The latest academic and research news from Winchester this month includes the launch of two new research centres; a prestigious Nokia Foundation Award for a University psychology expert; a TLS review for a facsimile manuscript of a Sherlock Holmes story and a thought piece by the head of Winchester Business School about the opportunities offered by degree apprenticeships.
Nokia Foundation Distinguished Professor award for University psychologist
Maria Uther, Professor of Cognitive Psychology, received a Nokia Foundation Award at a ceremony in Helsinki on 22 November.
Maria (pictured above centre) is one of five Nokia Visiting Professors 2017 and receives a grant to undertake research with Cicero Learning, based at the University of Helsinki.
Her research expertise lies in auditory and speech perception, mobile learning and the use of digital technologies. Her new research in Finland builds on the 'Say it Again Kid' project which investigated the perception of sound in children who were learning a language using mobile devices. It will look at adult perceptions of sound in learning apps on mobile devices to see if age, language background or device type affects perception of sound quality.
Two new research centres set to explore climate change education and public law
The University has launched two new research centres: the Centre for Climate Change Education and Communication and the Centre for Parliament and Public Law.
Led by Dr Tammi Sinha, the Centre for Climate Change Education and Communication aims to explore how higher education can and will have a positive impact for climate action through multi-disciplinary research. With a focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 4 (Climate Action and Quality Education) it will act as a hub and resource for all facilities at the University and work closely with Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC) amongst others.
The Centre for Parliament and Public Law, headed by Dr Craig Prescott, aims to further the existing strengths in Public Law that exist within the University's Law Department, with a focus on Parliament. The Centre will consider the whole range of constitutional and public law issues, ranging from parliamentary procedure and reform - for example English Votes for English Laws - human rights, the principles of judicial review, devolution and local government and the monarchy.
The Centre will be formally launched at the Trust, Information and the Law Conference (TRILCon) 2018 in April, in conjunction with the Centre for Information Rights.
Based in the Faculty of Business, Law and Sport, both Centres have remits across the University and will be working with wider local, national and international communities.
Importance of degree apprenticeships to UK business schools
Produced to celebrate 25 years of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, Rethinking Business Education: Fit for the Future features articles by leading business experts and thought leaders, including Professor Pru Marriott, Dean of the Faculty of Business, Law and Sport and Head of the University's Business School.
In How apprenticeships will change the traditional view of business schools, she argues:
"If business schools respond swiftly, there could be real opportunities as apprenticeships help develop new, and enhance existing, relationships with UK employers. They will also enable business schools to diversify into alternative modes of delivery that can attract non-traditional students, and enable universities to improve social mobility through widening participation."
Winchester is already leading the way in providing degree apprenticeship programmes and recently won a £250k grant from HEFCE to help boost social mobility through degree apprenticeships. project will link employers who are seeking higher skills and a broader pool of applicants with people who are not currently choosing to study on a degree apprenticeship programme.
Other contributors to the publication include Sir Martin Sorrell chief executive of advertising company WPP; Lord David Willetts, former Universities Minister, and Carolyn Fairbairn, Director of the CBI, who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Winchester at Graduation 2017 in October.
Download Rethinking Business Education: Fit for the Future here.
Times Literary Supplement review for new volume of Sherlock Holmes story
The new volume of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of the Creeping Man (2017, WUP), edited by Professor Neil McCaw, has been reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement. Published in 1927, the Sherlock Holmes story was part of the final collection of detective stories, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.
Reviewer Emelyne Godfrey wrote: "McCaw's academically valuable project marries local history studies and literary scholarship with backing from Winchester University and Portsmouth City Council. . . . . . . McCaw provides a print copy of the story to compare with the original as he draws our eye to the painstaking thought processes inherent in Doyle's revisions."
The volume features the facsimile handwritten manuscript, a transcribed, annotated version of the story and an introductory essay that examines the critical history of the tale and the details of the manuscript. Find out more.
The latest edition of The Baker Street Journal, the world's oldest Sherlock Holmes-related journal founded in 1946, features Dating The Creeping Man, an article by Neil based on his work putting together the WUP facsimile version of the story.
"I don't think I've enjoyed being published more!" says Neil.
Film throws a spotlight on Winchester professors
A new film - available on the University's YouTube channel - highlights the work University of Winchester professors undertake in teaching, research and public engagement.
Professors at the University of Winchester is part of an ongoing 'New Professoriate' project spearheaded by Louise Curth, Professor of Medical History and head of the Centre for Medical History. This film will be followed by a number of short interviews highlighting the varied specialties and expertise of professors working across the University.
Music and spirituality
The Reverend Professor June Boyce-Tillman MBE, Professor of Applied Music at Winchester, gave her one-woman performance of Mary of Magdala - a Tangled Truth at an Interfaith Vision retreat at Abbey House, Glastonbury on 3 November. The performance explores the complexity of the story of Mary Magdalene.
June is also convenor of the Tavener Centre for Music and Spirituality which hosted its annual study day on 10 November at the University's King Alfred Campus. June's keynote The Spirituality of John Tavener seen through the lens of William Blake's fourfold vision launched the event, which ended with a special evensong at Winchester Cathedral.
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