The Open University

Why Donald Trump desperately needs interpreters for his ‘chat’ with Kim

11 June 2018

After months of back-and-forth insults and compliments the US president, Donald Trump, is finally going to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a historic summit in Singapore. It has been hinted that this could be the first of several such meetings, since defusing North Korea’s nuclear strategy will probably take some time. The […]

Global education pioneer Professor Bob Moon awarded CBE

9 June 2018

The OU’s Emeritus Professor of Education Bob Moon has been awarded a CBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his pioneering work in teacher education in developing countries. Lead role in teacher education Formerly a headteacher, Professor Moon joined the OU in 1987 and was instrumental in introducing teacher education and training. The OU’s […]

Medical Detection Dogs at Buckingham Palace

Scientist, and dogs who “sniff for cancer”, meet Her Majesty The Queen

8 June 2018

A group of incredible dogs who detect cancer cells in biological samples accompanied one of the leading animal-computer interaction scientists to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. Head of The Open University Animal-Computer Interaction Lab and Senior Lecturer in Computing and Communications, Dr Clara Mancini, was invited to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the […]

Curriculum changes to attract more students to the OU

6 June 2018

This story was updated on 25 July 2018 The Open University is refreshing its curriculum to introduce new options for students while dropping areas of study which are less popular. The OU proposes to launch 12 new degrees or degree apprenticeships, designed to appeal to a new generation of students, and to withdraw nine currently […]

Can you learn a language with an app? What the research says

5 June 2018

Language learning apps are very popular in app stores worldwide – and are said to be revolutionising language learning. These apps offer opportunities to practise grammar and can be a very rewarding way to learn vocabulary. But there has been discussion about just how effective such apps can be – particularly when it comes to […]

Fuego volcano: the deadly pyroclastic flows that have killed dozens in Guatemala

5 June 2018

Dozens of people have been killed, and with many more missing, after Volcán de Fuego (Fuego) in Guatemala erupted on June 3 2018. In recent years, Fuego has regularly ejected small gas and ash eruptions, which hold little risk to surrounding populations. But Fuego also has a reputation for producing larger explosive eruptions. These larger […]

Spain’s prime minister loses no-confidence vote: what next?

4 June 2018

Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, has been forced to resign by his national parliament, which voted by 180 seats to 169 in favour of a motion of no-confidence in his leadership. The vote indicates that the Spanish electorate’s patience with corruption is at an end – and puts the country on an uncertain path […]

Expert comment: Fuego eruption is not a ‘river of lava’

4 June 2018

Professor David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences, explains more about what is happening in Guatemala: “The cause of most deaths at the current eruption of Fuego (Guatemala) is being widely reported as a ‘river of lava‘. This is probably an inexpert description or a mistranslation. Fuego does not characteristically produce long fluid lava flows like […]

A PhD isn’t possible with three children, is it? Diane would argue otherwise

1 June 2018

Originally from the Isles of Scilly, in 2009, Diane Coral Turner, 42, enrolled on her part-time PhD with The Open University, collaborating with Amersham Hospital and Medical Detection Dogs to develop techniques for diagnosing bladder cancer. After having a child in 2010 and twins in 2012, she wanted a break from study. When her twins […]

Icy dunes on Pluto: spacecraft reveals new details about planet’s surface

1 June 2018

When Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930, he could not have known that he was opening a whole field of science that is only now coming into its own: the study of planetary landscapes, or comparative planetary morphology. Since the announcement of Pluto’s discovery, the body has been a subject of much speculation: even from […]

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