The Open University

Not just a meadow…

3 July 2020

On the eve of National Meadows Day, David Gowing, Professor of Botany at The Open University, explains why floodplain meadows are important and not just a thing of beauty. Floodplain meadows are the kind of places you visit to reflect, reminisce and become inspired. They blossom in April, May and June and come alive with […]

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International scientists discover a pair of dancing planets

2 July 2020

An international team of scientists, including Professor Carole Haswell and Dr Ulrich Kolb of The Open University (OU), have discovered two, giant planets interacting near each other, in a gravitational dance. The planets, detected by the Wide Area Search for Planets (WASP) project, feel each other’s gravity and, as a result, speed up and slow […]

Survey reveals strong OU graduate employment results

30 June 2020

Results from the first Graduate Outcomes survey show OU graduates succeeding in the jobs market. More than three-quarters (76%) of OU graduates in the 2017/18 academic year were employed or doing voluntary work between 2018 and 2019, according to a new Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) study. The inaugural Graduate Outcomes survey also reveals that […]

OU Law students develop chatbots to support the public with domestic abuse, injunctions and legal aid

29 June 2020

Law students from The Open University have been working with legal automation platform, Josef, to develop a series of chatbots to support the public with legal issues such as domestic abuse and injunctions. The Open University’s Open Justice Centre has been working with Josef since February this year, making the OU the first UK university […]

Super-Earth planets detected orbiting nearby star

26 June 2020

A system of super-Earth planets – possibly rocky worlds, but larger than Earth – has been detected orbiting the nearby star Gliese 887. An international team of astronomers, including Professor Carole Haswell and Dr John Barnes of The Open University, made the discovery as part of Red Dots, a project to detect terrestrial planets close […]

‘The OU helped me to become a published author!’

24 June 2020

“I always dreamed of becoming an author,” says OU graduate Shereen. “But it wasn’t something I realised again until I had taken time off from my banking career.” Shereen had been working in London’s Canary Wharf when she met her husband and took some time off to raise her family. After her break from banking, […]

A new journey for disabled veterans like Daniel

21 June 2020

After joining the Army at just 16 years old, OU student Daniel Bingley was flying high in a military career when a terrible injury turned his world upside down. “In 2012, I was injured in Iraq following an explosion,” Daniel tells us. “It seriously damaged my ears and I still really struggle with my hearing.” […]

From the forces to the courtroom: Kate’s story

19 June 2020

When Kate Moth was medically discharged from the Army in 2016, she began doubting her sense of self and had no idea what she was supposed to do next. Fast forward a few years and Kate is now studying Law through The Open University’s Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund. As someone who always wants to help […]

OU researchers develop free software set to revolutionise physiotherapy

18 June 2020

Researchers from The Open University (OU), in collaboration with Cardiff University, have developed free software to monitor movement in people recovering from lower limb injury or surgery. OU PhD student Riasat Islam in collaboration with Dr Mohammad Al-Amri, Dr Mohamed Bennasar and Professor Blaine Price created a custom prototype, known as MoJoXlab. The movement analysis […]

Newly detected green light similar to the Aurora Borealis observed around Mars

15 June 2020

Open University (OU) scientists, as part of an international team, have identified a never-before-seen, green glow surrounding Mars with the same characteristics as the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. Using the NOMAD-UVIS instrument onboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), a joint space mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos, […]

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