University of Exeter

Medical School welcomes first Medicine students

The first intake of Medicine students have embarked on the path to becoming a doctor at the University of Exeter Medical School.

The class of 2013 is made up of 130 students have enrolled for the five year degree which will see them working in NHS Trusts across the South West.

Professor Steve Thornton, Dean of the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “This is a real milestone for us, and we’re extremely excited to welcome our first Medicine students. The NHS is under extreme pressure from an increasingly aging population amid squeezed resources. Our ethos is to train...

Two Exeter professors honoured by Academy of Social Sciences

The Academy of Social Sciences has conferred the award of Academician on 51 leading social scientists, including Professor Anne Barlow from the University of Exeter’s Law School and Stephen Hinchliffe, Professor of Human Geography within Exeter’s College of Life and Environmental Sciences. The national Academy represents distinguished academics, societies and practitioners in the social sciences. It has over 900 individual Academicians, who are eminent scholars and practitioners from academia and the public and private sectors. Recipients have a wide range of expertise in the social...

Representation of Christianity and Islam in public spaces

The 10ft cube of Islamic graffiti art, standing in front of Exeter Cathedral forms part of a University of Exeter research project which investigates how Muslim belief has developed through theology, spirituality, law and the creative arts. On Saturday 7 September between 7 – 8.30pm there was a special event in the Cathedral focusing on the role of Christianity and Islam in public spaces. A range of speakers discussed the role and positive contribution that religion brings to the society in which we live. The topics varied from how religious art can assist as a useful form of communication...

New technique to assess the cost of major flood damage to be unveiled at Exeter conference

A new approach that can calculate the cost of damage caused by flooding is to be presented at the International Conference of Flood Resilience: Experiences in Asia and Europe at the University of Exeter this week. The method combines information on land use with data on the vulnerability of the area to calculate the cost of both past and future flooding events.

Climate change, along with increased building on flood plains, has led to both a greater likelihood and a higher impact of flooding across the globe.

The method has already been employed to estimate the damage caused...

Research confirms Mediterranean diet is good for the mind

The first systematic review of related research confirms a positive impact on cognitive function, but an inconsistent effect on mild cognitive impairment.

Over recent years many pieces of research have identified a link between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and a lower risk of age-related disease such as dementia.

Until now there has been no systematic review of such research, where a number of studies regarding a Mediterranean diet and cognitive function are reviewed for consistencies, common trends and inconsistencies.

A team of researchers from the University...

Spread of crop pests threatens global food security as Earth warms

A new study has revealed that global warming is resulting in the spread of crop pests towards the North and South Poles at a rate of nearly 3 km a year.

The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change and carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter and the University of Oxford, shows a strong relationship between increased global temperatures over the past 50 years and expansion in the range of crop pests.

Currently 10-16% of global crop production is lost to pests. Crop pests include fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, nematodes, viroids and oomycetes....

Go on, volunteer – it could be good for you!

Volunteering may be good for your health, reveals a large systematic review and meta-analysis published in the open access journal BMC Public Health .

Volunteering can improve mental health and help you live longer, finds the study which pools and compares data from multiple experimental trials and longitudinal cohort studies. Some observational evidence points to around a 20 per cent reduction in mortality among volunteers compared to non-volunteers in cohort studies. Volunteers also reported lower levels of depression, increased life satisfaction and enhanced well-being, although...

Defra appoints academic to oversee flood risks in South West

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has appointed an academic from the University of Exeter to Chair the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC). Professor Robert Van de Noort’s appointment is a reflection of his extensive research in the dynamics of coasts, rivers and peatlands, and how people have interacted with these landscapes over a period of more than 10,000 years, in addition to his various roles across the sector. The Regional Flood and Coastal Committees were set up under the Floods and Water Management Act 2010 and play an important local role...

Exeter scores high in the National Student Satisfaction Survey

91% of University of Exeter students in their final year are satisfied with the quality of their university course.

The latest National Student Survey (NSS) has found that 85% of students are satisfied with their degree, meaning the University of Exeter has maintained its top 10 position for its ninth year, since the survey’s launch.

The University of Exeter usually scores highly on league tables and, in 2012, was deemed “Sunday Times University of the Year 2012/13”.

Professor Janice Kay, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, said:

“We are...

Communities set to benefit from student sustainability initiative

Exeter communities are set to benefit from an initiative launched by the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. The Guild is proud to announce the launch of the Students’ Green Unit which will be established this month after the Guild won a £300,000 funding boost from the NUS (National Union of Students) Green Fund.

The Students’ Green Unit will provide a framework for students to develop and lead sustainability initiatives locally, nationally and internationally. The Students’ Guild prides itself on successful reduction of its environmental impact and pursuit of sustainability, and...

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