Reading in the news - Thu 21 May
21 May 2020
COVID-19: expert comment on the coronavirus pandemic
- Dr Simon Clarke (Biological Sciences) writes a comment piece for The Independent on politicians saying they are “following the science” – then blaming scientists for bad decisions. Also appears on MSN News; his comments are reported in a news story by i news
- Comments by Dr Clarke on new High Street coronavirus antibody tests appear in Sky News, Guardian, Daily Mail, The Sun, dozens of regional news sites, including The Journal, Bisnis (Indonesia), and regional radio stations across the UK. Dr Clarke and Dr Al Edwards (Pharmacy) are quoted by Yahoo News
- Dr Al Edwards (Pharmacy) appears on the Daily Telegraph podcast Coronavirus: The Latest about the effectiveness of new home testing kits.
- Tech Times and BBC Science Focus quotes Dr Clarke’s comments about a study looking at the effectiveness of the 2m rule for social distancing
- Jon Foster-Pedley (Henley Business School – Africa) tells BusinessDay (Nigeria) that online learning can help widen university education across Africa, despite restrictions on travel caused by COVID-19.
- Professor Patricia Riddell (Psychology & Henley) quoted in a Forbes article on how leadership can help through the crisis; and Ben Laker (Henley) writes a Forbes column on how to coach your team through the crisis.
#WeAreTogether: Reading’s work to help during the crisis
Dr Monika Parkinson (Psychology) spoke to ITV Meridian News about Reading’s free online course for young people experiencing low mood and depression during lockdown, with some tips on staying mentally well.
#LockdownClimateChange: how COVID-19 changes show a greener future
- A report in A Nacao (Cape Verde) and Live News (New Zealand) and Greenpeace on the environmental benefits of a four-day working week highlights a Henley Business School report.
- The Echo (Ireland) reports on London’s 60% drop in CO2 emissions
- The Hindustan Times reports that lockdown and Cyclone Amphas is combining to give Mumbai high air quality, quoting PhD researcher Akshay Deoras (Meteorology).
Other coverage:
- Dr Michael Garratt (Agriculture) was interviewed on TRT World about the benefits and risks to bees and pollinators, and Reading work to study them.
- Dr Mark Shanahan (Politics) comments to Al Jazeera on the political reasoning behind tougher sentencing rules for terror offences introduced by the UK government.
- Providing an excellent advertisement for standard-issue UoR headsets, Dr Mark Shanahan (Politics) provides insight into US-China relations for Korean international news channel Arirang.
- Research by Professor Giles Harrison (Meteorology) and colleagues about 1960s nuke tests increasing rainfall is featured in Najwyższy Czas (Poland)