University

St Luke’s Campus special anniversary

The University of Exeter’s St Luke’s Campus is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year.

Originally founded as a teacher training college, the campus is now home to the University of Exeter Medical School, Sports and Health Sciences, as well as the Graduate School of Education. Saturday 18 October is St Lukes Day, and the official date of the 160th anniversary. A ‘Festival of Evensong for St Luke’ will mark the anniversary on Friday 17 October at the St Luke’s Chapel with further celebrations organised next term. Much has changed on the St Luke’s Campus since 18th October 1854...

Rural traditions book shortlisted for award

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 10/13/2014 - 11:28am

An acclaimed book about English rural traditions has been shortlisted for a national folklore award.

The Seasons: An Elegy for the Passing of the Year written by University of Exeter English Professor Nick Groom has been nominated for the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award. The annual book prize was established by the Folklore Society in 1982 to encourage the study of folklore and to celebrate the life and work of the distinguished scholar Katharine Mary Briggs (1898-1980). The winner will be announced in November. Prof Nick Groom’s book celebrates the traditional connections between...

Air-pollution increases river flows

A study published in Nature Geoscience today shows that air pollution has had a significant impact on the amount of water flowing through many rivers in the northern hemisphere.

The paper shows how such pollution, known as aerosols, can have an impact on the natural environment and highlights the importance of considering these factors in assessments of future climate change.

The research resulted from a collaboration between scientists at the Met Office, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, University of Reading, Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique in France, and the...

Princesshay’s Student Lock In a huge success

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 10/06/2014 - 12:47pm

Over 5,000 students descended on Princesshay, Exeter between 6.30pm – 9pm on Wednesday 1st October for its annual Student Lock In event. Over 35 retailers and restaurants opened their doors after hours to offer discounts of up to 25% to students for ‘one night only’.

The event has been hailed the busiest and most successful Student Lock In to date for the city.

Wayne Pearce, Princesshay Centre Director said: “It was great to see so many students at this year’s event. We’ve received some really positive feedback from our retailers and restaurants and we’re looking forward to...

Alien life may be out there!

A pioneering new study has shown that water found on Earth predates the formation of the Sun – raising hopes that life could exist on exoplanets, the planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy.

The ground-breaking research set out to discover the origin of the water that was deposited on the Earth as it formed.

It found that a significant fraction of water found on Earth, and across our solar system, predates the formation of the Sun. By showing that water is ‘inherited’ from the environment when a star is born, the international team of scientists believe other...

Exeter professor bestowed with major award

A leading professor from the University of Exeter has secured a significant international award, in recognition of his pioneering research.

Professor Nick Stone was bestowed with the inaugural Raman Award for the most Innovative Technological Development, at the recent International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy held in Jena, Germany.

As well as the award, Professor Stone, who specialises in Biomedical Imaging and Biosensing, also received a 2,000 Euro prize.

Professor Stone was presented with the award for his work in developing novel in vivo diagnostic tools...

Plants make workers happier

‘Green’ offices with plants make staff happier and more productive than ‘lean’ designs stripped of greenery, new research by academics in Exeter, Cardiff, Holland and Australia have revealed.

In the first field study of its kind, published today, researchers found enriching a ‘lean’ office with plants could increase productivity by 15%.

The team examined the impact of ‘lean’ and ‘green’ offices on staff’s perceptions of air quality, concentration, and workplace satisfaction, and monitored productivity levels over subsequent months in two large commercial offices in the UK...

Mould a health risk to asthma sufferers

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 09/01/2014 - 11:18am

Damp and mould in homes could pose a significant health risk to people with asthma according to a new study by Exeter academics.

By critically reviewing the findings from 17 studies in eight different countries, the research published the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that the presence of several types of mould can lead to breathing problems in asthma sufferers, as well as increasing the likelihood of developing the condition.

The research has been conducted by a team at the University of Exeter Medical School and is the first time all of the information...

Commitment eases access to medical advances in developing world

The University of Exeter has strengthened its commitment to encouraging access to medicine in low income and developing countries by adopting a new approach to health-related intellectual property on products and technologies deriving from its research.

The change aims to make it as easy as possible for those in need to access medicine advances linked to the University. Working with its partners and commercial licensees in the sector, the University will, wherever possible:

  • only apply for and implement patent applications relating to healthcare technologies in less
  • ...

Study charts global invasion of crop pests

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Thu, 08/28/2014 - 11:08am

Many of the world’s most important crop-producing countries will be fully saturated with pests by the middle of the century if current trends continue, according to a new study led by the University of Exeter.

More than one-in-ten pest types can already be found in around half the countries that grow their host crops. If this spread advances at its current rate, scientists fear that a significant proportion of global crop-producing countries will be overwhelmed by pests within the next 30 years.

Crop pests include fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, nematodes, viroids and...

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