Hitting the headlines - the University in the media
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Sun article quoting Dr Darren Juniper
Colleagues from across the University have continued to raise the University's profile through the national media. Here are some of the highlights...
From farm to fork in six weeks
Expert comment from Dr Darren Juniper provided the basis of a large article on page eight of today's Sun newspaper (pictured). Animal scientist Dr Juniper, from the School of Agriculture Policy and Development, explains the processes and timescales involved in getting meat from farm to fork.
Dr David Brauner comments on Man Booker prize upheaval
Organisers of the Man Booker Prize recently decided to allow writers from around the world to compete for the Prize. Dr Brauner, Reader in English and American Literature, discussed the new rule on BBC Breakfast Television and provided comment for the New York Times.
BBC Online and the Guardian also published Dr Brauner's hypothetical list of the US novels that might have won the Booker in the 21st century, had they been eligible. His expert comment was also picked up by a number of news outlets in Australia.
Can we trust robots with our future?
With robot technology advancing in many parts of our lives, Dr Berry Billingsley from the Institute of Education, appeared on BBC One's Sunday Morning show, discussing the ethical issues that could arise.
Also, as the first talking humanoid robot ‘astronaut' recently took off in a rocket, Professor William Harwin from the School of Systems Engineering discussed the future of robotics on Radio 4's Today Programme.
Reading's climate experts provide media and public with analysis of UN report into climate change
As the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change delivered its groundbreaking Fifth Assessment Report on the science of climate change for governments across the world, University of Reading scientists were on hand to provide expert analysis for media across the world. With 17 scientists contributing to the report, the University of Reading was one of the biggest contributing institutions for the IPCC.
Professor Rowan Sutton, Dr Ed Hawkins, Dr Richard Allan, Professor Bill Collins, Professor Ted Shepherd, Dr Paul Williams, and Professor Keith Shine gave interviews to, among others: BBC News Channel, 5Live, BBC World Service, Sky News, the Daily Mail, Press Association, the Guardian, and the Observer.
Dr Cathy Creswell on BBC Breakfast
As we mentioned back in August, Dr Cathy Creswell from the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences sat on the famous BBC Breakfast red sofa to talk about training parents to help them deal with child anxiety.
The Times also featured a two page spread on the research (Times subscription required), which was conducted by Cathy and Dr Kerstin Thirwell.
Napoleon Bonaparte painting by David identified by Dr Simon Lee
Expert analysis from Dr Lee (Department of Art) has revealed that a painting capturing Napoleon pledging to defend France in 1813 which was thought to be a copy is in fact a genuine work of French artist Jacques-Louis David. Dr Lee's discovery was covered widely in the national and international media including BBC News, Le Monde, The Star (Malaysia) and Sky News Australia.
University of Reading experts feature in Horizon special investigating what is killing our bees
Leading bee expert Professor Simon Potts, from the University's School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, chatted to Bill Turnbull.
Dr Deepa Senapathi also discussed her study that found that an increase in agriculture over the decades is the biggest factor in bee species diversity.
Professor Potts also appeared on Radio Four talking to Monty Don on his new conservation programme.
Could wearable technology become part of our bodies?
Why has Professor Kevin Warwick implanted a chip into his nervous system? Who needs a body anyway? Experts are now investigating whether we could one day live as just a brain on far away planets. The Daily Mail says Professor Warwick's research could 'radically change the lives of amputees and victims of paralysis'.
Professor Warwick was also featured by the Pakistan Daily Times talking about Omy News: Singapore.
Entrepreneurial graduates featured by Sky and Yahoo
Three recent graduates of the University who took modules with the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Philip Kunovski, Richard Prudence and Tim Brownstone were featured in videos for Sky Business and Technology and Yahoo News talking about their inventions. Phil and Richard have created Ampfly - a music amplifying case for smartphones, and Tim, through his company Kymira, has invented sportswear which claims to boost performance and speed up recovery. The videos appeared on the Sky Business and Sky Technology homepages and on the Yahoo website.
Retailers raise fears over Bracknell town centre revamp
Economic Geographer Dr Steve Musson recently provided comment on the start of the regeneration of Bracknell town centre to local BBC News, including BBC South and BBC Radio Berkshire.
Working with the media can be a great way to help raise yours and the University's profile, so please get in touch with the Press Office if you would like to know more about how we can help publicise your work - email media@reading.ac.uk or visit the Press Office website. Also, if you have organised media appearances yourself, the team would love to hear about it.