The Open University

From football apprentice to OU graduate and beyond

15 April 2021

Dominic Ball, 25, of Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire, came to The Open University (OU) after completing a football apprenticeship. He has now graduated in more ways than one: to professional footballer and, recently, OU scholar, joining the Class of 2020. The Queens Park Rangers defensive midfielder successfully completed a BA (Hons) in Business Studies. It […]

Art competition launched to highlight the plight of the nation’s floodplain meadows

12 April 2021

Budding artists of all ages are being asked to take part in a national arts and crafts competition to help raise awareness of the UK’s diminishing floodplain meadows. The OU and the Floodplain Meadows Partnership have launched the competition encouraging people to visit a local floodplain and create a piece of art that represents the […]

Greta Thunberg: A Year To Change The World

9 April 2021

“I don’t want you to listen to me, I want you to listen to the science,” says Greta Thunberg in the first episode of a new three-part documentary, co-produced by The Open University (OU) and the BBC. The series, set to air from Monday 12 April 2021 at 9pm on BBC One, follows climate activist […]

Is your business agile? OU’s new microcredential designed to upskill managers and leaders

6 April 2021

Leaders are having to learn to adapt to increasingly complex and uncertain environments. As we adjust to ‘the new normal’, many leaders and managers will need to develop their skills to motivate and empower teams, and build resilience and sustainability. The Open University (OU) in collaboration with the Agile Business Consortium is launching a new 12-week […]

The best of both worlds – working and studying cyber security with the OU

24 March 2021

Pierce Holland was at a crossroads in his life at 18. He had a been offered a place at university, but the subjects he was going to study didn’t excite him. His employer offered him a managerial role and his parents wanted him to work. Then a conversation with an old school teacher led him […]

Funding award supports OU partnership to protect climate and restore floodplain meadows

22 March 2021

The OU’s Floodplain Meadows Partnership has won a substantial grant from Ecover to help restore and protect 50 hectares of floodplain meadows along the banks of the River Thames in Oxfordshire. The team, which includes scientists from the OU and partners; Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust and Long Mead Local Wildlife Site, will work […]

Ice, sand and the spiders from Mars in the laboratory

19 March 2021

Open University researchers have recreated the formation of spider-like patterns on Mars in their laboratory, which provides the first physical evidence that these features can be formed by a unique process unlike anything seen on Earth. In a paper published in Nature Scientific Reports, led by OU Postdoctoral Research Associate, Dr Lauren McKeown, the team […]

The Disabled Veterans Scholarship Fund opens for applications

18 March 2021

Now in its fourth year, The Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund is once again open for applications offering 50 free study places at The Open University to individuals injured whilst in military service. So far the OU has given 160 scholarships helping veterans from a variety of service backgrounds who have a range of complex health […]

BBC/OU Co-Pro unveils the undiscovered life in sewage

18 March 2021

A fascinating look into the world of sewage and how scientists are searching for ways to upcycle human waste comes to our television screens this week. The Secret Science of Sewage a BBC/Open University co-production, explores the biology, chemistry, and history of feces – looking inside the tanks of one of the UK’s largest and […]

OU scientist with meteorite fragment in his hand

Unimaginable: The first scientist to confirm and identify extremely rare meteorite that fell to Earth

9 March 2021

Just over a week ago on Sunday 28th February at about 10pm a bright fireball lit up the sky. This was seen by over 1,000 eyewitnesses across the UK and northern Europe and the event was captured on meteor cameras and home surveillance systems. This created a flurry of excitement in the hunt for any […]

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