The Open University

OU research supports police safe driving campaign

10 March 2020

Research by an OU psychology academic has helped produce a toolkit of resources for police forces to use in a campaign for safer driving. The social media toolkit is to educate and enforce the law against mobile phone use by drivers. Dr Gemma Briggs, senior lecturer in psychology, provided evidence based on her research on […]

Why I’m celebrating women and equality

8 March 2020

The Open University’s Deputy Vice-chancellor Josie Fraser reflects on why International Women’s Day is so important to her. “The world is celebrating International Women’s Day. An apt time to recognise women’s achievement and promoting an equal and enabled world, all of which is important to me. “A lot of my work choices are based around […]

How you can tell Emmanuel Macron is actually a populist – and why it matters

5 March 2020

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, came to power in 2017 in the wake of the election of Donald Trump in the US and the Brexit referendum – widely seen as a period of crisis that pitted populism against liberal democracy. At the time, Macron presented himself as a defender of liberalism against the dangers […]

Series puts images into focus

3 March 2020

A fascinating look at how the image has developed across the ages and transformed our lives comes to television screens in March 2020. The Age of the Image, a BBC/Open University co-production, tells the chronological and thematic history of the image right from the early 20th century, through commercialisation and up to today’s digitalised world. […]

OU digital experts showcase blockchain technology at IoC Conference

26 February 2020

Tech experts from The Open University pilot blockchain-verified badges at this year’s Institute of Coding (IoC) Conference. The IoC, a coalition of universities and employers working together to respond to the UK’s digital skills gap, hosted its second annual conference this week (24 – 25 February 2020). Conference attendees were given delegate badges with blockchain […]

Katherine Johnson: NASA mathematician and much-needed role model

25 February 2020

Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at The Open University writes for The Conversation about NASA mathematician, Katherine Johnson. Katherine Johnson, who has died at the age of 101, was an amazing woman. But up until a few years ago, hardly anyone had heard of her or her achievements. She was a mathematician […]

Mars quakes: The InSight lander shows active faults in the planet’s crust

25 February 2020

David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences at The Open University writes for The Conversation about NASA’s Mars Insight probe. Most space missions investigate the surface or atmosphere of a body. But NASA’s InSight probe, which landed on Mars in November 2018, is different – it is the first mission dedicated to studying the interior structure […]

OU researcher calls for national approach to end rough sleeping in bins

24 February 2020

Growing numbers of rough sleepers in the UK have given rise to people taking shelter in bins, which OU research finds is putting their lives in danger. An Open University (OU) environmental researcher is urging waste producers, homelessness services and waste operators to help put a stop to this life-threatening practice. Dr Toni Gladding, Senior […]

Why the most distant object ever visited looks like a snowman – flyby delivers results

17 February 2020

Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at The Open University writes for The Conversation about a new series of papers that help us better understand the solar system. Just over a year ago, courtesy of NASA’s New Horizons mission, we were treated to images of 2014MU69, a small object 6.6 billion kilometers from the […]

Ancient spells and charms for the hapless in love

14 February 2020

PhD Student at The Open University, Adam Parker writes for The Conversation about ancient love spells and charms. Valentine’s Days is not all love hearts and roses for everyone. For the hapless in love, the day can be a yearly reminder of failed romances, unrequited love and the seemingly unending search for the illusive “one”. Such […]

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