The Open University

Plant Britain returns

21 May 2021

Plant Britain returns to our screens this spring on BBC One. The Countryfile series, co-produced by The Open University and BBC, will air on Sunday 23 May 2021 at 5:50pm. Building on the success of Plant Britain’s tree planting campaign, the spring episode will focus on community gardens in a bid to tackle climate change […]

Open University students receive top scholarship awards from prestigious Gray’s Inn

5 May 2021

Three Open University Law students have been awarded scholarships from the highly regarded Gray’s Inn – one of the four Inns of Court which has the exclusive right to call men and women to the Bar of England and Wales. The prestigious scholarships recognise merit, intellectual ability, advocacy and drive and determination to succeed at […]

Artificial reefs could restore sea urchin populations and coral reefs

30 April 2021

Locally sourced breeze blocks placed on the sea floor could increase depleted sea urchin populations and support the growth of healthy coral reefs, a new study suggests. Researchers, led by The Open University (OU) and Operation Wallacea (OpWall), have found that strategically placed artificial reefs in the sea could be used to stimulate population recovery […]

A Year to Change the World: Q&A with OU Professor Neil Edwards

26 April 2021

The final episode of the three-part series, Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World, airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One. The documentary is co-produced by The Open University and BBC. In this episode Greta looks at how COVID-19 has posed a challenge for tackling the climate crisis. She meets with German Chancellor Angela […]

Scientists discover new biomarker behind aggressive form of prostate cancer

26 April 2021

An international group of geneticists have discovered a new molecule that drives the spread of the most aggressive form of prostate cancer. This breakthrough signals new hope for sufferers of the deadly disease. In the UK, more than 48,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year – it is the most common cancer found […]

BBC/OU co-pro Bad People podcast asks does ‘good cop, bad cop’ interviewing work?

22 April 2021

The latest episode of the BBC Sounds podcast Bad People, features an interview with OU academic Dr Zoe Walkington and asks, does the ‘good cop/bad cop’ style of police interviewing ever work? Presented by criminal psychology scientist Dr Julia Shaw and comedian co-host Sofie Hagan, Bad People deconstructs true crime, turning to psychological science to […]

The Open University joins forces with Avon and Somerset Police in ground-breaking new research project into rape and sexual offences

22 April 2021

The Open University (OU) is collaborating with Avon and Somerset Police in a pioneering research project that aims to transform the police response to rape and sexual offences. Project Bluestone combines academic learning with professional practice and brings together leading academics from across the UK to work alongside police officers. Working across five different workstreams, […]

From football apprentice to OU graduate and beyond

15 April 2021

Dominic Ball, 25, of Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire, came to The Open University (OU) after completing a football apprenticeship. He has now graduated in more ways than one: to professional footballer and, recently, OU scholar, joining the Class of 2020. The Queens Park Rangers defensive midfielder successfully completed a BA (Hons) in Business Studies. It […]

Art competition launched to highlight the plight of the nation’s floodplain meadows

12 April 2021

Budding artists of all ages are being asked to take part in a national arts and crafts competition to help raise awareness of the UK’s diminishing floodplain meadows. The OU and the Floodplain Meadows Partnership have launched the competition encouraging people to visit a local floodplain and create a piece of art that represents the […]

Greta Thunberg: A Year To Change The World

9 April 2021

“I don’t want you to listen to me, I want you to listen to the science,” says Greta Thunberg in the first episode of a new three-part documentary, co-produced by The Open University (OU) and the BBC. The series, set to air from Monday 12 April 2021 at 9pm on BBC One, follows climate activist […]

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