OU News

News from The Open University

Telescope in space

OU receives slice of £1m Government funding to enhance space technology

The Open University (OU) is leading on one of five UK space projects awarded over £1 million by the Government as part of its efforts to boost international innovation. The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) International is the first fund dedicated to supporting the UK space sector through collaborations with international partners, designed to contribute […]

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The Disabled Veterans Scholarship Fund opens for applications

The Disabled Veterans Scholarship Fund opens for applications

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 […]

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Hands connected in a heart shape

Scholarship and bursary support for Carers

The Open University’s Carers Scholarships Fund, which offers 10 successful applicants with funding to complete a full undergraduate qualification* of their choice, opens for applications from today. This year also sees the introduction of the Carers Bursary – a £250 award to support registered students with study costs. Carers Scholarships Fund The pandemic has seen […]

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

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

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 […]

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Pregnant woman with hands on her stomach

Truth about surrogacy explored in new series

The first episode of a new series exploring the reality of surrogacy starts tonight (17 March) on BBC One at 10:45pm. Co-produced by the BBC and The Open University’s (OU) Broadcast and Partnerships team, Surrogates is a three-part documentary, which follows the experiences of five young British women, all embarking on a complex journey to […]

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Fukushima: ten years on from the disaster, was Japan’s response right?

Fukushima: ten years on from the disaster, was Japan’s response right?

by William Nuttall, professor of energy, The Open University and Philip Thomas, professor of risk management, University of Bristol The world saw something never before caught on camera on March 12, 2011: an explosion ripping the roof off a nuclear power plant – Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi. The blast wasn’t actually nuclear, it was the result of […]

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Fireball falling to Earth.

How scientists found rare fireball meteorite pieces on a UK driveway – and what it could teach us

by Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary Sciences, The Open University As people in the UK were settling down to watch the late evening news on February 28, a fresh news story, quite literally, appeared in the night sky. A large and very bright fireball was seen over southern England and northern France at 21:54 GMT. […]

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Child looking at tablet computer

Digital picture books could harm young children’s learning

A comprehensive meta-analysis of prior research has found that children aged 1-8 are less likely to understand picture books when they read the digital, versus print version. However, when digital picture books contain the right enhancements that reinforce the story content, they outperform their print counterparts. The results were published today in Review of Educational […]

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OU scientist with meteorite fragment in his hand

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

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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Teacher leaning over students with computer tablets

Tip top teaching – free resources to enhance classroom skills

With the return of children to school, teaching professionals need to be fully prepped for the busy and bustling classroom. The Open University’s free learning site, OpenLearn has created two dedicated resource hubs to support and develop subject and pedagogical knowledge for primary school teachers and teaching assistants, including a wide range of articles and […]

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