Alex,<\/a> 29, is taking supported distance learning to a whole new level by studying for his Engineering degree in one of the most extreme climates in the world.<\/p>\n His role as facilities engineer for the Rothera Research Station means Alex spends long periods of time based in the Antarctic Peninsula, where temperatures can sometimes plummet to \u2013 20\u00b0C.<\/p>\n Thanks to the flexibility of the OU, Alex can continue his studies while working at the forefront of global warming research on the other side of the world.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very poignant when you\u2019re here on the Antarctic peninsula, which is one of the fastest-warming places on the planet,\u201d says Alex.<\/p>\n \u201cThe station is important because it facilitates critically important environmental science. As a facilities engineer, our main focus is to keep the life support systems of the stations running to facilitate the science. We keep it habitable for people in the extreme climate.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s critically important to foster a generation of environmentally-minded students who can engage with STEM subjects. We cohabit this planet, it\u2019s the only one that we currently have so we need to be able to innovate, develop, design and build new technologies but without destroying the environment in which we live.\u201d<\/p>\n Katy<\/a>, 23, is researching how to transform food waste products such as vegetable peels into environmentally friendly packaging. She\u2019s using her background in forensic science to discover the hidden benefits of waste products that so often end up in the bin.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dream is to tackle the problems of food waste and plastic pollution simultaneously,\u201d says Katy. \u201cThe naysayers might believe that we can\u2019t do both at the same time, but I believe we can.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to find a way to reuse unwanted food to eliminate single-use packaging and also reduce food waste,\u201d says Katy. \u201cThis will help to feed more of the global population and hopefully reduce our overall environmental impact.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel there\u2019s a lot of pressure on my generation especially to tackle issues such as plastic pollution, as we\u2019ve been bombarded with research saying the planet is dying and time is running out to fix it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe naysayers might believe we can\u2019t tackle both [plastic pollution and food waste] at the same time, but I believe we can.\u201d<\/p>\n When Anthony,<\/a> 60, first applied for university in the 1980s, he was treated as an \u2018immigration offender\u2019 and almost wrongfully deported.<\/p>\n Decades later, after a successful fight to stay in the country he had grown up in, Anthony finally completed his university ambition and graduated with an OU Law degree.<\/p>\n In the same month, the Windrush scandal broke.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was all about people being deported,\u201d says Anthony. \u201cThere were more severe situations where people were put in detention and I thought, \u2018that could have been me\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Anthony quickly put his skills into action, teaming up with fellow graduate Leonie to launch the Windrush Defenders. Together, the group of volunteers support the Windrush generation and their families in proving their legal status and claiming compensation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe started our law reform campaign, identified some of the problems [people were facing] and that we needed a Windrush Act to tackle these problems, to restore the citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always liked to make sure that if I\u2019m around then I\u2019ll always challenge things and try to help people. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve been able to do more effectively now after studying the law.\u201d<\/p>\n These are just some of the OU students and graduates using their skills to make a difference to their communities and the future of our planet.<\/p>\n Have your own story to tell? Please get in touch<\/a> and if you need more daily doses of inspiration, you can find a whole host of student stories<\/a> waiting to motivate you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Open University students aren\u2019t just changing their futures \u2013 they\u2019re helping to change the world. Meet some of the amazing OU changemakers who are using their skills to make a positive difference to their communities and our planet. Alex \u2013 the engineer from Antarctica Alex, 29, is taking supported distance learning to a whole new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18750,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1525,1640,1643,2146],"class_list":["post-20050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-stories","tag-news-home","tag-ou-home","tag-ou-news","tag-students"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Katy \u2013 the researcher tackling plastic pollution<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Open](\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG-20211117-WA0000-897x600.jpg\")
<\/strong>Could recycling food waste be the key to cutting plastic pollution? One OU PhD student hopes to find out.<\/p>\nAnthony \u2013 the graduate fighting for the Windrush generation<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Open](\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/AB-headshot-crop-800x600.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h3>\nAnd that\u2019s just the start\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n