The Open University

Our State funerals and how they’ve changed

21 September 2022

It’s estimated that 4 billion people around the world watched Queen Elizabeth’s funeral with many royal commentators and, no doubt, the public marvelling at the planning that went into the pageantry of this historic event. It was with much precision and practise, decades of practise we are told, that the Queen’s coffin arrived at Westminster […]

OU publishes new whitepaper to help businesses encourage social mobility

20 September 2022

The Open University (OU) has collaborated with TrainingZone to publish a new whitepaper which highlights the importance of Learning and Development teams in enabling social mobility. The author is Jessica Leigh Jones MBE, a multi-award-winning engineer and entrepreneur based in Wales. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of iungo Solutions, a technology start-up developing immersive […]

Her Majesty The Queen, 1926 – 2022

14 September 2022

First published Thursday 8 September The Open University is saddened to learn of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen and joins people across the world in expressing our condolences to the Royal Family. Her Majesty granted The Open University its Royal Charter in 1969 and visited its Milton Keynes campus with the […]

Famous astrophysicist passes but his equation for alien intelligence is more important than ever

12 September 2022

David Rothery is a Professor of Planetary Geosciences at The Open University and here he talks about the passing of American astrophysicist Frank Drake and the legacy he left the universe. First published in The Conversation. How many intelligent civilisations should there be in our galaxy right now? In 1961, the US astrophysicist Frank […]

Journey through our breath-taking, icy world in BBC/OU series, Frozen Planet II

12 September 2022

Legendary nature historian, Sir David Attenborough, narrates the highly anticipated Frozen Planet II in a stunning new series co-produced by the BBC and The Open University (OU). Following on from Frozen Planet released in 2011, the series began on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 8.00pm on Sunday 11th September. We’re invited to observe life […]

‘I thought I’d lose my mind to grief, then I found the OU’

5 September 2022

In the summer of 2016, Helen’s life changed overnight after the sudden loss of her husband of 31 years. Three months later, feeling lost and looking for a bolthole, Helen started a Classical Studies degree at The Open University. For Helen, what began as a distraction during the most turbulent time in her life became […]

OU academic supports capture of JWST’s first ever direct image of a distant world

1 September 2022

For the first time an international group of researchers, including Dr Mariangela Bonavita of the OU, have used NASA’s JWST to take a direct image of a planet outside our solar system, released by NASA today. The image of the planet, as seen through four different light filters, shows how JWST’s powerful infrared gaze can […]

New BBC Bitesize series lifts the lid on lesser-known healthcare careers

1 September 2022

A new digital series on healthcare careers launches today (1 September) on BBC Bitesize and OU Connect. Co-produced by the BBC and The Open University (OU), the series of ten informative short films delves into the lesser-known roles in the healthcare sector through the eyes of those starting out in their careers and the people […]

‘Designing is the dream – my degree will make it a reality’

30 August 2022

Business owner Mica always felt held back by her lack of qualifications. Now part-way through a Design & Innovation degree with The Open University, Mica says her confidence has sky-rocketed and she’s closer to achieving her dream of becoming a product designer. “Not having a degree was always in the back of my mind,” says […]

OU/BBC co-productions to look out for this Autumn

30 August 2022

2022 has already been a bumper year for OU/BBC co-productions with a variety of content hitting our channels and platforms, such as The Green Planet, The Decade the Rich Won, Freeze, We Are Black and British and Long Live My Happy Head for TV and iPlayer; whilst on Radio and BBC Sounds there has been […]

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