OU News

News from The Open University

Building a net zero carbon construction industry

Building a net zero carbon construction industry

A team of experts developing UK’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (NZCBS) has launched a call for evidence to help inform the development of the Standard which aims to transform the construction industry. Once created, the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard will provide a single agreed definition for the industry to determine what constitutes […]

Read more about Building a net zero carbon construction industry

New BBC ideas collection co-produced by the OU aims to answer Life’s Big Questions

New BBC ideas collection co-produced by the OU aims to answer Life’s Big Questions

A brand-new collection of BBC ideas videos, featuring six co-produced by The Open University, have launched on BBC iPlayer. The new collection branded ‘Life’s Big Questions’, can be seen here on iPlayer. The OU co-produced videos included in the collection are: Are we thinking about alien life all wrong? Professor Brian Cox explains the ‘panspermia’ […]

Read more about New BBC ideas collection co-produced by the OU aims to answer Life’s Big Questions

What can we expect from Elon Musk’s Twitterverse?

What can we expect from Elon Musk’s Twitterverse?

It would be hard to avoid the news of Twitter’s acquisition by billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk as the sale has certainly not been drama-free. The acquisition was officially completed on 27 October, and Musk immediately fired top Twitter executives including CEO Parag Agrawal, whom he replaced with himself. One of his first announced policy […]

Read more about What can we expect from Elon Musk’s Twitterverse?

‘An OU degree gives you the opportunity to work around the world’

‘An OU degree gives you the opportunity to work around the world’

When choosing her next step after college, Talia from South Africa says The Open University was the perfect fit. Now a proud graduate, 22-year-old Talia is using the skills she developed through her BSc (Honours) Open degree to get ahead in her consultancy career. “I look at where I am in my life at 22 […]

Read more about ‘An OU degree gives you the opportunity to work around the world’

Academic opinion: So why is it that we like being scared?

Academic opinion: So why is it that we like being scared?

Philosophers have puzzled for years why we sit through films that make us scream in terror yet have us laughing moments later. With Hallowe’en just around the corner, Derek Matravers, Professor of Philosophy at The Open University, ponders why some people love the experience and seek out more while others hate it. So what kind […]

Read more about Academic opinion: So why is it that we like being scared?

Expert comment on Mr Sunak’s first few days as PM

Expert comment on Mr Sunak’s first few days as PM

Dr Richard Heffernan is a Reader in Government who specialises in British politics at The Open University. Here he gives his opinion on the new Prime Minister, his cabinet and his first Prime Minister’s Question Time. Is Rishi Sunak the right man for the job? That’s in the eye of the beholder. It depends on […]

Read more about Expert comment on Mr Sunak’s first few days as PM

OU academic urges community involvement as the Japanese Government prepares to release ‘treated water’ from nuclear plant, Fukushima

OU academic urges community involvement as the Japanese Government prepares to release ‘treated water’ from nuclear plant, Fukushima

While over a decade has passed since the accident at the Fukushima Dai’ichi nuclear power plant in Japan, the most contentious aspect of bringing the site under control is only just beginning. The Japanese Government has now approved plant operator TEPCO’s plan to release treated water into the Pacific Ocean from 2023, provoking concern across […]

Read more about OU academic urges community involvement as the Japanese Government prepares to release ‘treated water’ from nuclear plant, Fukushima

FBL Student and Alumni Awards huge success

FBL Student and Alumni Awards huge success

For the first time in three years the Faculty of Business and Law (FBL) was able to hold its annual Student and Alumni Awards in the flesh – without covid restrictions – and organisers called it an ‘inspirational’ event. It was held on campus in Milton Keynes and offered the chance for many students and […]

Read more about FBL Student and Alumni Awards huge success

Pensions: how yours may have been affected by recent market turmoil

Pensions: how yours may have been affected by recent market turmoil

Jonquil Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Economics and Personal Finance at The Open University, explains how pensions have been affected by former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini budget and his replacement’s U-turn. The early signs are that the financial markets have been appeased by the government’s October 17 decision to reverse two-thirds of its September mini-budget tax […]

Read more about Pensions: how yours may have been affected by recent market turmoil

‘My OU MBA has given me a voice’ says charity CEO

‘My OU MBA has given me a voice’ says charity CEO

Maria, 54, is the CEO of sustainable clothing charity TRAID and credits her Open University MBA qualification with helping her boost her career even further. She’s now focused on using her skills to encourage the next generation of CEOs to champion environmental issues. Maria shares her story so far: “I went to a comprehensive school […]

Read more about ‘My OU MBA has given me a voice’ says charity CEO

Page 62 of 236