Influential University of Exeter research has led to the historic introduction of no fault divorce in England and Wales.
Work by Professor Liz Trinder showed current legislation leads to unnecessary conflict when marriages end, causing needless pain to families.
Today the Divorce , Dissolution and Separation Bill was passed, the first major reform to divorce law for 50 years. Fault has been a central part of the divorce law in England and Wales since 1660. The new legislation means irretrievable breakdown remains the sole ground for divorce and dissolution, but will be...
Potential university students unable to tour universities to make decisions about their future are flocking online to innovative “virtual prospectuses”, lectures and advice sessions.
University of Exeter staff who work with pupils around the country to encourage them to go on to higher education are embracing technology to provide extensive and open access online content while schools and campuses are closed.
This week is the University of Exeter’s second “living prospectus week”, where people can speak to current students on Facebook about their experiences and see...
How much plastic do we really use, and can we live without it?
These are among the questions addressed by a tool that calculates the scale and extent of household plastic use, developed by the University of Exeter Business School’s plastics research hub.
The Exeter Multidisciplinary Plastics Research Hub (ExeMPLaR) estimated how much ‘invisible plastic’ is in our homes, as well as the amount of plastic materials coming in as products and leaving homes as waste each year.
Using a combination of national statistics and surveys, industry reports, academic research...
A new £1.4 million award from the Wellcome Trust will help researchers at the University of Exeter understand the processes that link a pregnant mother’s obesity with health problems for her and her baby.
Obesity is known to be one of the most common risk factors for complications of pregnancy and birth. Now, Dr Rachel Freathy, at the University of Exeter Medical School, has been awarded a Wellcome Senior Research Fellowship to study human genetics data in babies, mothers and fathers to understand the mechanisms involved in causing these health problems, with a view to improving...
People of all ages are being given the opportunity to spend time in the company of insects, through a series of fascinating new poems.
Award-winning poet Fiona Benson and sound artists Mair Bosworth and Eliza Lomas release their new collection of poetry sound pieces called In the Company of Insects , to the public from Monday, June 8th.
Each poem is dedicated to a different insect – from crickets to glowworms, fireflies to cockroaches. The poems have been recorded and the world of the insect brought to life through immersive sound design, field recordings made on...
Creating sustainable plastics is vital for the future of our environment, a new report says .
It calls for urgent research on the impacts that plastic has on the living world right across its lifecycle, from the carbon footprint of the factories that produce it, right through to the impacts it has when discarded into the natural world as waste.
Chemical advances mean it is now possible to produce better, safer plastics, using more eco-friendly production methods, designing plastics that can be fully recycled and even by developing plastics that “degrade on demand” after...
The University of Exeter has received £2.5 million to establish one of two evidence review facilities dedicated to ensuring that government health and care policy is informed by the highest quality research.
The funding, from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Policy Research Programme (PRP), will bring together academics from a range of disciplines within the University of Exeter Medical School. The programme of work involves producing evidence syntheses to inform policy development and evaluation across the full policy remit of the Department of Health and Social...
Empowering people to intervene when they witness unacceptable behaviour can help to prevent domestic violence and abuse, a new study has found.
Specific training for bystanders makes them “significantly” more confident to take action when they see or hear wrongdoing related to domestic abuse in their community, according to the research.
A total of 81 per cent of participants reported being more likely to intervene when they saw wrongdoing after the training, this increased to 89 per cent four months later.
This is the first academic study to examine a bystander...
The impact of coronavirus on Britain’s crucial food supply chains will be tracked as part of a new study which will show how the current crisis has affected the journey from farm to plate.
Experts will investigate the disruption caused by the pandemic for producers, manufacturers, distributers and retailers. Their work will help those in the food supply chain as they restructure rapidly, as well as inform government policymaking.
Representatives from industry bodies will share their experiences as part of the study, with findings disseminated as quickly as possible. The...
Medical Imaging students from the University of Exeter Medical School who opted to graduate early had an online ceremony to qualify as diagnostic radiographers during the COVID-19 crisis.
32 final year Medical Imaging students joined the online graduation, some even fashioned home-made mortarboards and gowns, to celebrate their graduation on the virtual platform with peers and lecturers.
By graduating early, students will be able to relieve pressure on other more experienced colleagues currently working in the fight against COVID-19, starting their jobs in health trusts...
