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News from The Open University

OU academic uncovers evidence that objects in James Webb Space Telescope’s mirrors are closer than they appear

OU academic uncovers evidence that objects in James Webb Space Telescope’s mirrors are closer than they appear

Stephen Serjeant, Professor of Astronomy at The Open University (OU), and Dr Tom Bakx from Chalmers University in Sweden, have released a study today (3 October) in Nature Astronomy providing evidence that galaxies found by the James Webb Telescope (JWST) are closer than they seem. JWST has been finding galaxies much further away than has […]

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It’s all about Dolly…

It’s all about Dolly…

A music academic has captured the attention of a popular BBC music programme after she wrote a short analytical course based on the work of country music icon and singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Now Dr Marie Thompson is to feature on the BBC Radio 4 Soul Music programme, which looks at the work of musicians who […]

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Mercury: shrinking planet is still getting smaller – new research

Mercury: shrinking planet is still getting smaller – new research

David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University: Planetary scientists have long known that Mercury has been shrinking for billions of years. Despite being the closest planet to the Sun, its interior has been cooling down as internal heat leaks away. This means that the rock (and, within that, the metal) of which it […]

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OU’s OpenSTEM Labs celebrates its 10-year anniversary

OU’s OpenSTEM Labs celebrates its 10-year anniversary

The Open University’s (OU) world-leading online laboratory has celebrated its tenth anniversary, marking a decade of connecting students to authentic practical experiences and remotely operated equipment no matter what their location. The OpenSTEM Labs challenge the traditional methods of STEM teaching and the need to be in a lab during ‘office hours’ by offering learning […]

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OU academic publishes research confirming the continued shrinking of Mercury

OU academic publishes research confirming the continued shrinking of Mercury

A study led by an Open University (OU) research student, Benjamin Man, has been published today in Nature Geoscience, providing strong evidence that Mercury is continuing to shrink. It is widely confirmed that Mercury began to contract at least 3 billion years ago, and the rate of contraction has likely been decreasing since then. In […]

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OU joins the Turing University Network focussing on data science and AI

OU joins the Turing University Network focussing on data science and AI

The Open University (OU) has joined a growing list of universities in The Alan Turing Institute’s network. The Turing University Network offers UK universities, with an interest in data science and AI, the opportunity to engage and collaborate both with the Institute and its broader networks in academia, industry and the public sector. It will […]

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Berrill Building on the OU campus

Employment Tribunal statement from The Open University- 2 October 2023

The OU is responding to an Employment Tribunal claim which is centred on the rights of free speech and academic freedom, and their interaction with the freedom, safety, and inclusion of everyone in our University community. Professor Josie Fraser, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at The Open University, said: “We believe we have acted lawfully, in good faith […]

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‘Thrilling’ BBC documentary airs about the history of the Union

‘Thrilling’ BBC documentary airs about the history of the Union

The turbulent history of how Great Britain evolved is dissected in an intriguing Open University/BBC co-production – Union with historian David Olusoga – which reaches the small screen tonight (Monday 2 October). The four-part series airs on BBC Two at 9pm and charts the history of the Union from the 1600s – a century defined […]

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The Open University celebrates their GOLD rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework

The Open University celebrates their GOLD rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework

The OU’s first-time entry has delivered an overall Gold rating for the national benchmark. The OU’s Vice Chancellor Tim Blackman says it’s “fantastic news” and demonstrates the OU’s high standards. Staff at The Open University are celebrating after hearing the university has been awarded an overall Gold rating in the Office for Students (OfS) Teaching […]

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Photo shows group of Xuetangx graduates at their ceremony in China throwing their caps in the air

Graduates in China celebrate as the first to be awarded a new bilingual MBA course validated by The Open University

Fifty Master of Business Administration (MBA) students in China are looking forward to a promising future after being the first people to graduate from a new bilingual MBA course, validated by The Open University (OU). The course began in 2020 on the XuetangX platform, the first platform of its kind to offer Massive Open Online […]

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