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A Nobel trio
A trio of new Nobel Prize winners have joined the list of eminent University academics and alumni named as Nobel laureates.
Professor Sir J Fraser Stoddart was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work done in the 1990s, when he was Head of the School of Chemistry at Birmingham. The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Professor David Thouless and Professor Mike Kosterlitz for their work over more than four decades into the discoveries of the properties of matter.
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BIFoR takes root
With the successful installation of unique measuring equipment at its Staffordshire woodland, the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) has already begun gathering data that will make it one of the world's leading authorities on the effects of climate change. BIFoR Director Professor Rob MacKenzie explains its global significance.
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Buzz in the air
A team of global experts including Dr Nick Loman, from the University’s Institute of Microbiology and Infection, led a project in Brazil to combat the spread of Zika. The team used portable USB-powered genome sequencing equipment to analyse virus samples and track the spread of the virus across large towns and cities.
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Wind in her sails
Alumna Jie Chen (MA International Management and Policy, 2001) sailed nearly 5,000 miles from Cape Town to Western Australia when she took part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. Jie, an amateur sailor who works for Allianz Global Assistance, spent 26 days at sea on the Qingdao, a 70-foot ocean racing yacht.
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Alumna of the Year: Charlotte Hill
Alumna of the Year Charlotte Hill (BA International Studies and Philosophy, 2001) is the CEO of Step up to Serve, the charity coordinating the national #iwill campaign, which aims to get at least 60 percent of young people aged 10–20 taking part in social action by 2020.
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Alumnus of the Year: Dr Yasser Abu Jamei
Alumnus of the Year Dr Yasser Abu Jamei (MSc Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 2011) is Director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), providing mental health services to the people living in the Gaza Strip. Yasser will receive his award in the December degree congregations.
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Drink up
Professor John Bridgeman and his team of researchers at the University have developed a life saving device that scans water and quickly determines whether it is unsafe to drink. The project was aided by funding from the Diageo Foundation whose support is making a big difference to people around the world, particularly in disaster zones and areas of poor sanitation.
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Digging deep
University scientists, including Dr Richard Butler, were part of a team to discover a new fossil reptile believed to be 250-million-years-old in southern Brazil. The skull of Teyujagua paradoxa pre-dates the dinosaurs and it is hoped the ongoing archaeological dig will provide new insights into the evolution of the giant reptiles.
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Circles in the sand
Chancellor’s Court was transformed into an outdoor photography exhibition by Dr Berny Sèbe (Senior Lecturer, Colonial and Post-Colonial Studies, Department of Modern Languages) who examined how empires expand into deserts.
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Back of the net
Former UoB Women’s Football captain Izzy Christiansen (BSc Sport, Physical Education and Coaching Science, 2014) capped a memorable season by being named the PFA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year 2016. The 25-year-old Manchester City midfielder not only helped her club finish second and qualify for the Champions League, but also scored on her England debut.