The Open University

A Perfect Planet: far reaching series set to air in New Year

19 December 2020

Can we really live in a perfect world? A Perfect Planet is a new, five-part natural history series co-produced by The Open University and the BBC, which explains why the Earth is just right for life, so long as we look after it. The series, set to air from Sunday 3 January 2021 at 8pm […]

Millions of electric cars will need charging in future – but how?

17 December 2020

Miguel Valdez, Lecturer in Technology and Innovation Management, Matthew Cook, Professor Innovation and Stephen Potter, Professor of Transport Strategy at The Open University discuss the future of electric cars in the UK and explains their research into wireless charging for cars. One consequence of Brexit is that Britain will desperately need a modernising industrial strategy. […]

EU court case sees British citizen seek post-Brexit rights in France

8 December 2020

Anne Wesemann, Senior Lecturer in Law, at The Open University, writes about how British citizens living abroad face uncertainty with Brexit, with hopes pinned on one particular court case. A UK citizen who has been living in France for 36 years has brought a case to the Court of Justice of the European Union that […]

Bees, birdsong and butterflies: public connects with nature during lockdown

1 December 2020

Whether it’s listening to birdsong, strolling along leafy paths or just staring upwards at a cloud arrangement, many of us have become struck by nature’s beauty in 2020. OU Pollinator Watch is a citizen science social project which ran on the award-winning nQuire platform as part of BBC2’s Springwatch and went live during the first […]

Mars colony: how to make breathable air and fuel from brine – new research

1 December 2020

David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences, at The Open University, discusses new research from Washington University, which suggests that oxygen can be made on Mars using salty water found on the red planet. NASA is planning to land a crew on the Moon by 2024, and then onward to Mars, possibly in the 2030s. One […]

OU academic takes on running challenge to raise awareness of domestic violence

26 November 2020

Anna Hopkins, Lecturer in Policing Organisation and Practice at The Open University, is undertaking an epic challenge by running 125 miles to raise awareness of domestic violence and raise money for AAFDA – Advocacy After Domestic Abuse – a charity that supports victims’ families. Throughout November Anna is completing three ten mile runs a week […]

NHS award for Open University nursing apprenticeships

26 November 2020

A partnership between The Open University , Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has won the 2020 North East and Yorkshire NHS Parliamentary Award for Wellbeing at Work. The Future You Partnership was launched in September this year, providing an apprenticeship route for both experienced and aspiring healthcare workers in Leeds to […]

The Open University scoops two Guardian University Awards

25 November 2020

The Open University (OU) today won two awards after being shortlisted as a finalist in the prestigious Guardian University Awards 2020, which showcases some of the best work from across the Higher Education sector. The OU was selected as the winner in the categories of Research Impact and Widening Access and Outreach by a panel […]

OU’s new microcredential supports with accessible and inclusive online learning to disabled students

20 November 2020

The Open University (OU) has launched a new short course in its suite of microcredentials, designed to help education and training professionals across the world to plan, design and deliver accessible and inclusive online learning to students with disabilities. Online Teaching: Accessibility and Inclusive Learning, will be hosted on the OU’s FutureLearn platform and is open […]

Ariel space mission moves one step closer to reality

17 November 2020

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) exoplanet mission Ariel, set to launch in 2029, has moved from study to implementation phase. Ariel, also known as the Atmospheric remote-sensing infrared exoplanet large-survey mission, will study what exoplanets are made of, how they are formed and how they evolve, by surveying a diverse sample of around 1000 planetary […]

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