The Open University

Karolien Verheyen: Sarcoidosis diagnosis was my study inspiration

7 February 2019

In 2007, Karolien Verheyen was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a rare condition that causes small patches of red and swollen tissue (granulomas) to develop in the body’s organs. Her diagnosis led Karolien to find out more about how the human body functions and she registered for a module in human biology with The Open University, later […]

OU plays role in making space research a public affair

20 November 2018

The Open University and European partner institutions are creating a way to open up science research to all to get involved. This will include citizen science projects among other initiatives. The European Science Cluster of Astronomy & Particle Physics ESFRI Research Infrastructures (ESCAPE) will launch its first phase in early 2019, as part of the […]

New ‘snap evaporation’ process controls how liquids dry

11 April 2018

Scientists at The Open University (OU) and Northumbria University have discovered a new process called ‘snap evaporation’ – that controls how liquid droplets dry by adjusting their shape and size. This is important because it could affect many everyday tasks, such as minimising watermarks on cars and removing heat from microprocessors within smartphones and computers. […]

Science isn’t for girls? How Amy proved her doubters wrong

5 February 2018

From a young age, 26-year-old Amy King was fascinated by science. But she was told by her school that “science isn’t for girls” and by a traditional university at interview that she was “too glamorous to be a scientist”. She proved them both wrong, and is on track to achieve her dream of a degree […]

OU degree led Carolyn to dream job working with forgotten apes

15 December 2017

Inspired by the great female primatologists that have gone before her, OU graduate Carolyn Thompson has always had a passion for apes. Despite being told by her careers advisor at school to pursue a different path because she “did not have a good grasp of maths and science,” she persevered, and thanks to the OU […]

Putting algae and seaweed on the menu could help save our seafood

15 December 2017

If we have to feed 9.8 billion people by 2050, food from the ocean will have to play a major role. Ending hunger and malnutrition while meeting the demand for more meat and fish as the world grows richer will require 60% more food by the middle of the century. But around 90% of the […]

How websites watch your every move and ignore privacy settings

27 November 2017

Hundreds of the world’s top websites routinely track a user’s every keystroke, mouse movement and input into a web form – even before it’s submitted or later abandoned, according to the results of a study from researchers at Princeton University. And there’s a nasty side-effect: personal identifiable data, such as medical information, passwords and credit […]

Discovery of cigar-shaped asteroid from outer space could help unveil secrets of extrasolar worlds

21 November 2017

It came from outer space … and went back there two weeks later, having astonished and excited astronomers and planetary scientists. A cigar-shaped object, less than half a kilometre long and barely bright enough to be detected by the world’s most powerful telescopes, payed us a flying visit in October this year – reminding us […]

OU academic recognised for “outstanding contributions” to equality in science

10 November 2017

Associate Director for Academic Professional Development (APD), Dr Anne Adams and her team, have been announced the winner of the WISE Tech Innovation Award for the WISE Awards 2017. The WISE Awards 2017 recognise the outstanding contributions to gender balance in science, technology and engineering, of individuals and organisations. The entry submitted by the all-women team at the OU focused […]

Is Marie Skłodowska Curie still a good role model for female scientists at 150?

7 November 2017

Sometimes I’m glad I’m old(ish) and have made it up the career ladder. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be a young woman trying to become established today. Not only are they likely to be saddled with a large debt from university tuition, they must also contend with discrimination and harassment, no […]

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