The Dean's Blog

Spring has definitely arrived at Home Farm!

2012-03-07T14:55:00.002-08:00

The farm baliff Neil Hodgson and agricultural staff led by Dominic Heneghan, Agriculture Programme Leader are busy supporting students getting experience with lambing and calving at Home Farm for the next few weeks...

Also down on the farm we are considering new cattle housing for our Lincoln Red herd. One of the ideas is a roundhouse from Simpson & Allinson in Yorkshire - in my experience a perfect cattle and student friendly facility! (http://www.roundhouseltd.co.uk/)

International Students Awards Evening 2012

2012-03-07T14:24:00.000-08:00

A very enjoyable event which celebrated scholarships for students from 27 countries studying across the University. It was great to see Melissa Stephenson from ARES collect her award. Melissa is studying on the MSc Equine Health and Welfare and is at the project planning stage for the final part of her Masters. She came to study at Brackenhurst from the United States as there are very few Masters level equine courses in her home country.

FdSc Sport Horse Management & Coaching Students in the Bramley Newspaper

2012-02-06T05:48:00.000-08:00

Students are hosting a charity show jump on Saturday 3 March in aid of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance. The event is part of the FdSc Sport Horse Management and Coaching course. For more information contact Laura Bentley on laura.bentley2012@my.ntu.ac.uk.

Inaugural Lecture by Visiting Professor Doug Wilson

2012-01-26T12:02:00.000-08:00

"Living on the Edge" was the title Doug chose to discuss with his audience at his inaugural lecture last night at Brackenhurst. Doug described how the 1972 book "The Limits to Growth" by Meadows et al. was an early influence on him and he explored how - since this publication and its successors - we had continued to exploit the earth's resources and live beyond its long-term capacity.

The quality of questions was an indicator of the depth of the audience's interest in this area and today Doug developed these ideas further with our geography and environmental science students.

Get involved with community volunteering through NTU!

2012-01-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

Janet Northover - our Schools, Colleges and Outreach Officer, presented at the recent student forum to encourage students to take up one of the numerous opportunties to volunteer through NTU's community projects. Many of these are funded so students gain valuable work experience and get paid for their input.
After the forum Janet had lots of interest from students so hopefully this will follow through to more volunteers. We particularly need some Brackenhurst students in the main University Ambassador team!

Full details at http://ntu.ac.uk/business_professions/our_students/student_volunteering/index.html

The Forum also discussed lots of issues relevant to the students' academic experience and it was good to hear that everyone was happy with the speed and type of feedback received last term on their assignments.
There will be a fuller update on further IT improvements shortly...

Oxford Farming Conference 2012

2012-01-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

The Oxford Farming Conference is something of an institution which each year tries to address a significant issue facing agriculture. The theme for the 2012 conference was "Who holds the power in global agriculture" and the Power in Agriculture report produced for the conference makes fascinating reading. (http://www.ofc.org.uk/papers ). Dr. Alan Renwick SAC's Head of Land Economy and Environment Research Group, lead author, gave a very fascinating summary of findings - it was interesting to hear for example how few companies are now involved in the production and distribution of key inputs such as fertiliser and seed across the world - does this make global agriculture vulnerable?

Other speakers ranged from representatives of Transnational Companies - the so called TNCs - to small businesses developing niche products. Caroline Spelman Defra Minister entitled her talk "Big Chances for a Small Island" and was applauded by some of the livestock farmers in the room for her stance on the badger cull but there was very little else of note in her speech which mainly focused on the challenges of CAP reform without giving many definitive examples of the UK's stance. The RSPB's Director of Conservation Martin Harper gave a strong account of why the declines shown by the Farmland Bird Index are particularly relevant in the light of potential intensification - but I felt that the farmers were left feeling that there was little new information to inform their land management.

International Agents Dinner

2011-12-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Brackenhurst hosted the final day of the NTU International Agents conference at which agents from around the world visit the University to see what it has to offer prospective students. Despite the rather wild and windy weather, they enjoyed their visit round the estate and dinner in our Hogwartesque dining room! We were joined by several international students who were able to share their experiences of studying here.

Greg Dyke - distinguished lecture

2011-12-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

Greg Dyke , who left his role as DG of the BBC rather than back down over the reporting of the controversy surrounding the Iraq dossier, gave a very personal - and at times very insightful view of where television is heading in the next decade. His conviction is that both local television and internet television will flourish which made me wonder whether we are doing enough to teach our students how to take advantage of these new routes for communication... I must revisit NTU's Centre for Broadcast Journalism - especially as their Dean announced yesterday they were now one of the UK's top 3 communications departments.

NTU Chamber Choir at benefit concert in Southwell Minster

2011-12-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

Matthew Hopkins, Director of Music led the Chamber Choir at a wonderful concert in Southwell on Wednesday. It was a benefit for Age UK and Age Concern and the Minster was packed with more than 500 people. The Chamber Choir contributed 4 carols and were greatly appreciated by the audience who loved the musicality and atmosphere they brought to the event. Their faultless diction was also favourably commented on by this particular audience!

Another successful Open Day

2011-12-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

This open day had been cancelled last year due to snow so we were not sure what to expect but in fact were 45% busier than 2009 which was great. I spoke to lots of students keen on seeing the new equine facilities as well as plenty of environmental and conservation students. There were also postgraduate enquiries about the new Masters programmes in Endangered Species Conservation, Biodiversity Conservation and Equine Health and Welfare.

If you have missed this term's open days please get in touch via our web site and come and visit!

We need forward thinking scientists

2011-11-29T08:38:00.000-08:00

Nottingham Trent University's School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences present 'We need forward thinking scientists'.

Find out why the world needs skilled graduates to tackle the problems of climate change, hunger, clean energy, endangered species and waste management. Find out more at www.ntu.ac.uk/ares (created by Seismik.co.uk).

Sources include Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Foresight: The Future of Food and Farming, Government Office for Science and Worldometers.info

DaNES 2011 Exhibition: Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Entomological Society at Brackenhurst Campus

2011-11-25T06:14:00.000-08:00

DaNES 2011 Exhibition at Brackenhurst Campus

The Society’s annual exhibition enabled members to present their various project studies and exhibits but also view displays and information from a number of other organisations and groups in the region.

Exhibitiors included:

Manchester Museum with specimens from a range of insect Orders to illustrate their comprehensive collections and to emphasise that their use for further research is greatly encouraged.

Nottingham University Museum presented a range of set material to similarly illustrate the wide range of shape, size and colour of the insects. It also gave an opportunity to investigate the other collections in the museum.

Live specimens included: spiders, phasmids and cockroaches.

The subject and study of slugs was a special exhibit.

Water invertebrates were displayed along with live specimens.

Lots of organisations participated e.g. http://lensweb.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/danes-insect-exhibition/

Notts County Council - Culture & Environment visit

2011-11-24T14:15:00.000-08:00

Steve Bradley - now Group Manager of Nottinghamshire County Council's Culture and Environmental Services visited Brackenhurst today with his colleagues Phil Baker and Gary Richards. We discussed the NCC provision for schoolchildren "learning in the outdoors" which we host on Campus. Run by Corby Lewington, the centre welcomes some 4000 children every year who explore the history and environment of Brackenhurst. Students from NTU's School of Education now work with Corby on placement which seems to working out as a win-win. Today we discussed how to add further value to this successful partnership between NTU and the County Council.

HE Awards Presentation at Brackenhurst

2011-11-24T13:44:00.000-08:00

Wednesday was a very happy occasion when former students and their families enjoyed lunch with staff followed by the presentation of awards for significant achievements on our HE programmes. It was a pleasure to celebrate their success and learn about their current endeavours in further study or work. We trust they will all continue to keep in touch with us directly and through the University's Alumni Association.

IUCN Peatlands Report launched

2011-11-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

Today the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) UK Commission of Inquiry on Peatlands launches its findings.

Dr Jill Labadz, an academic in the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, led the hydrology review for this global IUCN inquiry, which has revealed the enormous importance of our peatlands for both people and wildlife.

Dr Labadz’s review team investigated how water behaves in peatlands and the drivers of change including climate, pollution, land-use and management. The team looked at the impacts of peat drainage and best practice in this activity, and considered projections of future climate and land-use impacts on UK peatlands.

Peatlands are areas of land formed over thousands of years from carbon-rich dead and decaying plants in water-logged conditions. This ‘Cinderella’ habitat – overlooked and undervalued – covers less than 3% of the land surface of Earth, but contains twice as much carbon as the world’s forests. Far from the hostile, barren wastelands that peatlands are often seen as, these stunning landscapes provide irreplaceable ecosystem services.

In ARES this subject is also linked to work in the Horticulture group which undertakes industry research for companies seeking to develop high quality peat alternatives.

Let's hope the report of the Review gets the serious attention it deserves. Read more at:
www.iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org/resources

'Working with Industry' Case Study: Pork Farms

2011-11-15T01:32:00.000-08:00

Nottingham Trent University's Food Science team offer commercially focused training to professionals working in the food and drink manufacturing industry.

This case study documents a bespoke training event created for Pork Farms New Product Development team, focusing on the benefits of working with university expertise.

Based at Brackenhurst campus, NTU has industry standard pilot plant facilities that enable the delivery of short courses and continuing professional development (CPD) training for the food industry.

We are an approved centre for the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Innovation. If you would like more information please contact us on +44 (0)115 848 5238 or email fi.thompson@ntu.ac.uk

International students give their views on Brackenhurst

2011-11-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

Brackenhurst has a growing number of international students - this year on every level of course including MSc. I met them for a discussion over lunch to learn more about their experiences of being a student here. Overall, they were very positive - giving examples of the friendly campus life and interesting courses. We homed in on some areas where we could improve - for example, giving non-UK students better directions how to get here in the first place! In the City Campus there is excellent support for international students - and we discussed how to improve access to this - and how to integrate Brackenhurst students into the wider University international student scene. We also discussed the peculiarities of the British sense of humour...whereas I can certainly do something about most of their recommendations, I am not sure this one is easy to solve ...

The 2011 ARES international student contingent includes:
MSc Endangered Species Conservation - Hong Kong, MSc Equine Health & Welfare -USA, BSc Zoo Biology - China, BSc Animal Biology - India, BSc Wildlife Conservation - India,
BSc Environmental Conservation - China, BSc Equine Sports Science - Russia, FdSc Veterinary Nursing - Singapore, FdSc Sports Horse Management and Training - Canada, BTEC Level 3 Horticulture - Georgia

They are a very inspiring group who are completely committed to their courses and already planning to go on to postgraduate taught and research degrees.

Osberton International Horse Trials 2011

2011-11-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

It is good to get letters from industry praising the input from our students! We make every effort to ensure our courses are a good mixture of theory and application - and this is a great example of a win-win for tutor Sam York and her students on the FdSc Sports Horse Management and Training.

OSBERTON INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS 2011

Dear Sam

I have felt compelled to write, and would be grateful if you could pass this on to your students who attended Osberton International to assist us in the running of the event, and, I hope, gain valuable experience whilst doing so.

The students who attended were a credit to the University. They performed the tasks assigned to them with enthusiasm and very good grace. The weather did help this year, but they all had a smile on their faces and were polite and conducted themselves immaculately.

They performed their tasks admirably, as some, such as some of the dressage tasks, are far from inspiring, but are necessary to ensure the smooth running of the event, and are just as important as other more interesting tasks they were able to perform later in the week! They arrived promptly on time, and were happy to continue the tasks until completed without complaint and grumble. They were polite, used their initiative where needed and were commented on by our chief stewards and judges who were most complimentary.

I believe for the students to encounter “real” situations, where time can often be of the essence and deadlines are a fact of life, it is an experience they benefit from when dealing with their own situations.

Once again, I would like to say a huge thank you for their tremendous input into Osberton and reiterate once again, what a credit they are to you and your organisation.

With best wishes from us both

Stuart and Anna

Stuart and Anna

Green Impact launch at NTU

2011-11-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

Green Impact is a Defra sponsored environmental accreditation scheme with an awards element designed for university departments. It recognises that Universities should be catalysts of behaviour change to lessen impacts on the environment - particularly with respect to energy usage. Hosted by the Environment Team the event was well attended with staff from across the University keen to lead initiatives and teams in their departments to do more in this regard. ARES students and staff who want to get involved please get in touch with me or John Clarkson - we need to make sure we are at the forefront of this initiative!
http://www.eauc.org.uk/green_impact

House of Commons Reception for UTCs

2011-11-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

The reception was celebrating the emerging University Technical College (UTC) movement, led by the Baker-Dearing Trust, which aims to establish new schools for 14-19 year olds- focusing on one or two key areas in which there are skills shortages. NTU is involved in a bid with the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust to establish the Brackenhurst Greenskills Academy - for rural and environmental industries. The Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, John Hayes, addressed the reception and singled out our partner Barry Day - Chief Executive of the GDFT - as someone who has been pursuing excellence in this area for many years.

Although the recent allocation of funds for the first UTCs was dominated by projects aiming to deliver engineering skills, we are still considering progressing the partnership as the joint bid could create a really innovative school which tackles skills shortages of great relevance to rural Nottinghamshire. It remains to be seen whether, within this programme, the Government choose to fund green areas as well as motorsports for example!

Student Forum gets off to a great start

2011-10-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

The inaugural meeting of the new Student Forum took place this afternoon. Extremely well attended by student reps from every year and course, the Forum included presentations on the proposed new library and Information Systems improvements plus plenty of chance for student discussion of other matters which affect their academic experience.

This forum links to our Programme Committees - and gives a chance once a term to compare student experience across the whole School. Thanks to the Student Union Brackenhurst Liaison officer Toby Mitchell and VP Jonny Ellison for their input regarding the Union system for future training for reps. Look out for information for Tuesday!

Greening the farm fleet project - enabling precision agriculture

2011-10-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

The School was delighted to receive two new tractors on the farm today through University investment in greening our fleet.

These will enable us to teach precision agriculture to agriculture, horticulture and countryside management students. In addition, the cab is fitted with a sophisticated GPS, enabling a wide range of students to use the field data generated from this.

October 15 Open Day at NTU Brackenhurst

2011-10-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

Today's Open Day is humming - people from all over the country are finding out what studying at Brackenhurst is all about - and with the sun shining and the non-stop tours of the estate it's a great atmosphere.

If you've missed it, your next chance is Saturday December 3rd 2011 starting at 10.00am!

Animal Blessing Service at Southwell Minster

2011-10-15T04:51:00.000-07:00

Some of Brackenhurst's many animals had an unusual experience on Sunday when they were welcomed into the Minster to be blessed by Canon Jacqui Jones!

The community enjoyed seeing the ponies, snakes and bearded dragon in a new setting - many thanks to Cat Sanderson and students for organising our participation.

Brackenhurst hosts the Spring Council Meeting of the World’s Poultry Science Association (UK branch)

2011-10-15T04:37:00.000-07:00

On the 12th October, poultry scientists representing both industry and academia gathered from the length and breadth of the UK in the Boardroom of Brackenhurst Hall. The WPSA is an international association whose major role is to encourage, and help facilitate, liaison among research scientists and educators, and between those in research and education and those working in the many diverse sectors of the industry. There are now over 6300 members in 71 countries, including USA, all the former Soviet states, most European countries, Asia, Australasia, China, Japan, Israel and many countries of Africa and South America.

The meeting was hosted by Dr Emily Burton, a WPSA Councillor who is a member of staff with the School of ARES. Several members of the Council have visited Brackenhurst previously to collaborate in projects using the campus Poultry Research Unit (opened in January 2009) but many first time visitors commented on the lovely setting for the meeting. The strong environmental ethos of Brackenhurst seems to have permeated the Council meeting as they discussed themes for their next symposium in 2013; settling on "sustainable poultry production".

‘What Next?’ - 18 October Newark and Sherwood Careers Event 2011

2011-10-15T04:18:00.000-07:00

The marketing team will be busy again on Tuesday at the:

‘What Next?’ - Newark and Sherwood Careers Event 2011

Tuesday 18 October 2011 – The Dome and Carriage Court, Kelham Hall

The ‘What Next?’ - Newark and Sherwood Careers Event 2011 is aimed at year 11 students who are in the initial stages of planning their future careers and to parents and carers who will be supporting their decisions.

In its third successful year this annual convention is a fantastic opportunity for students and parents to meet training providers and professionals in their chosen industries and take part in interactive activities, games, quizzes and taster sessions and get loads of information about their ideal careers.

The event is split into two parts. During the day over 1000 year 11 students from all five secondary schools in the district will be attending. In the evening, from 4.30pm to 7pm doors will open to secondary school students in all years and their parents / carers; no pre-booking needed for the evening event.

The event is supported by further and higher education institutions, training organisations, local employers, public services, The Newark Advertiser, Newark College and Newark and Sherwood District Council.

Exhibitors at the event will include:

• Further Education - Brackenhurst Campus (Nottingham Trent University)

Newark College, West Nottinghamshire College, Bilborough College, New College Nottingham, South Nottingham College,

• Higher Education - Nottingham Trent University, University of Nottingham + School of Nursing, University of Lincoln
• Business Support – Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce

• Public services – all armed forces, IRC Morton Hall, Nottinghamshire County Council

• Student support services – Connexions, CASY

• Private training providers – ESG (Triangle), Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX), CITB Construction Skills, Charnwood Training, ISIS Training

• Local Businesses – UK Waste Solutions, Timico Ltd, The NE Group, Newark Advertiser, Derry Building Services Ltd, The Area Strategic Group.

For more information about the event contact Amy Myroshnychenko at Newark College on 01522 876277 or e-mail enquiries@whatnextnewark.org.uk

Brackenhurst wind turbine application backed by Southwell Town Council

2011-10-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

At a packed meeting in the Southwell Courthouse there were plenty of opinions expressed - for and against wind turbines - and the Brackenhurst planning application for two 65m turbines on the estate. The different view points were extremely well articulated from all sides but it was particularly good to hear from the younger members of the Southwell community in the If Not, Then What? group which has been so active in marshalling support for this renewable energy initiative. As they left the Courthouse they said how pleased they were that their opinons had been listened to ...

The motion to oppose the planning application was defeated and a new motion - to support the application with the proviso that the community involvement be made a condition of any eventual approval - was passed by 8 votes to 3. The application will now progress to Newark and Sherwood District Council ....

The Idle Lowlands! Hodsock Priory visit

2011-10-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Idle Lowlands are a `landscape policy zone' which includes the Hodsock Priory estate on the Nottinghamshire/ South Yorkshire border. On a tour with Sir Andrew Buchanan we watched the last two cricket bat willows being felled from the riverside to make room for the next crop of willows which is already well established

The historic house is very characterful with a Tudor gatehouse and Georgian, Victorian and 21st century wings - all now used for weddings. The farm is predominantly arable on sandy soils with small patches of woodland which Sir Andrew has restocked with native species as part of the estates's Higher Level Stewardship scheme. The arable manager was a Brackenhurst student from the 1970s...I need to check if he is a member of BOSA...he certainly doesn't get much chance to be idle at this time of year as was out ploughing until dark after setting up the irrigation on the latest crop of parsnips....

What Next? Careers and Opportunities Fair at Harvey Hadden Stadium Nottingham

2011-10-04T23:34:00.000-07:00

NTU's stand is proving popular at the Opportunities Fair at Harvey Hadden Sports Stadium organised by Connexions Nottingham. This is running on Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th October. On Wednesday the Schools' Session runs from 9-5pm and the Fair is open to the public from 5-8pm. Organisers are expecting up to eight thousand teenagers and parents to attend - I'm sure our Marketing Team will relish the challenge!

More information from...

http://www.sortitonline.com/learning/what-next-opportunities-fair/

"The event showcases major employers, Universities and FE Colleges, who will be raising awareness of the opportunities available to Year 11s. In addition to the daytime school sessions, students and parents/carers are welcome to come along to the evening sessions. Besides talking to Connexions advisers about your son or daughter, there’s free careers advice for adults too from Connexions."

Brackenhurst Old Students' Meeting

2011-10-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight's meeting of BOSA (Brackenhurst Old Students' Association) was another indication of how supportive our Alumni are of all our activities. Apart from finalising plans for the annual lunch in March - which takes some organising as hundreds attend, there was useful discussion about how to keep the database of ex-students and staff up to date in conjunction with the University's Alumni Office. The head of the Alumni Office Tim Cobb, came to Brackenhurst last week with several of his staff to better understand some of our priorities for support from the Alumni Fund and benefactors.

Steve Knott, Tim Cobb, Steven Barwell, Fiona Fowkes

I was able to give them - and tonight's committee - an update on all our current projects - and the strong recruitment this year to all the School's courses. We also talked about the new library proposals and about some of our ideas for heritage conservation projects on the estate. These include the planting of traditional Nottinghamshire apple varieties to help ensure they are actively conserved and a proposed bid with the MA in Museums and Heritage Management to restore some of the old farm buildings.

You can keep up with BOSA and Brackenhurst activity on Facebook now thanks to Sarah Hallam!

Societies "Fair" a great success

2011-09-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

The sunny weather added to the festive atmosphere at Brackenhurst this week as the front lawn was transformed into a fairground for the Societies Fair. The dodgems were reputedly very popular although i missed them again this year - maybe next!

The Students' Union did a fine job bringing together all the numerous groups and societies open to students across the University and I look forward to working with Andy Schulten SU President, Toby and the rest of the SU committee at Brack this year. You can also see from the pictures that the grounds are looking superb at the moment and it is good to see students making themselves at home.

Welcome to NTU at the Concert Hall, Nottingham

2011-09-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

VC's address

A great turn out from new Brackenhurst students at the Welcome to NTU event this morning - they certainly made themselves heard! The organisers put together a very slick event and the hardest task for presenters was to keep within our time slots - there is so much we want to say to new students as they start their University career...

James and Sarah backstage keeping it all running!

At Brackenhurst we are setting up a new Student Forum this year to give plenty of opportunity to share ideas and get student input to on-going developments.

Students please note the date of the first meeting is October 19th!

The opening of the new buildings for the Nottingham Academy

2011-09-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

A fantastic event this morning - I was delighted to attend the formal opening of the new buildings for the Nottingham Academy, with Dr. Gill Scott, NTU's Dean of Education. The Rt Hon Michael Gove, MP, Secretary of State for Education, opened the Academy with a resounding endorsement of the vision realised by the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust and its Chief Executive Barry Day. My student guides, Levi and Umar were true ambassadors who were genuinely proud of their new school and very well informed about its character and ambition. Seeing the Academy in full swing - having visited it as a building site - was a remarkable experience - and one which filled me with hope and optimism.

Barry Day OBE, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Jackie Simpson, Exec Principal, Lynda Valentine, Head of School, Primary Phase

Schoolwide Meeting: looking ahead to the new term with confidence

2011-09-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

As the room filled up this afternoon for the first Schoolwide Meeting of the new academic year the energy and enthusiasm of many of our School staff was great to see. We started by discussing how the external environment this year may challenge both their enthusiam and their energy levels - anyone involved in HE will be well aware what issues there are to resolve!

However, we covered some useful ground today - and focused very much on ensuring the student experience at NTU's Brackenhurst campus is as academically stimulating and personally rewarding as we can make it. Input from colleagues updated staff on our well-regarded quality processes, assessment procedures and the knowledge we have about our students and their needs - and wants! We identified where student feedback had been addressed - particularly in relation to resources - and where we could improve even more. Finally, the plans for a new library are starting to crystallise for a central location on campus - giving Brackenhurst an even stronger academic heart.

An energetic conference: "Energy and People" hosted by Oxford University, organised by the UKERC Meeting Place

2011-09-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

Tuesday and Wednesday this week brought the opportunity for great discussions about how to approach the challenges of reducing energy use, decarbonising electricity generation and transmission - and tackling inequalities in terms of access to energy. Talks ranged from the very technical to the sociological, addressing every level of concern from local to international. The poster I presented - of work with Dr. Jenny Rogers and colleagues from the University of Cumbria - was very well received - lots of questions and interest in the use of Action Research in energy studies. The poster focused on 3 rural "energy communities" in Cumbria - each of which was seeking a more sustainable - and affordable - solution to its energy needs.

POSTER ABSTRACT

Using Action Research to understand change in energy practices

Direct and indirect energy consumption rarely results from people taking conscious decisions about ‘energy’ – instead most consumption tends to be shaped by lifestyle decisions, determined by norms for attitude and behaviour and individual aspirations, values, habits and socio-economic circumstances. From this perspective, understanding socio-cultural environments and processes - and how they may be altered - is key to achieving goals of transition to low carbon energy systems.

This paper proposes that action research (AR) offers an appropriate philosophy and tools for this task and explains why, providing examples of how AR approaches could be used in this field. Firstly, energy practices and the influences of social context in a given situation are inherently complex and unique – they are not amenable to study via controlled comparisons and potential for generalisation is limited. AR philosophy acknowledges this, beginning from the premise that people are reflective actors and hence that solutions to social problems are likely to be highly context specific. Secondly, AR is concerned not only with generating social science, but also social change – it is underpinned by the principle of ‘learning by doing’, achieved through successive cycles of observation, planning, action and reflection. Thirdly, AR methods are underpinned by the principle of democracy – research should be carried out ‘with rather than on’ participants, who are involved in shaping the research agenda and ensure the process generates knowledge of relevance to their own needs and interests.

AR has rarely been used to study energy practices, being more typically undertaken in health and social care, community development or education situations where there are clear normative goals, e.g. improving public health. However, the recent emergence of numerous grassroots sustainability initiatives aiming to create favourable social contexts for change to more sustainable energy practices suggests this is a normative goal for many people, which they have independently identified as relevant to their own lives. The principles of AR listed above have clear synergies with such initiatives and provide an appropriate framework for working with participants to understand their particular influence. We discuss practical approaches to using AR methods in this type of setting.

Investment in the Campus - equine facilities go green!

2011-09-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

A first view of the 100kW photovoltaic panels on the new roof to equine indoor arena. This complete refurbishment will give us a superb teaching and research facility - and it is a key part of our Low Carbon Campus programme. With NTU as the number one "environmentally responsible university" in the UK, we have an on-going commitment to sustainability - and to getting our own house in order...

Open Day September 17th 2011

2011-09-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

A really successful open day with hundreds of people visiting to see our facilities, meet the staff and most importantly meet our students to discuss their experience here at Nottingham Trent University's Brackenhurst Campus. It was great to see everyone enjoying the music and the barbeque in our fantastic grounds - and I am pretty sure we will see some of them again in Autumn 2012 judging by how long they stayed!

One visitor wrote

I would just also like to say that we both really enjoyed your Open Day, the Campus certainly has a lovely ‘feel’ about the place – and everyone we met within the Team including the Students were so enthusiastic – a credit to everyone involved.

Come and see for yourself on October 15, 2011 - book in on the NTU site!

The end of the Summer -- Southwell Harvest Festival

2011-09-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

As a fitting tribute to the end of one agricultural cycle and the start of a new academic one, NTU Brackenhurst horticulture staff created a fantastic display in nearby Southwell Minster for their Harvest Festival. I represented the University at the service - together with our Academic Enterprise Manager Vic Hird who runs the Rural Knowledge & Enterprise Centre and oversees the campus farm. It was a really enjoyable community event and proves once again how fortunate the campus is to have such a cultural gem on the doorstep.