The Open University

What does Brexit mean for UK housing?

20 July 2016

Britain’s housing market is in a sorry state. With house prices forecast to fall, house building grinding to a halt and buyers pulling out of purchases amid job security fears, post-Brexit uncertainty has been worsened by the contrasting “visions” that won the vote. These opposing visions are now evenly represented in Theresa May’s cabinet. The […]

OU joins new search for water on the Moon

13 July 2016

A new mini robotic laboratory going to the south pole of the Moon to search for water could “enable a new wave of human exploration of the Moon and beyond” according to Open University scientist Dr Simeon Barber. The Open University has partnered with leading aerospace company Leonardo-Finmeccanica to develop ProSPA, a miniature robotic laboratory […]

Praise for ground-breaking OU/BBC series following refugees

12 July 2016

Last night saw the first episode of a new BBC2 series which follows the journeys of 70 refugees as they aim to leave conflict or persecution and make their way into Europe. Exodus: Our Journey to Europe was produced in partnership with The Open University, with three leading OU academics acting as consultants on the […]

TV series sheds light on real life journey of refugees

11 July 2016

The subject of refugees and their often dangerous journeys into Europe has barely been out of the news in recent years. Now, a powerful new BBC series – produced in partnership with The Open University – is set to cast a new light on those directly involved. Exodus: Our Journey to Europe charts the journeys […]

‘Urgent action’ needed to protect adult education

6 July 2016

New report sponsored by The Open University calls for cohesive national strategy to protect adult education The first report commissioned by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Adult Education, sponsored by The Open University and conducted by the Institute for Employment Research (IER) at Warwick University, has called for a cohesive national strategy for adult education. […]

Three Open University soapbox scientists in their lab coats

Soapbox Science: Raising the profile of women in science

5 July 2016

A trio of female scientists from the OU will be sharing their love of science at the first ever Milton Keynes Soapbox Science event. Claire Batty, a researcher; Dr Julia Cooke, a lecturer in ecology; and PhD researcher Vibha Srivastava will each ‘stand on their soapboxes’ at Middleton Hall at thecentre:mk in Milton Keynes from […]

Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London, England

Carers pay the heavy price of failing legislation

5 July 2016

A year on from the introduction of the Care Act 2014, a review by the UK’s largest charity for unpaid carers has found that the new act has made little or no difference to the 5.4 million carers in England. The review commissioned by the Carers Trust, led by former care minister Paul Burstow, involved […]

OU showcases pioneering space research at Royal Society exhibition

30 June 2016

The OU will be showcasing the results of its pioneering research from the Rosetta spacecraft at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2016. The comet revealed: Rosetta and Philae at Comet 67P will exhibit research collected from the European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta Mission, and will be supported by the OU and other partners*. OU researchers led […]

OU Vice-Chancellor: Brexit vote highlights social inequality

30 June 2016

The Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, Peter Horrocks, has used a keynote speech to highlight a link between levels of degree attainment and how parts of the UK voted in the referendum. Addressing the Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE) Annual Conference in Belfast, Mr Horrocks called on the government to address the “national […]

Lisa Kaltenegger, Director of the Carl Sagan Institute and Associate Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University, has been name the inaugural recipient of the astrobiology award by The Open University (OU).

OU names first recipient of astrobiology legacy award

29 June 2016

The first recipient of an astrobiology award in memory of the late Professor Barrie Jones – an OU astrobiologist – has been named. Lisa Kaltenegger, Director of the Cornell Carl Sagan Institute and Associate Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University, New York, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Barrie Jones Award. It recognises an […]

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