Did you see the University at the Oracle?
Tuesday, 05 July 2011
Students, staff and volunteers spoke to over 1,000 people on the day who were interested to find out about the value the University offers to the local region
On Saturday 18 June a team of volunteers from the University were out in force in the Oracle shopping centre, showcasing some of the University's best assets as part of the national Universities Week campaign.
Students, staff and volunteers spoke to over 1,000 people on the day who were interested to find out about the value the University offers to the local region. The prominent exhibition in the centre of the downstairs mall showcased a small amount of the University's excellent research - the display was themed around food and farming and featured Food and Nutritional Sciences, the National Fruit Collection (looked after by Biological Sciences) and the Museum of English Rural Life.
Visitors to the Oracle were able to taste some delicious chocolate and berry muffins (250 in total!), whilst learning about the positive effects that Reading researchers have found cocoa and berries can have on eyesight and cardiovascular health, and a team from MERL were on hand with real life exhibits from the museum and a ‘make a sheep' activity to encourage children to get involved.
View photos from the Oracle showcase day >>>
Other events which took place at the University as part of Universities Week included the official opening of Reading Enterprise Centre, and a celebration of the achievements of students and local volunteers who have made a personal contribution to the University and the wider community.
Mark Prisk MP Minister for Business and Enterprise officially opened the new Reading Enterprise Centre on Tuesday 14 June. More than 150 representatives from businesses and other regional organisations joined us for this special event during which the Minister offered his views on the important role that Universities play in their regional enterprise agenda and economic development. Guests then had the opportunity to pose their own questions to the Minister. The event concluded with a reception during which guests enjoyed a showcase exhibition of displays from a host of university departments highlighting their work with business and industry.
The 'Celebrating Community Success' evening event on Wednesday 15 June marked the achievements of the many students who have been part of the RED Award and Student Tutoring Scheme together with those members of the local community who volunteer within our institution, particularly in our museums. More than 150 guests gathered at MERL for an evening reception to celebrate and share experiences.
A report from the organisers of the campaign, Universities UK, said: "Universities Week 2011 was a great success. We received over 380 pieces of media coverage about the week from national and regional newspapers to radio and TV (double the coverage of 2010) had over 330 events taking place around the country with 110 universities taking part."