Reading in the news - Mon 10 Mar

Local residents become citizen scientists: ITV 1 Meridian Thames Valley and Greatest Hits Radio highlight the opportunity for residents to volunteer with the University in monitoring fruit trees to help combat climate change. From our news story: Public match experts in blossom watch - now help track 2025.

#PlanetPartners: working with global partners to protect the environment 

• Daily Asian Age, Katadata and Interia feature Professor Richard Allan (Meteorology) stating that long-term predictions for Arctic sea ice are bleak.
• Diss Express (in print) report Professor Ed Hawkins (Meteorology) climate stripes continue to highlight ongoing global warming without words or numbers.
• NBC San Diego, NBC Miami, and others report on research from the University that indicates that climate change is causing an increase in turbulence during flights.
• RDG Today features Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor discussing the university’s commitment to climate action amid global challenges.

Health and wellbeing

• NDTV, News18, Arstechnica and The Economic Times feature research by Dr Joanna Baker (Ecology) challenging the long-held belief that larger animals are less prone to cancer. United Daily News and Medindia quoted Dr Chris Venditti (Ecology) on the same story. From our news story: Bigger animals get more cancer defying decades-old belief.
• Bayern3 highlights a university study on earworms, showing that people who tried to distract themselves actively took about 40 minutes to get rid of the tune.
• Actual News Magazine features Professor Gunter Kuhnle (Food and Nutritional Sciences), who explains that canned fruits retain their nutritional profile and flavour better than fresh varieties, in some cases.

Food and farming:

• Dairy News Today features Professor Chris Reynolds (Economics), who highlights the potential of feed additives in reducing methane emissions.
• Poultry World highlights a Defra-funded project on dual-purpose poultry led by Dr Elizabeth Rowe (Agri-Food Economics and Marketing) to improve welfare and ecological outcomes.
• Alpha Galileo, EurekAlert and Bioengineer report that the University coordinates the VALOR project, a collaboration of 13 European institutions and global partners from China and Australia, exploring society's reliance on pollinators.

Heritage and culture:

• PBCToday reports that the Natural History Museum announced a new collections, science, and digitisation centre on the University campus.
• BBC Future highlights a collection of ancient time-based riddles, created with input from Professor Helen Parish (History).

Business and society:

• Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, and Windsor Express report on the launch of the Reading Tech Cluster at Henley Business School, aiming to position Maidenhead as a key tech hub.
• Opinion Nigeria highlights the article " War and Peace in the Middle East” by Avi Shlaim, a former Politics lecturer.
• BBC News, The Times, and Nairametrics feature Dr Caroline Baylon, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), emphasising that higher education institutions rely "extensively" on international students.
• Al24 News features a statement by Professor Saeed Bagheri (International Law) on Israeli actions that have been systematically directed against the civilian population of Gaza.
• This Day Live highlights Queen Ronke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi’s global influence in African fashion, supported by partnerships with institutions such as Henley Business School.
• BFM Magazine highlights a 2023 study by the University showing that biophilic design can yield up to £2.70 in value per £1 invested by boosting workplace productivity.
• Daily Star, Derby Telegraph, Mirror Online, Gazette Live, Belfast Live, Grimsby Telegraph, and many more sources mention research by Dr James Reade (Economics) assessing the value of women’s football based on matchday, non-matchday, and TV revenues.

Other coverage:

• Wokingham Today and Reading Today report that Professor Trish Reid (Arts and Communication Design) participated in a Q&A, following a screening of “The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands” which features a band that Professor Reid performed with, in Glasgow, in the 1980s.
• Agenparl reports on their latest podcast, which includes a speed mooting competition at the University of Reading.
• BBC Radio 4 highlights an event organised by researcher Adele Wylie who discussed the need to subsidise events to combat food poverty and improve well-being.
• BBC London 94.9 features Dr Louise Johnson (Evolutionary Genetics) discussing the use of mice to explore the genetics of extinct species, such as the woolly mammoth.
• RDG Today features Professor Michael Fulford (Archaeology), who will lead a series of talks at Reading Museum on the history and abandonment of the ancient Roman town of Silchester

Alumni:

• Economy Today highlights Melina Rafti, General Manager and Board Member of Korantina Homes with a master’s in finance from Henley Business School.
• Woman & Home features Paula Garfield, founder of Deafinitely Theatre, who credits a ‘theatre for the deaf’ course at the University for launching her career in professional theatre.
• Under the Christmas Tree features David Fryer, who holds a BSc (Hons) in Horticulture and advises on pest prevention and irrigation for the Ministry of Agriculture.
• Rotherham Advertiser (in print) highlights Hilda W. Oldham, a suffragist and Reading University doctorate holder, who became a Bath Councillor and author on child psychology.
• BBC Radio Guernsey and BBC Radio Jersey report on Evan Whitson, the 29-year-old captain of the Jersey rugby team, who played rugby at the University.
• The Citizen highlights Susan Namondo, a Cameroonian national who holds bachelor's degrees in animal health, and she encourages women to take leadership roles in development.
• Reading Chronicle, Bracknell News, Slough Observer, and MSN feature Professor Edith Julia Morley, the UK’s first female professor and former professor of English Language at the University of Reading.
• Pudaily highlights Clint Raine, co-owner of Belvedere and Partner Ltd, and Henley Business School MSc graduate, who mentors MBA students and corporate clients.