The Open University

Mysterious red spots on Mercury get names – but what are they?

23 April 2018

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, but far from being a dull cinder of a world, it has instead turned out to be a real eye opener for geologists. Among the revelations by NASA’s MESSENGER probe, which first flew past Mercury in 2008 and orbited it between 2011 and 2015, is the discovery […]

Local businesses receive support to embrace digital economy

18 April 2018

The Open University (OU) has received a £2.4 million research grant to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the South East Midlands region as they embrace the digital economy. Thanks to the European Regional Development Fund (EDRF) grant, the CityLabs consortium led by the OU will enhance research and innovation infrastructure already supporting economic […]

OU research to support small businesses in boosting the UK space industry

18 April 2018

The Open University (OU) is part of a consortium of UK universities and organisations to be awarded almost £5 million to support small businesses in enhancing innovation and research in the UK space industry. The grant of £4.8 million from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will provide small and medium-sized businesses with […]

From cleaner to environment manager, Faye says her degree is “so worth it”

13 April 2018

Faye Tester went from being a cleaner at a gas distribution firm, SGN, and an extra on TV, to supporting the management of the company’s environmental compliance and procedures. She completely changed her life and says that, if it wasn’t for her Environmental Management and Technology degree with The Open University, she would never have […]

New ‘snap evaporation’ process controls how liquids dry

11 April 2018

Scientists at The Open University (OU) and Northumbria University have discovered a new process called ‘snap evaporation’ – that controls how liquid droplets dry by adjusting their shape and size. This is important because it could affect many everyday tasks, such as minimising watermarks on cars and removing heat from microprocessors within smartphones and computers. […]

7 things you should know about cyber security

6 April 2018

When we think of cyber security many of us think it only relates to big organisations. But our computers, modern TVs, smart phones, tablets, and even some of our household utilities all connect to the internet enabling potential access to our personal data. Knowing how to protect yourself against a cyber-attack can seem overwhelming. Senior […]

Moon offers clues to life beyond our solar system

28 March 2018

You might think that comparing rocks from the Earth and the Moon would be like comparing chalk and cheese, but new research led by academics at the OU has discovered that in many ways, they are almost the same. What’s so great about that? As lead author and Research Fellow, Dr Richard Greenwood, explains this […]

“The Open University was never seen as a lesser choice”

27 March 2018

Bass guitar player in The Franklys Zoe Biggs, 29 from Milton Keynes, attended a few traditional university open days whilst studying her A-Levels. But she was unsure about what career path she wanted, and didn’t want to get into debt studying something she might not then use in the future. An extra level of motivation […]

Mount Etna is ‘sliding into the sea and it’s unstoppable’

26 March 2018

Scientists at The Open University have discovered that the most active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna, is gradually sliding into the Mediterranean sea. Although scientists have seen sections of volcanoes move before, this is the first time they have observed the movement of an entire volcano. Using 11 years of GPS measurements from all over […]

Research recommends united action to attract more women into IT leadership

20 March 2018

An OU research project finds there are continuing barriers to overcome to get women better represented in highly-skilled positions in UK Information Technology (IT), with lessons to be learned from their counterparts in India. The global IT sector is characterised by low participation of women, with the UK being no exception. Many attempts have been […]

OU News

Category: Science, maths, computing and technology