OU News

News from The Open University

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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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‘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 […]

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education/studying

Love FE, Love HE, Love Education #LoveOurColleges

Last week marked another successful Colleges Week, it is always fantastic to see the celebration of what colleges bring to our education system, to our local communities and how they enrich people from every walk of life and every background. What’s clear, and not just from the celebrations last week, is that colleges are at […]

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Outer space, generic

Four ways to spot hints of alien life using the James Webb Space Telescope

Joanna Barstow, The Open University: The study of exoplanets, worlds which orbit stars other than our sun, is currently being transformed by the new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We will shortly gain our first insight into conditions on rocky, potentially Earth-like worlds beyond our solar system. One of these distant worlds might host life. […]

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Honorary degree for David Harrison as first digital Harrison Centre opens

Honorary degree for David Harrison as first digital Harrison Centre opens

The graduation ceremony took place at the Harrogate Convention Centre in Yorkshire where MBA alumnus David Harrison received his award. He was nominated for the ‘exceptional contribution’ he has made to highlighting the need to improve public understanding of personal finance – an area of work that is of special educational concern to the OU […]

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OU student and Environmental Science student Nicolle

‘My degree will help me change the world for the better’ 

With a desire to change the world, Nicolle, 32, believes that her Environmental Science degree with The Open University will help her do just that. Nicolle discovered her passion for sustainability and environmental issues through her role at electricity and gas utility company National Grid, where she has worked for over 10 years. She says, […]

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