty of Diwali activities over the coming weeks. From the Diwali Village to a graffiti festival of lights to the India to Leicester, An Artist’s Journey art exhibition, discover more about the events happening in Leicester.

Morality, Research and Debate

A blog post by Ginerva Grant

In Morality, Research, and Debate, Ginerva Grant shares her experience debating the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine, balancing research and moral dilemmas while representing the ‘pro’ side. The post delves into the emotional and intellectual challenges of debating such a sensitive topic, exploring how academic rigor intersects with ethical dilemmas.

In my capacity as representative for the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, my fellow peers and I put on a parliamentary-style debate which asked the question ‘would you support the use of cluster bombs in the conflict in Ukraine by the Ukrainian government?’

For those unaware, cluster bombs are a type of cluster munitions that the United States announced they were sending to Ukraine last July as part of a new aid package. These munitions are banned in over 100 countries for their high failure rate and violent dispersal.

I don’t have a formal background in international relations—my knowledge comes mainly from news, TV shows, books, and some postgraduate work I’ve done in the field. As one of the selected debaters for the ‘pro’ side, I needed to conduct thorough research, so I used a variety of methods. I started by recalling key news stories, then moved on to opinion pieces, academic literature, and NGO websites. I even came across a technical guide on cluster munitions during my research!

As I sifted through articles to shape my arguments, one persistent thought kept intruding: “all wars are crimes.” I recognized it immediately—a line from The West Wing, an American TV series by Aaron Sorkin, where the White House Chief of Staff reflects on how bombing a military target resulted in the deaths of 11 civilians.

I’d search for counterarguments on discrepancies in failure rates, and there it was, whispering, “all wars are crimes.” As I explained inefficiencies in unitary munitions or supply shortages, it would tap me on the shoulder, hinting at something deeper. Was it meant to absolve me? After all, wars are inherently lose-lose, merely deciding who loses more. Or was it a reminder not to be too casual in my approach? My arguments seemed so rational and clear that, by the end of my research, the opposing side felt reduced to mere moral equivocations.

My thoughts were so muddied by the end that only after a tea break was I able to right the ship and remember, mine was not to question the right or the wrong of it but to argue my side the best, to foresee all possible counters and be ready to confidently address the opposition with, ‘this is why you are wrong’. So, I pressed on, nose to the grindstone. Despite presenting a well-structured argument for the pro side, the result

was inconclusive. Even though our case was stronger, the audience still refused to approve the use of cluster munitions in any form.

Following the debate I briefly interviewed my colleagues on (1) how they felt about cluster bombing prior to their research (2) whether emotions played a role in the way they researched or the formation of their arguments (3) and if the debate changed their stance on cluster munitions. Both members of the con team were against cluster bombs prior to the debate and their stances did not change at its conclusion, though both believe their research was emotionally driven, one felt they maintained their rationality. My partner and I on the pro side entered the debate slightly left of neutral and exited it the same, though while my partner found his approach to be evenly rational, I found my own research to be a tumultuous trip between pragmatism and guilt.

Dramatic, right?

It was merely a debate over a decision that had been taken months ago that no one in that room had the power to influence.

And yet…

We don’t have the decision-making power, so we do this instead. Argue and debate because we all have opinions and, for an academic especially, nothing is better than someone with a well-argued and well-reasoned opinion. Arguing our point well is what we are trained to do, after all. So, when I took the stage on Thursday the 15th of February, almost two years into the war in Ukraine, I argued to win. Because of course they had a right to use cluster munitions, they were deployed on their own land, no party involved was or is a member of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, ‘armchair’ assessments are superfluous, these munitions are important for tactical advancement-

And on and on it goes.

But whether it is civilians or soldiers that are dying, now or in the future, because of these munitions’ usage, by either side, there will be bloody and violent deaths.

All wars are crimes.

Because of course they are.

Five Minutes With: Emma Callaghan

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

I’ve been at Loughborough for 22 years this October, my job title is Head of Business Operations and Development based at the National Centre for Combustion and Aerothermal Technology (NCCAT). I also hold an honorarium role as Deputy Community Warden, which I’ve held for over 10 years.

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

Everyday varies which keeps me on my toes. I have overall responsibility for NCCAT’s business support functions, so a typical day would include leadership of the administrative team, making budgetary decisions, dealing with any contractual matters or HR queries that arise, and in-between troubleshooting to resolve all sorts of issues that arise to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible on a day-to-day basis. I also act as the primary interface with NCCAT’s key stakeholders and manage and nurture those relationships. Each week I progress work on longer-term projects which are aimed at enhancing NCCAT’s role as a national centre such as identifying new partnerships and income-generating opportunities and working on marketing projects to promote the group’s research. One of my current projects is working with the Aerospace Technology Institute to create a video that showcases NCCAT and its primary objective to help meet the net zero carbon challenge faced by the UK aerospace industry.

Within my honorarium role as Deputy Community Warden, I work as part of a team of nine supporting students living in the community. From general pastoral support, promoting good relationships between students and other residents in the community, to disciplinary duties the role is varied and interesting.

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

100% the NCCAT project. When I first joined the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC) in AACME back in 2013 NCCAT was just an idea. Being part of a team responsible for delivering a world-class multi-million-pound National Centre has certainly had its challenges but it’s been the most rewarding project I’ve worked on and probably will ever work on in my career. I really am incredibly privileged to work alongside an amazing team of people.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Probably graduating with my MBA from the Loughborough Business School in 2017. I completed my master’s on a part-time basis alongside my NCCAT and warden roles and became a new mum halfway through the course! It was hugely challenging, and I often felt like giving up but the sense of achievement at the end was all worth it.

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

My life outside of work is pretty much devoted to spending time with my family and close friends. I love the outdoors, including lots of walking with my cockapoo Marley. I also enjoy cooking, in particular seafood dishes (with the odd glass of wine of course!).

What is your favourite quote?

“No matter what anyone tells you, words and ideas can change the world” – Robin Williams

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

This Week at Loughborough | 21 Oct

General

Men’s BUCS Super Rugby vs Hartpury

23 October | 7pm | Loughborough University 1st XV pitch

BUCS Super Rugby returns to campus as the reigning 2023/2024 National Champions in African Violet gear up to host Hartpury in their next BSR showdown.

Loughborough Students vs Luctonians

26 October | 2pm | Loughborough University 1st XV Rugby Pitch

Rugby action returns to Loughborough as the Students continue their 2024/2025 campaign in the National League 2 West.

Autumn Careers Fest

Year In Enterprise Information Sessions

22 October | 3pm-4pm | Business School BEO.63

These information sessions are open for students from all schools/disciplines that are 2nd year students looking at their placement options.

Finalist Futures – Looking to the Future: Next steps for SSH students without a placement

23 October | 10am-11am | SMB.0.14

Want to level up your career plans in final year? Come along to this event gain resources for careers support for your final year. 

Finalist Futures – Supercharge Your Career in Final Year

23 October | 1pm-2pm | West Park Teaching Hub 003

Whether you’re new to the recruitment process, need to improve your application or interview skills, or are reconsidering your options after a placement, we can help!

Get Ahead Together – Stepping into Study

23 October | 1pm-8pm | SMB.0.17

A group peer mentoring programme exclusively open to Foundation and First year students at Loughborough University.  

Future Talent Programme: Get Ahead Together

23 October | 2pm-7:30pm | SMB.0.17

A group peer mentoring programme exclusively open to Part B and C pre-placement Future Talent Programme student members.  

Mock Assessment Centre

24 October | 1pm-8pm | West Park Teaching Hub

You’ll hear first-hand what to expect and learn how to prepare effectively for an assessment centre. Join us in person and gain as much practice as you can before your first real one.

Black History Month

Black History Month: Researching ‘Africa’ Roundtable

25 October | 12pm-12:30pm | Stewart Mason Building

Loughborough University historians Poppy Cullen and Thoralf Klein and political scientist Giulia Piccolino talk about their experiences of researching in Africa and offer practical tips on how to start your own research project.

Black History Month: Researching ‘Race’ Roundtable

25 October | 1pm-1:50pm | Stewart Mason Building

Loughborough University historians Pete Yeandle and Marcus Collins and political theorist Varun Uberoi talk about their experiences of researching ‘race’ and multiculturalism and offer practical tips on how to start your own research project.

Blind Drawing Performance Anthi Kosma

Course: Introduction to Architecture I, School of Architecture, University of Thessaly, Volos 
Professors: Kosma Anthi (Lecturer), Manolidis Kostas (Professor), Micocci Fabiano (Assistant Professor), Lykourioti Iris (Associate Professor), -alphabetic order-.
Responsible for the action: Kosma Anthi

Part A – The First Blind Steps
Students formed groups of two. 
Roles: A blind “detective” who records the route on paper and their guide. 
Itinerary: The blind subjects and their guides started by crossing the main corridor of the building to the outside area, where they would change roles before returning to the classroom, completing a circular route.
“It was scary; I had to trust. I had no orientation, my footsteps were fumbling, and my soles seemed suctioned to the floor, struggling to separate from the earth. My steps were hesitant, barely lifting, searching the world with them. My hands were ‘swimming’ in the void. A big blind step was actually a small one; a big ‘step on a stair’ was a small difference in height on the ground. A big blind line on the paper was a small, scared trace on the edge. Everything felt big but was small. I needed the other, just as we needed that precious caregiver when taking our first steps as children. “Independence was lost—or was it a myth?” The first blind steps. What was once an obvious movement now had to be verbalized, find precise descriptions to protect and guide the blind subject. I could sense changes in the floor’s texture and temperature differences. What would the experience be like if the path was completely unknown?”
Notes based on comments from the discussion following the performance (Image 1 &2).
Blind drawings were placed on a board (Image 3). What would an unbiased glance say about these seemingly careless traces? Instead, our “blind” experience could “read” the “hesitant” and “afraid” lines, those losing their balance, frightened that lifting from the paper would cause them to lose their route and continuity. These lines and gestures were anxious about the limits of the paper. How much room for movement did they have? Most drawings were recordings of movements and paths. Continuous lines of movement. Unstable movements, sensitive to vibration, but free from the control of vision and analytical logic. 
“If we didn’t know how they were produced, we might say they were ‘childish.’ Childlike, they observe and trace the world through their codes.” (Image 4.1, 4.3)
Part B – Listen to the Drawing
During the second part of the lesson, blind subjects with their graphic engravings began to search for the textures of tables and other objects and bodies. With eyes closed, the line drawings on paper were searching for relief, any fold or resistance on the surfaces was “grabbed” in the drawing. Later, the samples of the textures from the blind drawings became the occasion for a long discussion on surfaces, materials, texture, touch, and how textures are represented in architectural drawings such as facades drawings.
The sound of the lines shading resembled the rustling of leaves. The blind graphic experiments continued. The sounds of the traces became the gradual tapping of dots, the sound of a graphic “rain.” It grew louder as it dropped its dots on the paper, causing a sonic “thunderstorm.” (Image 5) Pen/cils became the musical instruments of a percussion concert. The large number of participants made the rhythm of the graphic rain intense, conveying and intensifying the surprise and excitement in this drawing experience. Now blind musicians, truly abandoned from their ocularcentric commitments, were play-drawing.

CA Day 2024, Monday 16th December (hybrid)

Loughborough University’s Discourse and Rhetoric Group (DARG) hosts its 13th Conversation Analysis Day on Monday the 16th December 2024, 9:30am-5:30 (followed by an evening reception with food and wine), supported by the Centre for Research in Communication and Culture.

Join us for a (hybrid) meeting comprising a series of paper presentations in an informal and friendly atmosphere.

Invited Speakers

• Ann Weatherall
• Sally Wiggins Young

We welcome presentations on all aspects of interaction illuminated by Conversation Analysis.

Please use this submission form: https://darg.lboro.ac.uk/submit-an-abstract-for-ca-day-2024/

Contact Saul (s.b.albert@lboro.ac.uk) if you have any questions.

If you submit a paper after we have opened the waiting list for registrants, then you are guaranteed a place only if your paper is accepted. We will let you know by one week after the deadline.

Deadline for submissions: Friday 25th October 2024.

In person registration is open on a first come, first served basis (unless you are submitting a paper), but we only have space for 70 people this year, so make sure you register soon!

Registration

Registration is now open on the Loughborough event booking system:  https://store.lboro.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/communication-and-media/upcoming-events/ca-day-2024

In person registration is open on a first come, first served basis but (unless you are submitting a paper), but we only have space for 70 people this year, so make sure you register soon!

Once we have reached capacity, you can join the waiting list. Normally a number of registrants withdraw before the conference, and we allocate their places to those waiting. Most withdrawals happen close to the conference date, though, so you may not be sure about a place for some time.

Attendance costs:

• In-person: £25, or £20 for students/unwaged, which pays for refreshments and the evening reception (you will be able to buy lunch on campus this year)
• Online-only: £5, which helps to pay for other event costs and for someone to look after the stream/questions etc.

#CakeOff2024

We would also like to invite you to participate in the grand CA Day #CAkeOff2023 competition, which will be held in hybrid format again this year.

Cat Holt’s winning ‘edible transcript’ entry to #CAkeOff2022

For those planning on participating in the competition in-person, please bring your cakes to CA day where our invited speakers will judge, along with enthusiastic participation from all other CA Day in-person delegates.

For those participating online, please prepare a 5-10 second naturalistic video clip of someone eating your cake. Submission instructions to follow.Please make sure your video captures the cake recipient’s responses e.g., gustatory ‘mms’ (Wiggins, 2002), lip smacks, or, perish the thought, ‘yucks’. Please send in your videos by the 13th December to provide adequate time for judging. Grand prizes will be awarded during the closing ceremony!

Wiggins, S. (2002). Talking with your mouth full: Gustatory mmms and the embodiment of pleasure. Research on language and social interaction, 35(3), 311-336.

Venue information

Please contact Saul (s.b.albert@lboro.ac.uk) with any queries.
We’ll be in the Brockington Extension, Room U.0.05. Use these links for travel and campus map.
Added: Here’s a list of University accommodation. Other hotels are also available. Overseas visitors: the closest airport is East Midlands Airport (EMA), Birmingham Airport is not too far.

Follow the #CAday2024 hashtag on whatever social media platforms still exist.

Please also follow DARG_sessions on X, on mastodon, and the CRCC on X and CRCC on Mastodon

This Week at Loughborough | 14 October

General

Discover Campus Sculpture Tour

16 October, 1.30pm-2.30pm, starts outside EHB

This walk will make its way from the centre of campus down to East Park, stopping to take in some of our wonderful sculptures along the way. This event is a great way to find out more about the layout and history of the campus and University.

LSU Houseplant Sale

16 October and 17 October, 10am-7pm, LSU

Explore a massive range of over 250 plants available to buy, in all shapes and sizes. Find a large choice of colourful pots and many other plant accessories too.

Community Photo Walk with Becky Sweet

16 October, 2pm-4pm, the Chaplaincy front entrance

Part of the Chaplaincy’s new HOME series. For the first walk, join Becky Sweet for a walk around campus. Discover hidden gems, and get tips on how to take the best photos. Don’t forget to bring a camera or a charged phone to take photos on.

Wear Red Day

18 October, 12pm-3pm, LSU

All staff and students are invited to wear red clothing to show their support in the fight against racism in society. A stall in the LSU will provide information about the charity how they can get involved.

Black History Month

Black and Bold: A Black Drag Celebration

16 October, 12pm-1.30pm, James France

Join us for an unforgettable afternoon celebrating Black LGBTQ+ culture, where you’ll be transported into a world of vibrant expression, thought-provoking discussions, and unforgettable entertainment.

Black History Month: ‘Has Britain a Colour Bar?’: Britain’s first race relations TV programme

17 October, 4.30pm-5.30pm, Pilkington Library, Seminar Room 1

In this session, Marcus Collins revisits the first British television programme about ‘race’ relations. ‘Has Britain a Colour Bar’ (1955) is an eye-opening (even jaw-dropping) documentary about the experiences of West Indian, African and South Asian people who settled in Birmingham.

Autumn Careers Fest

Autumn Careers Fair (sponsored by AWE)

14 October (STEM focus), 2pm-7pm, Sir David Wallace Sports Hall

15 October (all sectors), 11am-4pm, Sir David Wallace Sports Hall

Meet over 150 top employers offering graduate roles, internships, placements, vacation work, volunteering opportunities.

Get Ahead Together – Welcome Event

16 October, 1pm-8pm, SMB 0.17

A group peer mentoring programme exclusively open to Foundation and First year students at Loughborough University.   

Finalist Futures – Making Successful Applications

16 October, 1pm-3pm, SMB 1.03

Employers receive hundreds of applications, so how can you make sure yours stands out? Join our interactive workshop designed for UG final year students to learn more.

Future Talent Programme: Get Ahead Together

16 October, 2pm-7.30pm, SMB 0.17

Introducing the Future Talent Programme – A peer mentoring programme for black and South Asian heritage, Part B and C pre-placement students. Join our “Proud to Be Me” welcome event to celebrate our diverse identities and boost self-awareness for personal and career success.

International Futures – Launch Event

17 October, 6pm-7.30pm, EHB 104

Join us to learn how Careers Network and International Futures can support you in your career journey. We’ll cover our careers service, accessing online resources, upcoming tailored events and workshops, and support for work opportunities in the UK and globally.

Gaffes in American political history: a reflection on my dissertation research

By Flo Carter

I’m a recent Loughborough University graduate, having completed my BA History course in the summer of 2024. Loughborough’s IRPH programme allowed me to expand on an existing passion for modern history, developing it across the disciplines, as reflected in my final year dissertation.

I think it’s important to note that most undergraduate students do not have a eureka moment in which the thesis, method, and angle of their dissertation hits them with blinding clarity. Even in my first year as a History student, it felt like this grey cloud looming in the distance (albeit, quite far in the distance back then). How does any young adult decide on a topic suitable for dedicating 11,000 words? How can we possibly know what is too simple, too complicated, too niche, or too mainstream? All these were very real fears that crossed my mind any time the dreaded ‘D’ word was mentioned.

***

In reality, the process of writing a dissertation was not nearly as overwhelming as I’d feared and actually pretty satisfying to complete. In my second year of study, a friend, who’d recently completed her final year, advised me to create a list, recording any time a lecturer mentioned something that I could see myself researching further. That is exactly what I did. By Easter of my second year, this list comprised of over 10 possible research ideas gleaned from various modules. But it was the very first one I jotted down that I kept returning to. Typed sometime during a Tuesday afternoon lecture with Matt Adams as part of ‘The American Century’ module. The note simply read: ‘US Presidents… did their gaffes mean anything????’

And so, as any lecturer would recommend you do when a seed is planted for a potential topic of study, I started reading. I began to scope out what academics really thought about the power of gaffes in US presidential elections in the late twentieth century. The reality was not much – literally and metaphorically. It was a topic that hadn’t received much scholarly attention, and when it had been mentioned, the discourse tended to be dismissive and disparaging. When I stumbled upon a piece of research by Gelman and King that labelled these moments as nothing more than ‘trivial’ variables, my little idea nearly came to the end of its journey (Gelman & King, 1994).

I supposed it was time to move on, work down the list until another topic yielded more nuanced results. But I couldn’t seem to shake the desire to keep reading about campaign trail gaffes (one of the most important aspects of any dissertation topic; are you truly interested in what you are writing about?). Surely somebody thought that these moments were more powerful than the likes of Gelman and King were suggesting? That’s when I stumbled upon an article by Sheinheit and Bogard (2016). Their focus was on gaffes in the internet age – entirely outside the realms of my project – but this lack of relevance seemed secondary when I found the following quote in their publication: ‘The process by which a gaffe is transformed into a meaning-laden defining campaign event is underanalyzed’ (p. 970). It was quite the gift. Just like that, I had a justification for my project. Other academics believed the topic deserved more attention; the show was back on the road.

From there, the last major hurdle I faced was the small task of actually proving my thesis. The big positive was that all my research neatly pointed towards using a particular primary source-based method: the analysis of public opinion poll data. The less good news was that many such depositories from my era of interest were not digitised and incredibly disordered. To make sense of the material required a level of mathematical skill that I did not naturally possess. But by now I had a growing sense of determination, a need to prove that there was a side of this story that had been left untold. After annoying many lecturers (both inside and outside of the IRPH department), a fair few arguments with Excel, and a LOT of caffeine purchased, I was onto something. The numbers were not only making sense… but they were supporting my argument!

My biggest piece of advice to anyone about to begin the process of writing a dissertation is to make full use of your supervisor’s office hours right from the very start. Regularly checking in with them and sharing ideas can keep the whole process moving forward smoothly and stop you inadvertently drifting too far off course. By Easter of my final year, I found myself with a nearly 12,000-word dissertation that addressed a gap in the literature (and a newfound understanding of what that specific term – a ‘gap’ in the literature – actually meant).

Essentially, using three specific case studies to form chapters, I found that in 1964, 1988, and 2000, the losing presidential candidate suffered from their own gaffe being expertly weaponised against them by the opposing party. After tabulating over 10,000 opinion poll responses in a longitudinal comparative analysis, my data was pretty conclusive. For Goldwater, Dukakis, and Gore, the consequences of a verbal misstep were especially severe because such moments helped illuminate that each possessed a deeper personality flaw. One that was particularly detrimental given the respective political backdrops against which they were campaigning. Goldwater’s trigger-happy comments fed into the illusion that he was militarily capricious, fuelling lingering public anxieties less than two years after the ‘world’s closest encounter with a nuclear World War III’ (Smith, 2003). Dukakis’s emotionally devoid debate response illuminated his supposedly soft approach to crime, a sore subject for an electorate aware that their nation’s violent crime rates were at an all-time high (Sumner, Mercy & Dahlberg, 2015). Gore’s embellishments made him appear dishonest, alarming a population that was still reeling from President Clinton lying under oath (Scott, 2003). These pivotal moments significantly impaired each candidate’s standing; their own words were mobilised against them by their rivals.

Ultimately, as corny as it sounds, writing my dissertation was an incredibly fulfilling experience. Being given the opportunity to become an expert in a field makes not only for incredibly satisfying dinner table conversation but also gives you an understanding as to how any lecturer becomes as passionate as they are about a specific area of study. I firmly believe that the hardest part of the whole process was writing the opening line (leave that until the end, do not try and tackle it at the start). I’ll leave you with mine, hopefully it is an effective hook…

On March 9th, 1999, as CNN’s Wolf Blitzer finished recording an episode of his Sunday talk show, Late Edition, he could not possibly have anticipated that his network had just captured footage that would dominate discourse throughout the 2000 presidential campaign, well over a year down the line.

References:

• Gelman, Andrew and Gary King, ‘Party Competition and Media Messages’ in L. Sandy Maisel, ed. The Parties Respond: Changes in the American Party System (Colorado: Westview Press, 1994): 255-95.
• Scott, Esther, Al Gore and the Embellishment Issue: Press Coverage of the Gore Presidential Campaign (Cambridge: Kennedy School of Government, 2003).
• Sheinheit, Ian and Cynthia Bogard, ‘Authenticity and Carrier Agents: The Social Construction of Political Gaffes,’ Sociological Forum 31 (2016): 970-993.
• Smith, Tom, ‘Trends: The Cuban Missile Crisis and U.S. Public Opinion,’ The Public Opinion Quarterly, 67 (2003): 265-293.
• Sumner, Steven, James Mercy and Linda Dahlberg, ‘Violence in the United States: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities,’ The Journal of the American Medical Association, 314 (2015): 478-88.

Photo by Chris from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-ad-photo-of-the-white-house-in-washington-dc-14320543/

Five minutes with: Christopher Shaw

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

I’m a Large Format Specialist and Post & Logistics Team Leader. I’ve been working here 34 years.

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

Generally it is very busy as I have two roles. This can be challenging but it is also very rewarding. One day is never the same as the next.

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

I’m currently filling in for a role within the department which is interesting and challenging!

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

I’ve had to adapt to a changing environment over the years from litho printing/digital printing to large format printing. I’m also proud of leading a team of four within the mail room.

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

I’m a volunteer for Leicestershire County Council and an independent visitor for children in care and I’ve been doing this for five years.

What is your favourite quote?

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.”

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

'Care: Critical Dialogues & transdisciplinary approaches' event recap

In June 2024, the Centre for Research in Culture and Communication at Loughborough University hosted an interdisciplinary symposium on ‘Care’ – which in recent years has become an increasingly urgent issue for the social sciences, humanities and beyond. The day-long event showcased some of the cutting-edge research being carried out at Loughborough in Communication and Media; Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy; English; and Sports Technology; as well as by a number of leading scholars from other UK universities.

The symposium’s topic of ‘Care’ proved a generative concept that facilitated critical dialogues between scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. Over the day, around thirty attendees joined the event in the university’s Hazlerigg Council Chamber, with over forty also attending online from across the world.

In recent years, scholarship across a wide range of disciplines has seen a ‘turn to care’ (Aust 2021), with an increasing recognition of the intrinsic interdependence and shared-yet-unequal vulnerabilities of all human and non-human life. As speakers at the symposium recognised, we are living through a ‘crisis in care’, in which the material and affective capacities to reproduce and sustain life are under intensifying pressure.  This event thus sought to showcase leading academic voices whose research investigates ‘care’ in all its many and diverse dimensions.

The day was opened by Professor James Stanyer, Director of the CRCC, as well as co-organiser Dr Jilly Kay. The event’s keynote was delivered by Professor Jo Littler (Goldsmiths University), an internationally recognised expert on the politics of care. Professor Littler’s keynote ‘From care to carewashing….and back again’ drew on some of her collaborative work with The Care Collective, as well as her reflections on the ‘carewashing’ branding strategies of contemporary universities, which have since been published in the journal Educational Philosophy and Theory.

The day proceeded with three themed panels on the topics of ‘Care and technology’, ‘Care and the media and cultural industries’, and ‘Health, wellbeing and social care’.

The panel on technology included papers by  Dr Kristina Saunders (University of Glasgow): ‘(Self) Care and reproductive justice: the role of online communities and health information as contraceptive care’; Professor Massimiliano Zecca (Sports Technology Institute, Loughborough University): Frailty in Older Adults: How Robotics can Help to  Improve Health and Function’; and Dr Saul Albert (Communication and Media, Loughborough University): ‘Improvisational care technologies: a case study of the assistance/recruitment continuum in ‘smart homecare’ interactions’

The panel on the media and cultural industries featured papers by  Dr Hannah Hamad (Cardiff University): ‘Nurses and/as Caring in Media Fictions of NHS Care Work’; Dr Yuval Katz (Communication and Media, Loughborough University): ‘Can we care about our enemies?’; Dr Jade French (English, Loughborough University): ‘Emotion, ageing, and the care home in post-war British novels since 1948’.

 The final panel on health, wellbeing, and social care included papers by  Professor Alison Pilnick (Manchester Metropolitan University): ‘Thinking (micro)sociologically about care’; Dr Amy Cortvriend (Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy, Loughborough University): ‘Care of people seeking asylum in the UK’; and Dr Catherine Coveny (Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy, Loughborough University): ‘Rhythms of care’. The themed panels generated cross-disciplinary discussions between academic fields that are not usually in dialogue with one another. In a world in which ‘carelessness reigns’,the papers and ensuing conversations highlighted the urgent need to embed care more fully in all realms of social, political and cultural life.

Loughborough Surf's Big BUCS Year

Last week we caught up with Leo Perceval-Hicks, Chair of Loughborough Surf, to learn more about the club who are travelling to their first ever BUCS competition!

What is happening this weekend for Loughborough Surf?

For the first time in the club’s history, Loughborough Surf will be competing at the BUCS Surfing Championships! This is a huge milestone for us, especially as this year also marks our tenth anniversary. Our club, founded in 2014 by a few keen landlocked surfers, has come a long way since then. Despite being placed about as far inland as one can possibly be, we’ve never let that stop us.

How has the club grown over the years?

Loughborough Surf has thrived in the past few years, growing to over 130 members last year, with even more joining us this year. We’ve built a community that’s as much about the social side as it is about the surfing. Our socials are held once or twice a week, all year round, and we organise multiple surf trips each term. These range from quick day trips to Yorkshire to catch a big swell to weekends away in Newquay with up to 80 members. Surfing, skating, pubbing, and plenty of good vibes are always on the agenda!

What can we expect at BUCS Surfing Championships?

On 10 October, we’ll be heading down to Newquay for three days of competition. Six of our members will be competing against surf clubs from other UK universities. It’s a first-time experience for all of us, so we’re equally excited and nervous! The rest of the club will be cheering on from the side lines, bringing the Loughborough energy and good vibes.

How can I follow the action?

We’ll be posting updates throughout the competition on our Instagram, @lborosurf. You can follow along to see how our team performs in the heats and what we’re getting up to during the weekend.

I’m interested in joining Loughborough Surf – what’s the vibe?

We’re a super welcoming and laid-back club that loves to bring people together. Whether you’re a surfing pro or have never touched a board, there’s something for everyone here. Come along to one of our socials this month to check us out for free! If you like what you see, you can join our WhatsApp group and get full membership through our Instagram for just £30.

This is a huge moment for us as a club, and we can’t wait to see how our team performs at it’s first BUCS. Whether you’re coming along to support, watching from home, or thinking about joining our surf family, we’re excited to share this journey with you!

See you in the waves!

This Week at Loughborough | 7 October

General Events

University Choir Taster Session

7 October, 7pm-9pm, Cope Auditorium

Come along and try out our University Choir at their first rehearsal of the term.

Wearable Memories: Stones of the Grassland (exhibition)

Weekdays until 11 October, 12pm-2pm, Martin Hall Gallery

For 2 weeks, PhD researcher, Zihan Zhou, presents jewellery and research work from her doctoral project. 

Craft and Create: EDI Tapestry

9 October, 11.30am-2.30pm, LSU Treehouse

At LSU’s Craft & Create event, you’ll have the opportunity to design a square to be added to our growing University tapestry.

Discover Campus Sculpture Tour

9 October, 1.30pm-2.30pm, starting outside EHB

Join University Curator David Bell on a walk through campus to take in some of our wonderful sculptures.

National Theatre Live: Present Laughter

10 October, 7pm, Cope Auditorium

Andrew Scott’s award-winning performance as Garry Essendine in Noël Cowards provocative comedy returns to the big screen.

Black History Month Events

Black History Month: ‘I am not prejudiced, but…’

7 October, 12pm-12.50pm, Online

Why did so few commentators and researchers in the 1950s and 1960s consider Britain to be an endemically racist country? Dr Marcus Collins, Reader in Contemporary History, discusses new research in this talk.

Black History Month: Legacy and Leadership, reclaiming the narrative

11 October, 3pm-5pm, Loughborough Business School Foyer

Hear from influential Black leaders who are reshaping their fields and reclaiming narratives, gain valuable insights about practical strategies for leadership and connect with like-minded professionals to expand your network.

World Mental Health Day Events

World Mental Health Day: Chat with the Wellbeing team, Samaritans and the Chaplaincy

10 October, 10am-2pm, EHB – The Atrium

Join us in the Atrium to have a chat with a representative of the Samaritans, advisers from Loughborough Universities Wellbeing team and the Chaplaincy.

World Mental Health Day: Try Boccia with My Lifestyle

10 October, 10am-11.30am, EHB – The Pavillion

Join the My Lifestyle team for a taster session of Boccia, a fun and inclusive sport.

World Mental Health Day: Mindfulness session with Vita Health group

10 October, 11.30am-12pm, EHB – The Innerspace, the Chaplaincy

To mark World Mental Health Day, Sheela Solanki from Vita Health Group, NHS talking therapies service is providing a mindfulness session in person, in the Chaplaincy.

Careers Fest Events

Finalist Futures: Exploring Your Options After Graduation

8 October, 1pm-2pm, Online

Discover the importance of self-knowledge in making career choices, learn how and where to find job opportunities, and get useful links and information to guide your next steps.

Prepare for the Fair

8 October, 6pm-7.30pm, OR 10 October, 2pm-3.30pm, Online

Join our session to learn how to prepare for the Autumn Careers Fair, interact with employers, and follow up effectively.

Getting a Graduate Job

10 October, 1pm-2pm, Online

Learn what factors to consider when job hunting, get useful links for finding vacancies, and discover how to make speculative applications.

10’000 Black Interns: Making Applications

10 October, 6.30pm-7.30pm, Online

In collaboration with the Future Talent Programme, the 10’000 Interns Foundation will tell you about their internship opportunities, and introduce you to their application process to ensure your success!

CRCC to host 'The charm of illiberalism? Media and the rising alternatives to democracy'

On 5 November 2024, a new president will be elected in the United States. The stakes for these elections are high — would it mark the return of former President Trump’s illiberal politics? Or will it reflect the generation change in the democratic party, fuelled by the chemistry and charm of Vice President Harris and Governor Waltz?

Two weeks later, on 20 November, we will convene to celebrate the publication of two significant books in sociology, media and political communication: The Illiberal Public Sphere: Media in Polarized Societies by Václav Štetka and Sabina Mihelj (2024, Palgrave Macmillan) and Charm: How Magnetic Personalities Shape Global Politics by Julia Sonnevend (2024, Princeton University Press). The books offer complementary perspectives on the growing appeal of alternatives to democracy. While Štetka and Mihelj investigate how cultural values and state institutions are being reshaped to constitute an illiberal public sphere, Sonnevend focuses on the personification of global politics, illuminating how the magnetic appeal of charming leaders can reframe their public persona and the international brand of their nations. 

The fascination with illiberal ideas and charming leaders is fused in the media. It is where old values are renegotiated, often leading to prejudices manifested in xenophobia or homophobia. The battle over legacy media ownership is where ideological power struggles play out; when triumphant, illiberal regimes can use state-owned media to manipulate public opinion. Political leaders use social media to construct themselves as authentic representatives of ordinary people, dangerously demarcating those who disagree with them as enemies of the state in illiberal settings. They can perform their nation’s soft power to journalists through smiles and friendly gestures, even if they have no intention of adhering to liberal values. Please join us for a seminar meeting with the authors of the books, followed by a response by Dr Burçe Çelik, who will situate the books’ contributions within scholarship on media, political and social change.  

The event will be hybrid and will occur between 3 and 5 p.m. on November 20, 2024, in room U.0.0.5 in the Brockington Building at Loughborough University and will be followed by a social event.

Please register using this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-charm-of-illiberalism-media-and-the-rising-alternatives-to-democracy-online-tickets-1034696544217?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Loughborough London Family Fun Day

The third annual family fun day at Loughborough University London (LUL) took place on Tuesday the 3rd of September 2024. The purpose of this event is to bring together a community of parents and carers who work or study at the university to celebrate parenthood and caring responsibilities. Many staff brought their children onto campus for a fun filled day of activities.

We were lucky enough to have Badu Sport undertake a Paralympic themed sports session which included seated archery, boccia and seated volleyball. We also went on a visit to Staffordshire University to hear about future careers with the gaming industry and children then got to explore their esport arena. Children and parents also visited our very own Fab Lab, and everyone had a demonstration of the laser cutters, 3D printers and received a personalised gift to take home. With arts and crafts activities, Lego building and the ability to talk about and watch the Paralympics throughout the day, the event showcased the interdisciplinary nature of our university.

Dr. Emily Hayday (member of the LU MAIA Network) and a co-organiser of the event reflected on the day and said:

“hosting this event is a great day to share experiences and interact with colleagues and students who also have parental and caring roles. It promotes an inclusive culture and is always a fun and positive event bringing children onto campus to explore our university.”

The aim of this event is to raise visibility of parents and carers, as well as providing an opportunity for socialising, community building and growing an inclusive culture on campus. The Family Fun day was organised by the LUL EDI committee and provided an excellent opportunity to focus on the caring community principles that underpin our university ethos.

Dr. Ksenija Kuzmina, co-chair for LU Working Parents and Carers Staff Network, and co-organiser of the event said:

“It is a great event for our campus to host, it is a reminder that as individuals we juggle multiple roles every day and many of them are invisible in the workplace. I believe that through the Family Funday we foster greater awareness, empathy, and support with those around us”.      

We’re really looking forward to the 4th edition which will happen in 2025.

Read here about EDI at Loughborough University London campus.

To learn more about LU Working Parents and Carers Staff Network contact Ksenija on k.kuzmina@lboro.ac.uk

To learn more about LU MAIA Network contact Emily on E.Hayday@lboro.ac.uk

The power of nature: How the outdoors can transform your wellbeing

Spending time in nature is a great tool for boosting our mental health as it offers us an opportunity to pause, reflect, and heal.

When we focus on the rustling of leaves, the birds singing, or the feeling of the sun on our skin, our attention shifts from internal anxieties to the present moment. This form of mindfulness can reduce mental overload and promote a sense of peace and calm.

According to the Mental Health Foundation: “Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life and more likely to report feeling their lives are worthwhile.

Nature connectedness is also associated with lower levels of poor mental health, particularly lower depression and anxiety.”

Spending time outdoors can:

• improve your mood
• reduce mental fatigue
• boost your confidence and self-esteem
• reduce feelings of stress and help you feel more relaxed
• motivate you to be more active
• help you meet and get to know new people
• improve your sleep

Exposure to sunlight also helps increase vitamin D production which supports immune system function, helping to fight off infections. Vitamin D also helps regulate inflammatory responses in the body and helps the body absorb calcium, which is essential for strong bones and teeth.

Challenge yourself to spend at least 15 minutes outdoors every day

There are many ways you can incorporate spending time outdoors into your daily routine:

• Start your day with a morning walk or run
• Walk or cycle to work instead of driving, even if it’s only for part of your journey
• Suggest a walking meeting with a colleague, or eat your lunch outside
• If you have children, suggest playing catch in the garden, go to a playground or go for a bike ride
• Replace indoor meals with occasional picnics at parks or beaches
• Take your fitness routine outside by running, hiking, or doing yoga in a park instead of at the gym
• Engage in activities like golf, football, or running groups that regularly meet outdoors
• Start or end your day with a few stretches outdoors
• If you have a garden, spend time each day tending to plants or simply enjoying your outdoor space
• Swap your indoor reading time for an outdoor setting
• Look for local farmers markets, festivals, or outdoor concerts to combine entertainment and time outside

When you’re outdoors, try to focus on your surroundings and engage your senses. Have a go at forest bathing, a Japanese practice of relaxation; known in Japan as shinrin yoku. It is a simple method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you whilst breathing deeply. You could also try taking a camera or sketchpad to capture the beauty of nature through photography, painting, or drawing.

Read how Rich Fenn-Griffin, Assistant Gardens Manager at the University spends quality time in nature.

Make the most of nature on campus

• Holywell Park
• Fruit Routes
• Burleigh Wood
• Garden of Remembrance
• Walled Garden
• International Garden
• Sculpture Trail

Nature spots local to Loughborough

• Queen’s Park
• Beacon Hill
• Bradgate Park
• Stonehurst Farm
• The Outwoods
• Swithland Wood
• Whatton House
• Charnwood Water

From the Vice-Chancellor – September 2024

In my first newsletter of the new academic year: the Paris 2024 Games, our new Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience, the 2024 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards, our Ambassador for Sport, Health and Wellbeing, the inaugural GSUN summit, and Loughborough’s hat trick of nominations in the 2024 THE Awards.

Looking back at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympic Games

The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer were phenomenal events, showcasing the world’s greatest sportsmen and women, and I was incredibly proud of the achievements of our Loughborough-linked athletes.  

They brought home a total of 35 medals across both games – seven gold, six silver and six bronze at the Paralympics and four gold, four silver and eight bronze at the Olympics. So strong were the Loughborough athletes’ performances that we would have finished as a top 20 nation in the Paralympic Games if we were reclassified as a country and 16th in the OIympics. 

Among the highlights from this year’s Games were Olympic gold for Daniel Wiffen in the men’s 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1,500m freestyle, and gold for cyclist Sophie Capewell in the women’s team sprint – both Daniel and Sophie are current Loughborough students. At the Paralympics, swimmer Tully Kearney won gold in the women’s 100m and 200m freestyle S5, and for Jenny Holl, who’s the cycling pilot for Sophie Unwin, won two golds, a silver and a bronze; Tully trains at Loughborough and Jenny is part of Loughborough Lightning Cycling.  

A full list of our medal-winning athletes is available on our news pages. 

Alongside our athletes 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 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. 

We must also acknowledge the world-leading sports-related research that takes place across the University, which underpins not only our own athletes’ performance but that of sportsmen and women around the world.  

For instance, our researchers in the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport were asked to look at how wheelchairs would interact with the clay courts being used at the Paris Games, and in this video, gold medal-winning triathlete Cassandre Beaugrand explains why our heat lab, which helped her acclimatise to the Paris temperatures, is her “worst, favourite place”. 

The totality of our outstanding Olympic and Paralympics performance underpinned being named Sports University of the Year in the Times and Sunday Times and the Daily Mail university guides for 2025, which were both published this month.  

It also generated some excellent news coverage for the University, with more than 650 media mentions in 200-plus outlets, including BBC News, The Times, The Guardian and BBC Radio 4. Our Olympics and Paralympics videos on social media also had more than half a million views. 

Our performance at the Olympics and Paralympics has enabled us to enhance Loughborough’s global profile and reputation, which is a key part of our strategic vision, and shown how we can leverage our leading position in sport performance, research and education to meet our strategic Sporting Excellence and Opportunity aim. 

New Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience appointed

This autumn we will welcome Professor Sam Grogan as our new Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience. 

Professor Grogan is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience at the University of Salford, and prior to that was Dean of Students, with responsibility for leadership of the academic student experience. Before joining the University of Salford, he was Director of Higher Education at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and Head of the Department of Performing Arts at Bath Spa University. 

He is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Board Member of Advance HE, which promotes excellence in higher education, and was also Round Table Chair for the launch of the Social Mobility Pledge, a coalition of more than 800 organisations that have committed to boost opportunity and social mobility. 

Professor Grogan will bring invaluable experience in shaping and leading the delivery of first-class education opportunities for our students and ensuring they have the chance to develop the skills they need for whatever they do in their future lives – one of the key aspirations in our strategic plan. 

I’m sure you’ll join me in giving a very warm welcome to Professor Grogan.

Vice-Chancellor’s Awards mark the contributions and achievements of staff

Each year, the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards allow us to recognise and celebrate the contributions of staff from around the University who have shown their commitment to the University’s aims and values, especially around the theme of ‘togetherness’, in keeping with the title of our strategy.   

This year almost 250 nominations – a record number with every School and Professional Service represented – were submitted for eighteen awards across the six categories of research and innovation; education and student experience; equity, diversity and inclusion; international engagement and impact; sporting excellence and opportunity; and living the values.    

Congratulations to all those nominated and the incredibly worthy winners. Full details are available on the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards website. 

More than 170 staff and guests attended the awards ceremony, which was compered by the wonderful Pauline Matturi from Organisational Development. Our student jazz band, Tuxedo Swing, were our musical entertainment for the afternoon. 

As well as presenting awards on the night, we also recognise the winners and nominees in a dedicated space on campus near the West Park Teaching Hub, where we have a plaque, mounted on locally-sourced Mountsorrel granite, and seating area, surrounded by trees and shrubs. This new green space will provide a lasting legacy both to the achievements of our staff and to our sustainability ambitions.

Ambassador appointed for the Sport, Health and Wellbeing strategic theme

I’m delighted that Karen Carney OBE has been appointed as the Ambassador for our Sport, Health and Wellbeing strategic theme.  

Karen joins Steve Varley and Politics graduates Ghanim and Ahmad Muhammad Al-Muftah who are our Ambassadors for the Net Zero and Climate Change and Vibrant and Inclusive Communities themes. Together they will help to enhance the University’s reputation and profile by acting as advocates for the University’s activities and achievements through their networks.  

Loughborough alumna Karen has had an impressive professional football career. She played for Birmingham City, Arsenal, Chelsea and the Chicago Red Stars, and played in four UEFA Women’s Championships between 2005 and 2017. She also represented England at four Women’s World Cups, gaining 144 caps to make her one of the country’s most capped players of all time, and was part of Team GB at the 2012 Olympics.   

Since retiring from football, Karen has gone on to work as a broadcaster on all major networks covering both men’s and women’s football.  

Karen will work closely alongside Professor Diwei Zhou and Professor David Fletcher,  the Associate Pro Vice-Chancellors for the Strategic Theme, as well as Professor Jo Maher, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Sport to highlight our world-leading research and innovation in sport and exercise, as well as the fantastic facilities and opportunities within sport that the University provides.

Inaugural global sport summit focuses on inclusivity

World leaders in sport research were at the University of Oregon this month for the inaugural summit of the Global Sport University Network (GSUN), which was co-founded by Loughborough and Oregon.  

The event brought together experts from six continents and 21 countries to discuss collaboration on the theme of inclusivity in sport performance, including para athletics, aging, female athletes and mental health. 

GSUN aims to address problems that are too big for one institution to solve alone. The network connects industry, governing bodies, sport commissions, media and other key stakeholders with researchers, educators and higher education institutions in four key thematic areas: health and performance, inclusivity and societal impact, innovation, and sustainability.  

Panel topics at the summit included the use of artificial intelligence to make sport more inclusive, the growth of para sports and youth physical fitness. 

GSUN is a perfect example of our strategic aim to use our world-leading position in sport, health and wellbeing research, and work in partnership with other globally-renowned universities, to change the world through sport.

Loughborough shortlisted for three Times Higher Education awards

The shortlist for this year’s higher education ‘Oscars’ – the Times Higher Education Awards – was announced this month and I was delighted to see Loughborough in three categories. 

Professor Vicky Goosey-Tolfrey, who is the Director of the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport, is a finalist for Outstanding Supervisor of the Year. Vicky has supervised almost 30 PhD students, who have secured leadership roles in Para sport since graduating. Her unique supervision method – known as the embedded scientist approach – provides students with access to Para athletes, facilities and resources to support their research. 

Sally Carter, from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Technician of the Year category. Sally applies her expertise and skills across the School and supports other technical teams. Her creative problem-solving approach for laboratory users led to the creation of the Research Buddy Scheme, piloted in the 23/24 academic year, which saved 260 hours of lost data collection and improved students’ employability.  

Finally, Loughborough’s Future Talent Programme has been nominated for the Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year. The Future Talent Programme aims to supercharge black students’ career prospects and confidence by enabling them to engage with employers who want to recruit diverse talent to their workforce. The programme, which was created in 2020 to help address the placement progression gaps between black and white students at the University, has supported almost 700 students to date. 

Congratulations to all the Loughborough nominees. I hope we’ll be celebrating at the awards ceremony on 28th November!

This Week at Loughborough | 30 September

Coach and Volunteer Academy briefing

Monday 30 September 6pm-7pm, EHB110A

Join the CVA’s general briefing session to explore the range of personal and professional development opportunities available through sport at Loughborough University. 

Finalist Futures – Welcome Event

Wednesday 2 October, 2.45pm, Edward Herbert Building 

A welcome-back event for Finalists, to help orient you at the start of your final year, raise awareness, and connect you with all the support we offer in order to build confidence and self-belief for the road ahead while also honing the mindset necessary to overcome challenges and seize opportunities.

Big Match 2024

Wednesday 2nd October – Kick off at 7pm 

Get ready to kick off the academic year with one of Loughborough’s biggest and most electrifying events. This year, our reigning BUCS Super Rugby Champions, Loughborough Men’s Rugby, will face off against Bath Rugby in an epic rematch of last year’s thrilling showdown.

Flix Cinema – Deadpool and Wolverine

Thursday 3 October 7pm, Cope Auditorium

LSU are partnering with resident film society Flix Cinema for a free showing of Deadpool and Wolverine in their state-of-the-art campus cinema. Unwind with some friends and enjoy the movie! Tickets in advance on the LSU website or through the LSU app.

PwC Eco-Hub – Meet and Greet 

Friday 4 October, 11am – 3pm, Outside Careers Hubs East

Head over to the PwC Eco Booth and engage with their small but mighty demonstration of innovation and environmental stewardship, showcasing the cutting-edge sustainable practices integrated into their work. Explore how PwC are championing sustainability and making a positive impact on the world. 

PwC – Workshop – Building Confidence in the Employer Selection Process

Friday 4 October 3pm – 4pm, Stewart Mason Building

Ready to unlock your future with PwC? Come along to the exciting skills session where every stage of the PwC selection process is broken down. Meet recruiters and ambassadors who’ve been through it all and can give you the inside scoop on what it’s really like to work at PwC. Don’t forget to pick up some cool, ethically sourced freebies along the way!

UV Multi Sport Event

Friday 4 October 5pm – 7.30pm, New Victory Hall

Join us for a UV multi sport event to play Volleyball and Dodgeball– part of the FREE recreational activities timetable here at Loughborough University. All abilities welcome, book via the MyLifestyle tile on the Loughborough Sport App. 

Celebrate Loughborough’s First Freshers Expo

Sunday 6 October 2pm – 8pm, Market Place Loughborough Town Centre

On Sunday 6 October, Love Loughborough will be welcoming students to Loughborough by holding a Fresher’s Expo in the town centre. This innovative event will give the town’s businesses a chance to showcase their offers to the all the students who will make Loughborough their home for the next few years. 

Wearable Memories: Stones of the Grassland (exhibition)

Until 11 October 12pm – 2pm weekdays, Martin Hall Gallery

PhD researcher, Zihan Zhou, presents jewellery and research work from her doctoral project: ‘Wearable Memories: Contemporary Jewellery Practice Based on the Study of Nomadic Culture in Northern China’.

Five minutes with: Varuna De-Silva

What is your job title and how long have you worked at Loughborough?

I’m a Reader in Digital Technologies and I’ve worked here for 7 years.

Tell us what a typical day looks like for you?

Coffee, emails, networking with colleagues, telco meetings, visiting the lab, speaking with students, pub/bar, go home.

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

Developing Artificial Agents that make decisions like real footballers.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Being awarded the EPSRC New Investigator Award.

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

I enjoy cooking for large groups of family and friends. I once catered for a party of 80 guests!

What is your favourite quote?

‘Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration’

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

Hitler’s influence during the Sudeten Crisis

by Luke Hamilton

At the time of writing, I am entering my final-year as an undergraduate student, studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics. I was first made aware of the course through a GCSE Economics teacher, who vouched for its suitability for those who enjoy the study of multiple disciplines. Foreign Policy Analysis was my only chosen module in my second-year and I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of it, especially the simulation conference centered around the Syria conflict.

As a component of my second-year module, PIB612 Foreign Policy Analysis, I was tasked to write a research essay which involved the discussion and application of a foreign policy analysis (FPA) method to a case. The case I selected was Nazi Foreign Policy during the 1938 Sudeten Crisis, choosing to analyse it through assessment of the cognitive processes of Adolf Hitler. Although I had studied the crisis at A Level, I was eager to apply the methodology learnt within the module to what I felt to be a pivotal moment in foreign policy history.

The Sudeten Crisis occurred in 1938 and pitted Nazi desires for the acquisition of land in Czechoslovakia against that of the British and the French who wished to limit German expansionism but above all else, stop the outbreak of war (see Smelser, 1975). The end result of the period of high tension was the Munich Agreement, which provided Germany with the Sudetenland region. The de-escalation of the conflict however would not last: the rest of Czechoslovakia was invaded in 1939 and so too was Poland later that year, which drew retaliation from the British and French. In order to best evaluate the significance of the cognitive process methodology, I undertook research into Hitler’s personal role and impact and then examined that compared to other influences, such as: broader Nazi ideology; the role played by opposing nations such Britain and France; and the importance of contextual landscapes in determining a nation’s actions. This allowed me best to determine the validity of cognitive analysis when trying to understand this specific case study.

The preceding Anschluss, the ensuing invasion of the rest of Czechoslovakia, or the concluding assault on Poland may all provide a more climatic and influential sequence of events for a pre-WW2 case study than the Sudeten Crisis (see Leitz 2003, Press 2004). However, the unique traits of the crisis and the responses of the involved nations give it a distinctive twist allowing the application of various FPA methodologies, something I discovered whilst constructing my case study.

The theory of National Image (the idea that nations exist with idealized stereotypes that are culturally shared and perpetuated, see Neack, 2014) was something I learnt through the module and was then able to apply to this case study. For example, post-Treaty of Versailles Germany can be argued to have operated with a ‘siege mentality’ (Neack, 2014), with this being particularly potent during the build-up to the Munich Agreement. Furthermore, I was able to tie this methodology into the ideals of A.J.P Taylor, a historian I had studied previously, in order to further my evaluation of this FPA approach. Taylor, of course, had argued that the outbreak of the Second World War owed to less to Hitler’s deliberate designs and more to continuities in German history.

Similarly, because the Sudeten Crisis was chronologically sandwiched between the Anschluss and the invasion of the rest of Czechoslovakia and later, Poland, the application of the FPA concept of ‘Past Actions Theory’ (Press, 2004) is legitimate and can help provide analytical insight. That is, evaluation of major events that pre- and proceeded the Sudeten Crisis can be interrogated to see whether there was a continuation in Nazi Foreign Policy. Having the ability to apply these concepts to this case study allowed further evaluation of the cognitive analysis methodology as they facilitate different analytical models by which to understand the driving forces of Nazi Foreign Policy.

As mentioned, I had previously studied the Sudeten Crisis and Nazi Foreign Policy during my History AS-Level, specifically the intentionalist/functionalist debate between historians such as A.J.P. Taylor and Gerhard Weinberg. Selecting this case study therefore allowed for additional learning and helped me develop skills of both conceptual and comparative methodological analysis. Taking a distinct look at Hitler’s role thanks to individual cognitive analysis was found to be the key methodological approach.

Overall, the module and this research project exposed me to alternative thought processes when analysing past events, allowing me to reassess ideas on previously studied subjects. The project also generated a greater appreciation for academic debate.

Recommended further reading:

Goda, N.J.W. (2001) ‘A. J. P. Taylor, Adolf Hitler, and the Origins of the Second World War’, The International History Review, 23(1).

Leitz, C. (2003) Nazi Foreign Policy, 1933-41. 1st ed. London: Routledge.

Neack, L. (2014) The New Foreign Policy. 3rd ed. Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Inc.

Press, D.G. (2004) ‘The Credibility of Power: Assessing Threats during the “Appeasement” Crises of the 1930s’, International Security, 29(3).

Smelser, R.M. (1975) The Sudeten Problem, 1933-1938. Clinton: The Colonial Press Inc.

Weinberg, Gerhard L. (1970) The Foreign Policy of Hitler’s Germany. London: The University of Chicago Press.

Photo by Hugues Mathers on Unsplash

This Week at Loughborough | 23 September

General

Commuter Students Welcome Event 2024 

25 September 2024, 2pm-4pm, Loughborough Design School 

An event to help formally welcome commuter students to campus to help ease their transition into University life. 

Find out more on the events page  

New International Students Pizza Party

26 September 2024, 6pm-8pm, Loughborough Wellbeing Centre

Join the International Student Experience Team at Loughborough’s Wellbeing Centre – a cozy, safe space nestled in the heart of the largest off-campus student halls – for an evening packed with fun and food.

Find out more on the events page

Wearable Memories: Stones of the Grassland (exhibition)

27 September – 11 October 2024, 12pm-2pm (weekdays only), Martin Hall Gallery

For 2 weeks, PhD researcher, Zihan Zhou, presents jewellery and research work from her doctoral project.

Find out more on the events page

Loughborough Students vs Cambourne

28 September 2024, 2pm, Loughborough University 1st XV Rugby Pitch

Rugby action returns to Loughborough as the Students continue their 2024/2025 campaign in the National League 2 West.

Find out more on the events page

LSU Events

Alton Towers

26 September 2024, 3:30pm-9:30pm, Alton Towers

Picture this: an entire theme park, just for us – no lines, no waiting, just endless fun and great vibes. That’s right, we’ve got the keys to Alton Towers for one unforgettable night! 

Find out more on the event page

Sports Bazaar

28 September 2024, 10am-4pm, Sir David Wallace

Are you ready to dive into a world of exciting sports and limitless opportunities? Look no further than the Sports Bazaar – your one-stop destination to explore a plethora of athletic adventures.

Find out more on the events page

Freshers Bazaar

29 September 2024, 10am-4pm, Sir David Wallace

You’ll have the chance to explore hundreds of opportunities that you can get involved with while you study at Loughborough, including over 100 societies, activities and social groups. There are also bound to be a bunch of freebies — so don’t miss out!

Find out more on the events page

Five minutes with: Joseph Bou-Nassif

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

I’m a Graduate Management Trainee (Student Services/Marketing and Advancement) and I’ve been here a year and a half.

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

Due to the nature of my current role, I spend three days per week in Student Services with the International Student Experience (ISE) Team and two days per week in Marketing and Advancement with the Global Engagement team (GET). A day with ISE could start by working on planning a vacation programme for international students, then supporting or leading the delivery of an event, and ending the day responding to student queries. A day with GET could start by attending a Teams meeting, then planning for an upcoming trip/conference, before welcoming visitors or prospective students for a campus tour. However, as a Graduate Management Trainee (GMT), there will also be days where I will be involved in extra-curriculars such as working on a sustainability project, attending a developmental training session or shadowing a senior committee meeting.

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

There have been many projects that I have enjoyed working on during my time in Loughborough Sport, the Strategic Planning Team, the International Student Experience Team and Global Engagement. It’s hard to choose one but I would say there were two projects that I enjoyed the most. The first one was being involved in the planning and delivery of the University Leadership Group away day. This experience taught me a lot about the high scale level and details needed to run a successful away day. The second project, a recent one, was to project manage the Loughborough Festivities Programme for International students (and home students) who were staying in Loughborough throughout the Christmas vacation period. I really cherished the opportunity to have an impact on bettering the experience of international students who couldn’t travel back home.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

There have been many great highlights in my time at Loughborough so far, but my proudest moment would have to be when my fellow colleagues and I established and launched the Early Careers Staff Network, which aims at supporting staff new to their career in Higher Education.

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

Outside of work, my main hobby is Salsa and Latin dancing- especially when it’s in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom!

What is your favourite quote?

“In a world where you can be anything, choose to be kind” by Jennifer Dukes Lee

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

Sandra Freeman: Maternity Leave Trailblazer 

The Maia Network spoke to Sandra Freeman about her trailblazing for maternity leave at Loughborough University.

Sandra Freeman was awarded the Loughborough University Medal on 18 July as part of Loughborough’s summer graduation ceremonies. Sandra has been working as a cleaner in Domestic Services for over 50 consecutive years and received the medal on the same day her granddaughter, Molly Jackson, graduated from Loughborough. 

In 1975, Sandra, who was pregnant with her son Andrew, became a trailblazer for maternity leave at Loughborough University. 

At the time, cleaners were employed differently to other staff, and Sandra knew that she would have to leave her job and be re-employed after Andrew had been born. This would mean she wouldn’t necessarily be able to go back into the same job and that she could be placed anywhere. “I didn’t want that,” Sandra told us “I’d become part of the team and become invested in the department I was cleaning.” 

So, Sandra got in touch with her Union representative, Tom Allen, to ask why she wouldn’t be able to go back to her job after having her baby, but a secretary, for example, could. She told him about her concerns and that she wanted to go back to the same job. Tom looked into the issue and got back in touch with Sandra a few days later to tell her she would be allowed to go on maternity leave. 

However, there was still an issue with Sandra going on maternity leave. Sandra needed to be made a permanent member of staff to be able to go on maternity leave, which meant paying national insurance. But she didn’t earn enough to pay the full national insurance stamp. So, she decided to pay the full amount anyway, which was almost all of her earnings. Sandra didn’t mind too much about it though, saying “this wasn’t the object, the object was to keep my job”. 

After that, maternity leave became the norm at the University. 

1975 was an exciting year for women, as it was also the year that equal pay for women came into force, 5 years after the bill was passed. 

We asked Sandra how it feels to have made such an impact on maternity leave at the University, “It was a means to an end, because I wanted to go back to where I was. It was quite selfish really. I am an ardent feminist, believe me. Women can do anything; I’ve brought up some strong daughters. But I wasn’t doing it for the greater good at the time. But I’m glad I did it.” 

“Eventually I’m sure it would have happened. But I’m glad. If I’ve helped someone in my life, I’m glad of it. Some of the things were very unfair for women” she added. “I’ve always maintained the University are fantastic employers, I can’t think of any other organisation that looks after their employees like the University.” 

Written by Charlotte Lingham, Maia Network Comms Lead

Eating for our health and happiness

Alongside our busy lives, eating healthily can sometimes feel like a daunting task. With tight daily schedules and the convenience of fast food or ready meals, it’s easy to fall into unhealthy patterns.

Making small changes to your diet can make a big difference, according to the NHS, “A well-balanced diet provides all the energy you need to keep active throughout the day and nutrients you need for growth and repair, helping you to stay strong and healthy to prevent diet-related illnesses.”

Healthy eating can also improve your mood and help you sleep better. One of the main culprits for affecting our mood is blood sugar levels. Mind noted “If your blood sugar is lower than usual, you might feel tired, irritable or depressed. Eating regularly, and eating foods that release energy slowly, can help to keep your sugar levels steady.”

Slow energy-release foods include:

• Wholegrain bread and cereal
• Nuts and seeds
• Brown pasta and rice
• Bananas

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated. By making a few simple changes, you can nourish your body, boost your energy, and feel better overall.

Challenge yourself to swap one unhealthy snack per day for a healthier option

• Prioritise whole foods

Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and lean proteins are packed with essential nutrients, fibre and antioxidants that your body needs to function at its best. Next time you are food shopping, fill your basket with whole foods and try to minimise processed and packaged foods.

• Don’t skip protein

Eating protein such as eggs, beans and pulses, meat and fish, or soya, helps you to feel full for longer. Studies also show that protein can help to increase your strength, lower your blood pressure and has major benefits for bone health.

• Plan meals in advance

Meal planning can save you time, reduce stress, and help you make healthier choices. Start by setting aside time each week to plan your meals and make sure to include a variety of foods to ensure you’re getting a balanced intake of nutrients. When you have a quieter day, you could also prepare ingredients or meals you can easily grab throughout the week.

• Listen to your body

Eating foods that make you feel energised and satisfied will naturally guide you toward healthier choices. Experiment with keeping a food journal to track how you feel after eating different meals. Make note of how certain foods affect your sleep, give you more energy or make you feel worse/better. This can help you identify foods that work well for your body and those that don’t.

Simple and healthy lunch ideas on a budget

Healthy eating can seem like an expensive choice. However, it doesn’t have to be if you shop carefully.

In an episode of the Experts in Health podcast, Performance Chef Varun Shivdasani discusses the benefits of being creative with food and working within a realistic price range to achieve nutritional goals.

If you’re struggling with ideas for a healthy lunch you can bring to work, here are some simple meals to try:

• Chicken and tomato jacket potato
• Ham and fresh coleslaw pittas
• Hearty vegetable and lentil soup
• Pesto spinach penne
• Salmon salad with sesame dressing
• Spicy avocado wraps

If you enjoy a sweet treat, don’t forget to pack some fruit, popcorn or dark chocolate to snack on throughout the day. There is also plenty of food outlets on campus offering healthy lunch options.

Read more about eating a healthy, balanced diet from the NHS.

If you’re interested in learning more about health and wellbeing, keep an eye on the University’s events page for upcoming SuperWellness webinars including ‘Supporting Mental Health at Work’ on 16 October and ‘Building Psychological Capital’ on 11 December.

This Week at Loughborough | 2 September

General:

DigiLabs Summer Showcase

3 September 2024, 9.30am-1pm, WPT004 (West Park Teaching Hub)

This event is designed to inform, educate and engage staff in a showcase of the work completed over the summer, with an opportunity for networking for those interested in joining the next phase of implementation for the DigiLabs project.

Find out more

The Role of International Collaborations in Meeting Net Zero Targets

4 September 2024, 9am-4pm, T003 (Wolfson School)

In the build-up to COP29, this one-day seminar will explore how international partnerships can drive innovation and accelerate progress in the fight against climate change.

Hosted by Loughborough University and sponsored by The State Committee on Work with Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan and TriboDENS, the event will bring together industry leaders, academic experts and government representatives to discuss effective strategies to advance Net Zero targets.

Find out more

Vice-Chancellor’s Community Cricket Day

6 September 2024, 2.30pm-6.30pm, National Cricket Performance Centre

The Bishop of Loughborough and Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University will play host to an afternoon of cricket. The match will be 20/20 format and involve guests from across the community. Spectators will have the opportunity to watch some cricket and grab a bite to eat.

The event is a great opportunity to bring the community together, LU Arts are also arranging a range of activities and performances to complement the event.

Find out more

Summertime Socials:

Monday Chill Out – Crafts and Board Games

2 September 2024, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Royce Common Room

Come along to Royce Common Room for a chance to “chill out” where you can expect crafts and board games with the opportunity to catch up with friends or make news ones!

Find out more

Speaking Club

3 September 2024, 2pm-3pm, S2031 (S Building)

Every Tuesday over the summer period the International Student Experience Team will run a Speaking Club. Come along, practise your English speaking and listening skills with a chance to catch up with friends and meet new ones too. Ask any questions that you might have about life in the UK or just pop by for a general chit-chat and each week we will have a new topic to discuss – no need to book!

Find out more

Active Wednesday – My Lifestyle: Yoga

4 September 2024, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Holywell Studio 1

The My Lifestyle programme is a free and welcoming recreational sport and physical activity offer, that is open to and welcomes everybody of any ability. Breathe through any exam stress come along to get active or make new friends at our free Yoga session.

Find out more

Five Minutes With: Orla Price

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

I am the Corporate Communications Intern for 2023/24 and I have been working at Loughborough since September 2023.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day in my job can be extremely varied – I work across the Internal Communications team, the Public Relations team, and the Social Media team so I often have lots of different things to work on. Usually, I have a few articles to write for internal news, sometimes a press release for one of the ‘Experts’ podcasts, creating teasers and assets for social media, filming news features, and putting together the ‘Loughborough in the News’ newsletter. Occasionally, I’ll help the Social Media team with filming content around campus.

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

My favourite project that I have worked on would definitely be filming some of the athletes who competed in Paris this summer. Filming the swimming athletes was really varied and I hadn’t done anything similar to that before, so I learnt a lot from that experience (and it was really cool to watch from underwater!)

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

My proudest moment at Loughborough would be when some of the breakdancing video shots I did made it into national media outlets.

What is something you do outside of work?

Outside of work, I compete in Muay Thai & Kickboxing (as part of the Loughborough Students Kickboxing Club). I first started the sport when I was 14 and started competing when I came to University.

What is your favourite quote?

‘If you weren’t ready, you wouldn’t have the opportunity.’

DRN2024 Drawing Repetition: Bodies in Motion Recording

Recording of the final in the series of DRN2024 events exploring drawing repetition. Many thanks to our speakers: Ella Emanuele & Simon Birch, Rachel Hayton-Gadsden, and Ram Samocha and to chair James Bowen.

Weirding the Landscape, Drawing as an Act of Visual Disruption

Michael Eden

This project explores the potential for creative processes to provide what has been termed, better analogues of nature by the ecologist Don Gayton. Including analogues, metaphors and modes of engagement that can incorporate aspects of flux, change and disturbance events into an active subjective experience of the environment. Moreover, the project looks at the ways a personal experience of space that emphasizes doubt, probing and a generally heuristic approach to the environment increases the aesthetic range of possibilities for individuals and is bolstered by the act of drawing.

The project utilizes reportage drawing and photography in a specific location and draws on the phenomena of pareidolia to create a more creative/active role for the artist and viewer, which is nevertheless linked directly to real observations. The project problematizes other modes of landscape representation, namely what is referred to as the nostalgic axis (the intertwining of the pastoral, the picturesque and general nostalgic aesthetics). This is the first phase of the project and a completed critical text is currently undergoing review. 

Follow the Instagram page for updates: https://www.instagram.com/eerie__weird__axis/

This Week at Loughborough | 19 August

General:

Book Club: Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai

21 August 2024, 12.30pm-1.30pm, AST Office (L3, Pilkington Library)

Join staff from Pilkington Library as the University Book Club marks South Asian Heritage Month with a discussion of Anita Desai’s intricate family drama.

Plain, umarriageable Uma has failed to outgrow her childhood home, with its bittersweet treats of puri-alu and barfi. Overprotected and starved for a life, she is smothered by her overbearing parents, successful sister Aruna, and Arun, the family’s disappointment of a son.

Find out more

Lunch & Learn – Building Your Personal Brand

21 August 2024, 1pm-2pm, WAV027 (Wavy Top)

The Early Careers Staff Network is offering a ‘Lunch & Learn’ session on the concept of personal brand and approaches to developing this across your career. This is particularly valuable to staff in the early stages of a career in higher education and is applicable to academic, technical and professional services colleagues. Lunch will also be provided at the event.

Find out more

Online Support Forum in Response to UK Riots

21 August 2024, 2pm-3.30pm, Online

EDI Services have organised an online support session, facilitated by an external professional, for racialised minority staff and PGRs to safely reflect on their internal responses to the race-based violence recently seen across the UK.

The session will aim to provide a safe psychological space for people of colour to understand individual & collective responses to race based stress and trauma, and reflect on how recent events may be impacting them.

Find out more

Exhibition: All Flesh is Grass

9-23 August 2024, 12pm-2pm, Martin Hall Gallery

Fine Art students Fay Sheppard, Gabriella Drewer, and Jay Finnis consider the cyclicality of life in ‘All Flesh Is Grass’, by using a range of impermanent mixed media and curatorial methods. Their work guides visitors through discussions of grief, hope, death, and desire. The exhibition aims to provoke self-reflection and thought surrounding the place of humanity in the landscape.

Find out more

Loughborough Lightning FC vs Notts County

25 August 2024, 2pm-4pm, Loughborough University Stadium

Join us at Loughborough University Stadium for Loughborough Lightning FC’s first home game of the season as they face off against Notts County in the FA Women’s National League.

Find out more

Summertime Socials:

Monday Chill Out – LU Arts Workshop: Craft Your Own Unique Jewellery: Explore with Silk Clay and Recycled Materials

19 August 2024, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Royce Common Room

Join us for a delightful workshop led by our talented artsworker, Yajie Hu, as part of our Summertime Socials programme. The workshop is beginner-friendly and suitable for everyone, regardless of skill level. Throughout the session, you’ll have the chance to make your own jewellery using silk clay, a user-friendly material, along with some recycled pieces from local charities.  

Find out more

Speaking Club

20 August 2024, 2pm-3pm, WAV011 (Wavy Top)

Every Tuesday over the summer period the International Student Experience Team will run a Speaking Club. Come along, practise your English speaking and listening skills with a chance to catch up with friends and meet new ones too. Ask any questions that you might have about life in the UK or just pop by for a general chit-chat and each week we will have a new topic to discuss – no need to book!

Find out more

Active Wednesday – My Lifestyle: Turn up and play – Rounders

21 August 2024, 6.30pm-8.30pm, EHB Hockey Pitch

The My Lifestyle programme is a FREE and welcoming recreational sport and physical activity offer, that is open to and welcomes everybody of any ability. Come along for a free game of Rounders, get active and make new friends.

Find out more

Trip to London

24 August 2024, 7.30am-7.30pm, London

Come with us for a trip to London for the chance to explore the city and see some of the top attractions of your choice. This city is packed of things to do and attractions to see including the London Eye, London Bridge, Big Ben, West Minster Abbey. Or why not visit a food market, museum or take the time to do some shopping. Either way, there is something for everyone!

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Five minutes with: Edwin Baynes

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

I’m a Lecturer in Physical Geography and I started working here in June 2020.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Much like any academic, it’s hard to describe a typical day. I’m a quantitative geomorphologist which means I research the processes that shape the Earth’s surface, with a particular focus on mountain landscapes and the impact of Extreme Events like flooding. My research therefore takes me out into the field a lot, or I might be running flume experiments in the lab. Either way, I subsequently end up spending days analysing data at the computer. Much like the research, teaching can involve fieldwork, computer practicals or the traditional lecture.

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

I’m in the process of setting up a ‘Bedrock River Observatory’ (known as the BRO) located in the North Pennines. We’re monitoring in situ erosion processes at a unique field site and quantifying the key controls that set the balance of chemical and physical erosion. It’s great to spend time in a beautiful part of the landscape collecting data that answers some pretty fundamental questions about the landscapes around us.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

I’ve not been here that long, just enough time for one cohort of Geography undergraduates to go through their entire degrees. Seeing their progression from first year through to graduation was great.

What is something you do outside of work?

Unsurprisingly given my research area, I try to spend as much time as possible outdoors, especially in the mountains. I can usually be found hiking or cycling.

What is your favourite quote?

“Every element of the landscape has an origin and a history. To relate these is to explain it.” – G.K. Gilbert (1896)

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 Sadie Gration at S.Gration@lboro.ac.uk.

This Week at Loughborough | 12 August

General:

IAS Friends and Fellows Coffee Morning

13 August 2024, 10.30am-12pm, International House

We will be joined by IAS Visiting Fellows Professor Mariana Araujo Lamego, Professor André Reyes Novaes & Professor Ye Zhou. Mariana Araujo Lamego is Associate Professor in the Department of Human Geography and the Postgraduate Program in Geography at the Institute of Geography of the State University of Rio de Janeiro.

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IAS Seminar: Geographical Knowledge Mobilities in Brazil

13 August 2024, 12pm-1pm, International House/Zoom

IAS Visiting Fellows Professor Mariana Araujo Lamego and Professor André Reyes Novaes will deliver a seminar on their research.

In their upcoming presentation, they will delve into two compelling case studies that illuminate the mobility of geographical knowledge in Brazil. Their first case study examines how a Portuguese historian navigated geographical imaginations related to exploration and colonialism while curating a historical geographical exhibition in São Paulo in 1954. The second case study focuses on the circulation of academic travellers to the Rio de Janeiro 1956 International Geographical Conference.

Find out more

EDI Services Drop-In Support Sessions and Reflection Letterbox

13 August 2024, 1pm-5pm

The escalation of far-right, racist, and Islamophobic violence that we have been witnessing in towns and cities across the country is horrifying.

The EDI Services team have been discussing ways they can support our University community in the face of racial hostilities. One idea they had was having a letter box where people can write notes, thoughts, impressions, etc on how they are feeling and the impacts of these horrific events on them and drop these notes in.  

During this time, they will also be providing a space for people to stay and chat with members of the team, with a cup of coffee and cake, if you would like to.

This event will be run on both campuses (East Midlands – EHB 209-210, London campus – LDN0.14, 1^st floor by the café). If colleagues are not able to come onto campus in person but would like to put a message in the drop-box or have a chat, please contact EDI@lboro.ac.uk and we will arrange a MS Teams chat.

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IAS Seminar: Tactile sensing device

14 August 2024, 12pm-1pm, International House/Zoom

Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) Visiting Fellow Professor Ye Zhou will deliver a seminar on their research. The imitation of tactile perception, synaptic processing, and neural coding functions in human sensory nerves has become an important development direction in neuromorphic electronic technology.

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The Power of Social Wellbeing

14 August 2024, 1pm-2pm, Online

As human beings we are social creatures by nature. We not only crave interactions, we need them in order to thrive. This is what makes social wellbeing an integral element of a fulfilling, healthy life, even though it can all too easily get neglected in our busy lives.

An opportunity for reflection, sharing and picking up a wealth of evidence-based tips for boosting this essential but often overlooked area of wellbeing.

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IAS Seminar: How classification affects the quality of disabled athletes’ sport experiences

16 August 2024, 12pm-1pm, International House/Zoom

IAS Guest Speaker Associate Professor Janet Lawson delivers a seminar on their research, fully titled “Classification as a factor that affects the quality of disabled athletes’ sport experiences: Insights from a research program guided by the Knowledge to Action Framework.”

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Exhibition: All Flesh is Grass

9-23 August 2024, 12pm-2pm, Martin Hall Gallery

Fine Art students Fay Sheppard, Gabriella Drewer, and Jay Finnis consider the cyclicality of life in ‘All Flesh Is Grass’, by using a range of impermanent mixed media and curatorial methods. Their work guides visitors through discussions of grief, hope, death, and desire. The exhibition aims to provoke self-reflection and thought surrounding the place of humanity in the landscape.

Find out more

Summertime Socials:

Monday Chill Out – Crafts and Board Games

12 August 2024, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Royce Common Room

Come along to Royce Common Room for a chance to “chill out” where you can expect crafts and board games with the opportunity to catch up with friends or make news ones!

Find out more

Speaking Club

13 August 2024, 2pm-3pm, WAV011 (Wavy Top)

Every Tuesday over the summer period the International Student Experience Team will run a Speaking Club. Come along, practise your English speaking and listening skills with a chance to catch up with friends and meet new ones too. Ask any questions that you might have about life in the UK or just pop by for a general chit-chat and each week we will have a new topic to discuss – no need to book!

Find out more

Active Wednesday – My Lifestyle: Turn up and play – Football

14 August 2024, 6pm-7.30pm, Holywell Rubber Crumb (NFL Pitch)

The My Lifestyle programme is a FREE and welcoming recreational sport and physical activity offer, that is open to and welcomes everybody of any ability. Come along for a free game of Football, get active and make new friends.

Find out more

Trip to Bradgate Park

15 August 2024, 1.45pm-5pm, Pick up at Wolfson School

Bradgate Park is Leicestershire’s only Medieval Deer Park, covering over 830 acres in Charnwood Forest, northwest of Leicester. It is home to 550 red and fallow deer and is the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey. The park offers a wild and rugged landscape with rocky outcrops and ancient oak trees.

Find out more

Summertime High Table

16 August 2024, 7pm-9pm, Village Bar

Come along on Friday 16th of August from 7pm to our first ever Summertime High Table at the Village Bar including tropical themed activities and a 2 course Middle Eastern menu. High Tables are a tradition here at Loughborough and your chance to dress up and have a nice meal on campus.

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Focus on the present by practicing mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the moment, noticing your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings.

It’s a skill you can learn and practice to help you focus on what is happening here and now rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

How does mindfulness work?

It encourages you to be less judgemental of your experiences and instead become more accepting. The goal is to become more aware of the present moment, focusing your attention on sensations.

Many mindfulness practices involve focusing on your breath, whilst allowing busy thoughts to enter through your mind and then be let go of by refocusing your attention back to your breathing.

Studies have suggested that practicing mindfulness can provide a number of benefits including:

• Feeling calmer and less stressed
• Becoming more self-aware
• Coping better with difficult thoughts
• Positively changing the way we see ourselves and our lives

According to News in Health, mindfulness-based treatments have been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. There’s also evidence that mindfulness can lower blood pressure and improve sleep.

Try practicing mindfulness for at least five minutes every day.

Here are some mindful exercises you could try:

• Mindful eating – Eating consciously, engaging all your senses and acknowledging responses, feelings, and physical cues like hunger or fullness. Have a go using this simple guide from Mindful.
• Mindful meditation – Try out this guided relaxation and reflection led by University Chaplain Natalie Steel.
• Mindful moving – Bring your awareness to your movement and focus on your breath or the way your body feels as it moves. You can use this two-minute mindful movement practice to guide you.
• Bodyscan – Scanning your body for pain, tension, or anything unusual can help you feel more connected to your physical and emotional self. Find out more from Calm.
• Mindful colouring and drawing – Freestyle with any materials you like to use, LU Arts have online mindfulness workshops or you can download their ‘Keep Calm & Carry On Colouring’ book pages.

Tips for practicing mindfulness

• Pick a regular time to practice, this could be first thing in the morning or before you go to sleep
• Keep bringing your attention back if your mind starts to wander but be kind to yourself, as it’s easy for this to happen
• Take it slow by building your practice, remember that it takes time to learn a new skill
• Try out apps to help you such as Headspace, Calm, Buddhify or Smiling Mind

CRCC member Itoitz Rodrigo-Jusué receives Vice-Chancellor Independent Research Fellowship

Our colleague and CRCC member, and member of the Media, Memory and History research group, Dr Itoitz Rodrigo-Jusué, has been awarded a Vice-Chancellor Independent Research Fellowship (VCIRF) for her project Memory and (in)security: Narrating the past, creating the future in the Basque Country.

Itoitz’s new research project will examine the impacts of recent memory initiatives on future (in)security in the Basque Country (Spain), where a period of politically motivated violence has only recently come to an end, and a divided society is currently facing important challenges concerning how to address the complex legacies of the so-called Basque conflict (1959-2018).

Itoitz’s project will investigate how memory work on past political violence(s) contributes to societal well-being and/or deepens existing divisions. Her research project stresses the importance of critically researching memory work given the salient role of commemoration globally. She developed her research project after carrying out a pilot study funded by the Early Career Researcher Fund at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities in 2023.

Itoitz’s project focuses on three key realms, which are the most significant public arenas for mediating cultural memory: Commemoration in the public space (i.e., memorials and museums in different towns and cities), education (i.e., new teaching materials and initiatives addressing past political violence), and representations of the past in fictional media. Itoitz’s research seeks to investigate how memory work in these three realms can promote inclusive commemoration and a culture of peace and coexistence (and thereby security) in a post-violent conflict scenario.

Bringing together the fields of memory studies and critical security studies, Itoitz’s project proposes an innovative way to investigate commemoration. Through a variety of research methods including (on site) interviews, participatory workshops, participant observation, and multimodal discourse analysis, her research seeks to offer new insights into debates on peacebuilding and transitional justice.

Itoitz will start her fieldwork in the Basque Country in September 2024. As part of her VCIRF, Itoitz is planning to publish peer-reviewed articles in journals across the social sciences and humanities, co-organise a one-day workshop at Loughborough University, present her work at national and international conferences, and develop external funding applications.

We wish Itoitz the best of luck with her project!  

Itoitz completed her AHRC-Techne funded PhD on the imaginaries of radicalisation and counter-terrorism in the UK post-2005. She holds a master’s degree in Cultural Studies (Goldsmiths University of London) and in Feminist and Gender Studies (University of the Basque Country). Itoitz carried out her ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the SSSH, and she has recently worked as a Research Associate on a project on Tackling Online Hate in Football (TOHIF) at the SSEHS at Loughborough University. Itoitz’s interdisciplinary research focuses on popular culture, gender, political violence, politics of representation, commemoration, the analysis of everyday narratives, and social change. She has published in journals across the social sciences and humanities, including the European Journal of Cultural Studies, British Politics, and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

From the Vice-Chancellor - July 2024

In my final newsletter of this academic year: the Transport AI Innovation Centre, Dame Angela McLean becomes Honorary Distinguished Professor, the summer graduation ceremonies, Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, new Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities, and reflections on 2023/24. 

Have a good summer – I hope you’re able to have a good break. 

New interdisciplinary transport AI centre launched

Encouraging collaborative and interdisciplinary working underpins our strategic aim to be more ambitious in our research and innovation endeavour. By combining our collective expertise and knowledge, we can reinforce our position as global leaders within our areas of research strength. 

Our new multi-disciplinary Transport AI Innovation Centre, or TRAICE, which launched this month, is a perfect example of how we’re harnessing our University-wide academic power to address critical global challenges.  

More than 70 staff from all nine of the University’s Schools and a community of PhD and postdoctoral researchers will work together to advance smart, safe, efficient, equitable and sustainable transport. The new Centre, which originates from the successful transport and urban planning group in the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, draws together expertise in planning, engineering, mathematics, economics, and social sciences.  

The Centre’s researchers will work together, and with external partners, to drive innovation that impact a range of fields, from healthy living to decarbonisation.

It’s an exciting new development within our research and innovation portfolio and I look forward to seeing the impact of the team’s work on society and on the planet. 

Government Chief Scientific Adviser becomes Honorary Distinguished Professor 

Last week I was delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, as an Honorary Distinguished Professor at the University. 

As GCSA Dame Angela is responsible for providing scientific advice to the Prime Minister and members of cabinet, advising the government on aspects of policy on science and technology, and ensuring and improving the quality and use of scientific evidence and advice in government. Her research interests lie in the use of mathematical models to aid understanding of the evolution and spread of infectious agents.  

It is a great privilege to be able to appoint Dame Angela as an Honorary Distinguished Professor. We have previously worked together on a variety of government initiatives and I know that staff and students will benefit greatly from the expertise she will share with us.

We are planning Dame Angela’s first visit to campus and will share details with our University community in due course. 

Thousands celebrate at our summer degree ceremonies

Graduation is always a time for celebration and it was wonderful to see so many of our 2024 graduates with their families and friends on campus this month for our summer ceremonies. These graduations also mark the end of my third academic year in post – how time flies!

As well as recognising the success of our students, the graduation ceremonies also enable us to honour the achievements of individuals who have made a significant contribution to fields the University has close links with. This summer we recognised six honorary graduates who were all were awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University (DUniv). 

On Tuesday we honoured fitness coach Joe Wicks MBE and Dame Vera Baird DBE KC, who is the former Victims Commissioner for England and Wales. Joe’s dedication to improving public health matches that of the University, whose researchers champion healthy eating and movement as medicine, for everyone. Dame Vera’s contribution to criminal justice policy and legislation and her work for women and equality align to both our Vibrant and Inclusive Communities theme and our work towards Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).  

Loughborough alumna and England Netball International Ama Agbeze MBE was recognised for her sporting achievement and for championing diversity in sport, reflecting the aims of our Sporting Excellence and Opportunity core plan. Community and business leader Nana Badu uses sport as a vehicle to educate, empower and uplift young people and tackle social inclusion, which chimes with our sport and EDI plans and our Vibrant and Inclusive Communities theme. 

And artist Michael Landy CBE RA and Miriam Escofet, who is a Figurative Painter, were honoured for their contributions to the world of art and the development of new artists. Our Culture and Creativity Strategic Plan recognises the important role that participation in all forms of the arts plays in so many aspects of society, from skills development to mental health and wellbeing.

At the ceremonies we also recognised the services of four members of staff by awarding them University medals.  

Professor Tony Thorpe’s career at Loughborough has spanned more than 40 years. He served as Dean of the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering from 2003 to 2017, with the introduction of the Architecture programme one of his enduring legacies. 

Emeritus Professor Roger Smith’s Loughborough career began in 1971 as a maths lecturer. He was the driving force behind the MSc in Industrial Mathematical Programming, which has run for more than 30 years. 

Sandra Freeman has worked as a cleaner in Domestic Services for more than 50 years. On the day she was presented with her medal, her granddaughter, Molly Jackson, graduated from her Textiles degree at Loughborough.

And we awarded our fourth University medal to Professor Chris Linton, who joined the Department of Mathematical Sciences more than 30 years ago. Chris has served three very successful terms as the University’s Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, during which he has been at the heart of our successful rise as a university. Chris will step down as Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor from tomorrow and I am sure you will join me in thanking him and wishing him all the very best for the future.

Keep up to date with our athletes in Paris

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are now underway, and I’m delighted that Loughborough has already enjoyed some much-deserved success! On Sunday evening, Adam Peaty won joint silver in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke and last night, Loughborough student Daniel Wiffen became the first athlete from Northern Ireland to win an Olympic gold in 36 years after competing in the Men’s 800m Freestyle final. I’m delighted to say two more Loughborough-based athletes, Cassandre Beaugrand and Alex Yee MBE, won Gold in the Women’s and Men’s Triathlon this morning, and Beth Potter also achieved Bronze in the Women’s Triathlon.

More than 90 Loughborough-linked athletes and support staff are involved in the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, representing Great Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Greece, and the USA. At the last Games in Tokyo our athletes won an impressive 35 medals and we’re aiming to top that this year.

We’re also the host venue for ParalympicsGB Kitting Out. Kitting Out is an important milestone for both athletes and support staff, as they’re presented with all their official Games kit, including training, competition and ceremonies wear. Earlier this month I was honoured to be given special access to the venue. With around 50,000 items to dispense it’s a huge operation. 

Our dedicated website is following the progress of Loughborough-linked competitors at the Olympic and Paralympic Games through news updates, academic research, video features, athlete profiles and medal tables, as well as in-depth interviews with Loughborough athletes, researchers, support staff, and coaches.  

You can also keep up to date with the latest news by following @lborosport and @lborouniversity on X and can join the conversation by using the hashtag #Lboro2Paris as our athletes compete for podium places on the global stage.

New Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities appointed

This month we announced the appointment of Professor Justin Waring as our new Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). Professor Waring, who is a world-leading medical sociologist, will join us in November from the University of Birmingham. 

Professor Waring is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Science and the Royal Society of Arts, and Director of the National Institute for Health Research Birmingham, RAND and Cambridge Rapid Evaluation Centre (BRACE). BRACE provides decision makers and stakeholders with time-critical evidence and learning about new ways of organising and providing care.  

I look forward to welcoming Professor Waring to Loughborough in the autumn.

Recruitment for the Dean posts in the other four academic Schools is continuing, with Loughborough University London scheduled to take place in the autumn, and recruitment to the Dean posts in the Schools of Design and Creative Arts; Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering; and Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences due the following year.

Reflections on the academic year

As the 20234/24 academic year draws to a close, it’s an opportunity to reflect on everything we have achieved over the past 12 months and at the annual Senate and Council dinner last month, I shared my review with the invited guests. There is, however, one significant update since I gave my speech: it’s now been confirmed that we have won an unprecedented 43rd consecutive British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) title, with a new sector-leading record of 9,492 points. It’s a truly phenomenal achievement. Congratulations to our students, and to the many staff who support them. 

2023/24 has certainly been a busy year and we have made good progress against the aims of our strategic plan, but the year also brought us challenges. As I said in my email a week ago though, we remain in a strong position relative to the sector and we should face the coming academic year with optimism. 

I hope you all have a lovely summer.

Five minutes with: Rihanna Garrett

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

I’m a PhD researcher in Geography and Environment and a mixed-race, interdisciplinary, intersectional, feminist scholar and anti-racist social justice activist. My research focuses on how racialised identities affect people’s perceptions of academic identities and academic careers, in order to investigate the underrepresentation of racialised minority staff in UK higher education. I’ve been at Loughborough for two years.

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

I usually start my days with my most important tasks related to my PhD, such as planning or writing a chapter or reading an article or book on topics such as racism, colonialism, whiteness, and identity empowerment. I have recently been exploring global and local mixed-race identities! I try to keep my academic practices decolonial, de-Westernised, and creative through different practices such as poetry analysis, artwork, or sitting on the floor with hundreds of Post-it notes.

Throughout the day, I am usually in a meeting room on endless calls. This could be one of the committees I sit on to embed anti-racism into their leadership or organisational structures, offering my consulting advice to companies and institutions attempting to run anti-racism or decolonial training or workshops, or organising creative events like zine-making workshops and even therapeutic art sessions for students of colour. While this work does not get academically recognised, I do believe academia should be about giving and sharing knowledge.

Usually in the latter part of the day, I do more ‘fun’ or ‘personal’ research to shape my career. This includes things like exploring indigenous knowledge practices, mixed-race identities and histories, and even gamification! I am currently writing a paper on Dungeons and Dragons, educational learning theory, and anti-racist practice, which has nothing to do with my day job at all, but it’s fun. If I do have spare time, I write a blog called Rhi-Mixed views, where I step away from academic writing and create blog posts around mixed-race experiences, in an attempt to make academic knowledge more accessible.

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

The best project I have worked on would be Loughborough’s first-ever Freedom School, which took place in 2022. Based on practices from the civil rights movement in the US, the Freedom School was designed to teach anti-racist and decolonial knowledge to racialised minority PhDs, to feel empowered by their identities and understand the workings of whiteness and colonialism in higher education. It was amazing to utilise my academic knowledge into something actionable and life-changing, and the report is still used today as an example of equitable practice.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

I have many proud moments as anti-racism work is difficult, so when it pays off, it really pays off. Academically my proudest moment was the publishing of my first peer-reviewed paper entitled ‘”I’m not white”: counter-stories of “mixed race” women navigating PhDs’, as it provided a platform for many “mixed race” women to discuss their experiences and gave a space to those who fit ‘in-between’ categories. The proudest non-academic moment was being awarded the funding to conduct the first Loughborough collaboration with the company Mixedracefaces, to highlight and value the lived experiences and self-identifications of mixed-race staff and students on both campuses.

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

Outside of work, I am really into fitness and artwork! I love to release all the anger and rage I get from the barriers I face doing anti-racism work by lifting heavy things and throwing things around. I then juxtapose this by sitting for hours on the floor, relaxingly oil-painting pictures of people.

What is your favourite quote?

My favourite quote is from author and activist bell hooks, who reminds us of our daily power: “Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognise your power. Not because they don’t see it, but because they don’t want it to exist.”

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 Sadie Gration at S.Gration@lboro.ac.uk.

This Week at Loughborough | 5 August

General:

How to be an ally for people with South Asian heritage

6 August 2024, 12.30pm-1.30pm, CC209A (James France)

EDI Services are pleased to announce this Voices of Diversity event ‘How to be an Ally for People with South Asian Heritage’, which takes place during South Asian Heritage Month.

Throughout 2024, EDI Services are bringing you a series of panel discussions on the theme of allyship featuring Loughborough staff, students and alumni. These discussions bring together different community groups to explore what it means to be an ally for each other. Considering questions such as; What does good allyship look like? How can I be an ally for others? How would I like others to show allyship to me?

Given that the event is about allyship, all members of the Loughborough community including staff, students and campus partners from all backgrounds are encouraged to attend.

Find out more

LUinc. Tech and Skills Builder Series

8 August 2024, 1pm-2.30pm, Careers & Enterprise Hub (Loughborough Town)

LUinc. Tech and Skills Builder Series are sessions designed to nurture innovators by equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to turn their ideas into successful products/services and businesses.

Come along to the first session for an insightful talk on the development of The Bug Factory’s product journey.

Find out more

Exhibition: All Flesh is Grass

9-23 August 2024, 12pm-2pm, Martin Hall Gallery

Fine Art students Fay Sheppard, Gabriella Drewer, and Jay Finnis consider the cyclicality of life in ‘All Flesh Is Grass’, by using a range of impermanent mixed media and curatorial methods.

Their work guides visitors through discussions of grief, hope, death, and desire. The exhibition aims to provoke self-reflection and thought surrounding the place of humanity in the landscape.

Find out more

Summertime Socials:

Monday Chill Out – LU Arts Workshop: Pottery – Create your own pinch pot!

5 August 2024, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Royce Common Room

In this pottery workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to create your own pinch pot using air-dry clay. The workshop is beginner-friendly and suitable for everyone, regardless of skill level. Join us if you are ready to discover the enchanting texture of clay and unleash your creativity!

Find out more

Speaking Club

6 August 2024, 2pm-3pm, WAV011 (Wavy Top)

Every Tuesday over the summer period the International Student Experience Team will run a Speaking Club. Come along, practise your English speaking and listening skills with a chance to catch up with friends and meet new ones too. Ask any questions that you might have about life in the UK or just pop by for a general chit-chat and each week we will have a new topic to discuss – no need to book!

Find out more

Active Wednesday – My Lifestyle: Turn up and play – Dodgeball

7 August 2024, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Netball Centre (Zone 1)

The My Lifestyle programme is a FREE and welcoming recreational sport and physical activity offer, that is open to and welcomes everybody of any ability. Come along for a free game of Dodgeball, get active and make new friends.

Please select the My Lifestyle tile on the Loughborough Sport App home screen to book your place. Booking will open one week before the event. Numbers are limited so book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Find out more

Trip to Cheltenham

10 August 2024, 7.45am-7.30pm, Wolfson School/Amber Rooms

As the most complete Regency Town in Britain, Cheltenham is intimate and friendly with a civilised place of culture, learning and discovery. Unwind, refresh your mind, body and soul and explore the day in Cheltenham! Check-out much loved High Street Shops, striking Regency architecture, award-winning restaurants and a fantastic street food scene.

Find out more

This Week at Loughborough | 29 July

General:

Experiences of pregnancy in elite female athletes on the World Class Programme

30 July 2024, 12.30pm-1.30pm, NCSEM (Room 1.39)

This public lecture, delivered by Dr Emma Pullen, will highlight the key findings from research led by Loughborough University in collaboration with UK Sport as part of UK Sport consultation process. The findings documented the experiences of female elite athletes who were considering pregnancy and/or had experienced pregnancy whilst a member of UK Sports high performance programme. The presentation will explore the key issues raised by female athletes and reflect on the implications of the study findings in relation to wider debates around female athlete reproductive health and gender/sex inequities in performance sport culture.

Find out more

LUSEP Phase 3&4 Public Consultation

31 July 2024, 6pm-9pm, Loughborough University Stadium

This is the second public consultation for the proposed long-term plan for the Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP) land, a planning application for which will be submitted in autumn 2024. Anyone interested in the proposals is welcome to attend.

Find out more

Next Generation Cup Final 2024

4 August 2024, 3pm-5pm, Holywell Stadium

The Next Generation Cup is returning this summer as teams from England, India and South Africa come together for an exciting tournament hosted by the Premier League. The competition allows India’s brightest young talents from the Indian Super League the chance to compete with equivalent age-group teams from Premier League Academies and the South African Premier Soccer League.

The fifth edition of the Next Generation Cup will welcome eight Academy teams, including Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, who have been confirmed as the four clubs who will be representing the Premier League. They will be joined by East Bengal FC, Muthoot FC, Punjab FC and Stellenbosch FC. The Final will take place on Sunday 4 August at 3.30pm at Loughborough University Holywell Stadium

Find out more

Summertime Socials:

Monday Chill Out – Crafts and Board Games

29 July 2024, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Royce Common Room

Come along to Royce Common Room for a chance to “chill out”, where you can expect crafts and board games with the opportunity to catch up with friends or make news ones! No need to book, just pop by to Royce Common Room.

Find out more

Speaking Club

30 July 2024, 2pm-3pm, WAV011 (Wavy Top Building)

Every Tuesday over the summer period the International Student Experience Team will run a Speaking Club. Come along, practise your English speaking and listening skills with a chance to catch up with friends and meet new ones too. Ask any questions that you might have about life in the UK or just pop by for a general chit-chat and each week we will have a new topic to discuss – no need to book!

Find out more

Active Wednesday – My Lifestyle: Turn up and play-Badminton

31 July 2024, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Sir David Wallace Sports Hall

The My Lifestyle programme is a FREE and welcoming recreational sport and physical activity offer, that is open to and welcomes everybody of any ability. Come along for a free game of Badminton, get active and make new friends. 

Please select the My Lifestyle tile on the Loughborough Sport App home screen to book your place. Booking will open one week before the event. Numbers are limited so book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

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Summertime Garden Party

2 August 2024, 6pm-8pm, EHB Pavilion

Are you ready for some summer feel good vibes? Join the International Student Experience Team on 2 August at 6pm in the EHB Pavilion (the outside area opposite the EHB building) for a Summertime Garden Party where you can expect, food, games, music and more. We cannot wait to see you there!

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Moving to London as an International Student 

Hello! I’m Rahil Shah, hailing from the bustling city of Mumbai, India. I am pursuing an MSc in Digital Creative Media at Loughborough University London, within the Institute of Digital Technologies. My choice of Loughborough was driven by its innovative curriculum, which blends theoretical learning with practical experience, and its unique block learning method. London’s rich media landscape and dynamic culture were an equally compelling factor. 

Preparing for the move and first impressions 

Preparing for this new chapter was a whirlwind of emotions. My days were filled with researching housing options and attending pre-departure sessions organised by Loughborough’s student ambassadors. Finding accommodation was a significant concern due to the high prices and the challenges of securing a place as an international student. However, with persistence and some luck, I found a cosy place to call home. 

Stepping into London felt like walking into a grand, ever-evolving story. The city’s rhythm is fast paced, its weather unpredictable, and its architecture a mesmerising blend of history and modernity. The diversity of cultures here is astounding, making every street a new adventure. London gives you that “main character” feeling, where every moment feels significant. 

Studying at Loughborough University London 

The academic environment at Loughborough University London is nothing short of inspiring. The campus is always alive with students, and the faculty are approachable and supportive. The modules are crafted to maximise learning, combining coursework, assignments, guest lectures from industry experts, and essential study materials. My typical day involves taking the Here East shuttle from Stratford station, attending lectures, and exploring the vibrant Here East or the serene canal side during breaks. 

A standout aspect of my Loughborough experience has been Future Space. Their events, such as Start-up London, Venture Crawl, and career insights sessions, have shaped my professional outlook. Loughborough London offers resources that support academic excellence and prepare students for their careers in practical ways. 

Since joining Loughborough, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people from around the globe. Loughborough Students’ Union (LSU) organised events like board game nights and movie nights have been fantastic for making new friends. Group projects and classes also provided opportunities to connect with fellow students. The diverse cohort at Loughborough has enriched my experience, making every interaction a learning opportunity. 

Living in London 

Living in London has been a thrilling adventure. Initially, I worried about missing my favourite Mumbai snacks, but I soon discovered that London offers a culinary journey across the globe. Finding accommodation can be challenging, but teaming up with fellow students to rent a flat or using apps like SpareRoom can make it easier. While student accommodations are convenient, they can be pricey and fill up quickly. Despite this, if student accommodations are your choice, I recommend booking or reserving a place early. Additionally, applying for any and all available scholarships is a great way to alleviate financial concerns. 

On sunny days, I love grabbing a book from a local library and having a picnic in one of London’s beautiful parks. I highly recommend visiting Kew Gardens and experiencing the electrifying atmosphere of a live football match. Getting accustomed to the public transport system is essential; it’s the lifeblood of the city and incredibly convenient. A student Oyster and railcard can save you a lot on travel. 

If you’d like to feel at home or be around a familiar environment, it would be handy to research areas and communities in and around London. Many neighbourhoods have vibrant communities from around the world, making adjusting and feeling at home easier. For instance, places like Southall, known for its South Asian community, or Chinatown, can provide comfort and familiarity. Connecting with these communities can be a great way to ease the transition to a new city. 

I’ve faced challenges as an international student however, the warmth and kindness of most people here have been heartening. The career advice sessions and Wellbeing Cafe on Thursdays have been particularly beneficial, providing professional guidance and personal support. 

My advice for future students 

For future students, I suggest embracing every opportunity. Attend Future Space events and start working on your dissertation early; deadlines can surprise you. Use the one-on-one career advice sessions and the numerous resources available to you. Also, immerse yourself in Loughborough and London’s vibrant life – both have much to offer. 

After graduating from Loughborough, I aspire to make a significant mark in the media landscape and eventually open my own production house. The experiences and lessons learned at Loughborough have taught me the importance of perseverance and resilience. Studying at Loughborough University London has been an incredible journey. From the stimulating academic environment to the diverse social life and professional opportunities, my time here has been transformative. 

I look forward to the future with excitement and gratitude for the experiences and lessons that have shaped me during my time in London. 

Loughborough University London: A Journey of belonging, personal and professional growth 

Loughborough University London is an exciting place to be. It’s known for its excellent academics and lively campus. Located in the heart of London, it offers students a mix of 

top-notch education and diverse cultural experiences. The university makes sure everyone feels like they belong, which you can see in every part of campus life. 

First impressions and settling in 

When I first arrived at Loughborough University London, I felt both excited and nervous. Orientation Week was fantastic, giving us a great introduction to the campus, its resources, and the city.  

Meeting new people from all over the world showed me how diverse the student body is. While it was a bit challenging to get used to a new city and education system, the support from staff and fellow students helped me settle in quickly. The facilities at Loughborough University London are amazing. The libraries are quiet and well-equipped, perfect for studying. The cafeterias offer a variety of food, catering to different tastes and dietary needs, making sure everyone feels at home. 

Living in London as a student is an adventure. There are various accommodation options, from on-campus housing to private rentals. The city’s public transport system is extensive and easy to use, making it simple to get around. Balancing studies and social life is important, and London offers plenty of opportunities for both fun and relaxation. 

My academic journey 

My academic journey here has been both challenging and rewarding. Choosing courses was easy with the wide range of programs available. The teaching methods are a mix of traditional lectures and innovative approaches, keeping us engaged. The professors are knowledgeable, supportive, and always ready to help. There are plenty of support services, like tutoring and academic advising, to guide us through our studies. 

Belonging at Loughborough University London 

One of the best things about Loughborough University London is the sense of belonging. The diverse student body means you meet people from all walks of life. There are numerous student societies and clubs where you can find friends with similar interests. The university also has many inclusion initiatives, like cultural festivals and diversity workshops, ensuring everyone feels welcome and valued. 

Inclusion and diversity are central to the university’s values. There are many initiatives to support international students, helping them adjust and thrive. Gender equality programs and accessibility services ensure a welcoming environment for all. These efforts create a campus culture that celebrates and values diversity. 

Support Systems and Resources 

Loughborough University London provides excellent support systems for students. Mental health services are available and confidential, offering help when needed. Academic advisors assist with course choices and career planning. Career support services help with internships and job placements, preparing us for the future. These resources ensure we have a well-rounded and successful university experience. 

Extracurricular Activities and Personal Growth 

Getting involved in extracurricular activities has been a key part of my growth. There are many volunteering opportunities that allow us to give back to the community. Leadership programs help develop skills for future careers. Social events, from cultural nights to sports tournaments, offer fun and the chance to make lasting memories. 

University life isn’t without its challenges. The academic workload can be intense, but the supportive environment helps manage stress. Adjusting to a new culture takes time, especially for international students. Financial management is another important aspect, requiring careful planning. Overcoming these challenges has made me more resilient and prepared for the future. 

Listening to other students’ stories at Loughborough University London is inspiring. Many share experiences of personal and academic growth, attributing their success to the supportive and inclusive environment. These testimonials highlight the strong sense of community and belonging that defines the university experience. 

Community Engagement and Outreach 

Loughborough University London encourages students to engage with the community. There are many projects and partnerships with local organisations that students can get involved in. These activities not only help the community but also enhance our sense of belonging and responsibility. Volunteering provides practical experience and fosters a spirit of service. 

Conclusion  

Reflecting on my time at Loughborough University London, I am grateful for the experiences and opportunities that have shaped my journey. The university’s focus on belonging and inclusion has created a nurturing environment that supports every student. As I look ahead, I feel confident and prepared, thanks to the foundation built during my time here. 

First major international event on sportswashing hosted by the Centre for Communication & Culture at Loughborough University, May 2024

In May 2024, the CRCC hosted an international event on the topic of sportswashing at the Loughborough University London campus. It drew together scholars from a range of disciplines – including communication and media, politics, international relations, politics, marketing, sociology and area studies – and countries, alongside journalists and representatives from activist organisations.

The opening session discussed the rise of the term since 2015 and pointed to the growing significance of sport for both commercial and state organisations. Here, it was noted that sport is not only linked to well-established, and highly valued, forms of community – local, regional, national and trans-national – but is one of the few forms of media content that can still generate large, passionate audiences in an era of media fragmentation.

A series of panels were then held that addressed the following broad issues:

Views of audiences and attendees

While the term sportswashing has generated an awful lot of media and political debate over the last decade, there has been relatively little research into ordinary people’s attitudes towards the practice. In the opening panel, two papers, from Tom Taylor and Owen Evens (both University of Brighton), addressed this lacuna by presenting evidence from interviews with football fans, including those who had attended the 2022 Qatar (football) World Cup.

Interestingly, all those interviewed were aware of the term and many were critical of the practice. However, at the same time they felt relatively helpless to challenge any developments and ethical concerns were generally overridden by the excitement of following the tournament once the football got underway. Indeed, these views were supported by Beth Dann’s (University of Sheffield) paper, which noted how media reports of the same event followed a similar pattern, with initial discussions of human rights issues, largely supplanted by coverage of the matches and participants as the tournament progressed. 

Another key insight came from ethnographic data collected at the tournament itself, which focused on more positive responses from some attendees. These people noted that while they had reservations about the host country’s treatment of workers, women and minorities, they enjoyed their engagements with other fans, felt safe travelling in the country and welcomed the range of facilities available to them.

Neo-orientalism and non-Western views

A second key issue concerned the extent to which the literature on sportswashing often replicates forms of (neo)Orientalism. That is, critics of the practice almost always come from the west and target their criticisms at non-Western actors. This doesn’t mean falling into a form of moral relativism but should involve acknowledging a number of important factors. First, that Westen-based organisations, notably sporting authorities and commercial sponsors, are often involved in making decisions about who hosts sporting events.  This was a point made by Adam Talbot (University of the West of Scotland) in his paper on the ethics of ‘sportswashing’.

Second, Western states often support such decisions and, just as importantly, have major relationships with these states outside of sport. In other words, it seems harsh holding sport to different ‘rules’ to other major industries. Third, we cannot assume that non-Western states hosting of sporting events is always designed to appeal to, or placate, Western publics. In relation to this final issue, two contrasting case studies were presented. The first, presented by Itamar Dubinsky (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel & Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), focused on Rwanda and demonstrated the extent to which the countries involvement in sport is designed to increase its visibility both in Africa and beyond and engage high profile actors, both within sport and politics.  The second, from Vitaly Kazakov (Aarhus University), offered a very contrasting view by focusing on Russia’s hosting of the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 (football) world cup. In these cases, it was argued that hosting these events was primarily designed to engage audiences in Russia and the former USSR, demonstrating the country’s economic and political power and possibly acting as a precursor to the subsequent invasion of, first, Crimea and, then, Ukraine.   

Longer-term perspectives

The third set of arguments called for the importance of adopting both longer-term and broader perspectives when trying to make sense of sportswashing. In the first place, the use of sports by states has a long history and should not only be seen as the preserve of men’s sport. Indeed, while attempts to ‘sportswash’ in relation to women’s sport was most noticeably highlighted in relation to the 2023 (football) world cup, Jean Williams’ paper noted that women’s football has long been used by both states and the sport’s authorities as a tool to pursue both economic and reputation management objectives.   

In a similar vein, the chief football writer of the Independent newspaper, Miguel Delaney, provided an illuminating overview of the changes that have transformed football in Britain in the past four decades. In particular, he noted the failure of authorities to protect the community-based foundations of the sport and subsequently their inability to manage what the sport has become after being targeted by both commercial enterprises and subsequently states.

Resistance is (not) futile

Notwithstanding the attempted co-optation of many elite sports by powerful interests, two participants on the closing round-table pointed to the continuing importance of grassroots and activist organisations in challenging these shifts.

John Hird of the Newcastle United Fans Against Sportswashing collective talked passionately about the range of bottom-up activities (protests, talks, publicity stunts, discussion groups) that have taken place and how the group continues to try and hold those in the city to account. He also noted the importance of building networks both within the UK, where there is a growing dis-satisfaction with how sports are being governed, and beyond.  

Finally, Alex Carlen of the activist group FairSquare provided a thoughtful and engaging overview of his organisation’s activities and ended the workshop on a more hopeful note. He argued that, for all its flaws, the debate around sportswashing has focused much more attention on the activities of states in relation to sport and, in the process, made their rights violations, and hypocrisy, more visible.

For more information about the event or plans to produce an edited collection on the topic, please contact Dr Michael Skey (m.skey@lboro.ac.uk).