Portsmouth Business School: A key partner and supporter of the Cathedral Innovation Centre

A new national movement to inspire churches, mosques, temples and synagogues to help create employment and grow businesses has been launched with support from Portsmouth Business School.

The Cathedral Innovation Centre, the first centre of its kind in the UK, this week launched its national bid to inspire others to copy their innovation and job creation model.

The centre also announced a community share offer.

Portsmouth Business School is a key partner in the centre.

The launch was attended by Baroness Elizabeth Berridge, Mark Hoban, the Minister for Employment, and Professor Gioia Pescetto, Dean of Portsmouth Business School.

The aim of the centre is to inspire a new national movement to “encourage Britain’s diverse communities to unlock their under-used property, time, talent and financial resources to found new enterprises and grow existing ones”.

Portsmouth Business School, the city’s Anglican Cathedral and the Royal Society of Arts supported the creation of the new centre, which has 14 start-up desks for those wanting to launch a new firm or grow a small one.

Accounting students from the University of Portsmouth are helping with the fledgling business’s accounts and associate dean for students, Richard Tonge and accounting lecturer Caroline Willett are members of the board.

Richard said: ‘This represents a good opportunity for students and staff from the Business School and across the University to get involved and experience working with and alongside business enterprises, social enterprises and social innovators.

“I would hope to see real flexibility in the ways individuals can get involved, including work-based learning or volunteering, or possibly graduate business start-ups.”

Nationally, the aim is to persuade communities across the country to consider replicating the Portsmouth model. Starting with every cathedral, but also with mosques, temples, synagogues, town halls and businesses beyond London. The centre is seeking to spark the creation of low-cost, high-value hubs for economic and social recovery which both backs firms and the development of a socially responsible generation of managers.

In June the centre, the Business School and Business in the Community will jointly run a conference on business and society with leading speakers from the World Economic Forum, the Independent newspaper and large local firms.

New centres copying the Portsmouth model are due to open soon in Southampton and Havant.

Dr Karen Shalev Greene

International experts in missing people are to meet for the first time to share good practice and findings from research.

The University of Portsmouth is hosting the three-day conference in June with speakers coming from a wide range of disciplines and from countries including Canada, the US, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK.

Why children go missing, what role mental health has to play in those who go missing, when a parent abducts their own child, the geographical area missing people are most likely to be found in, the relationship between police and the families of missing people and people who go missing in the aftermath of a major disaster are some of the many subjects that will be discussed.

Researcher Dr Karen Shalev Greene, a specialist in missing people from the University’s Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, is the conference organiser.

She said: “This is the first time experts in a range of areas related to missing people will come together to discuss what we know and where more research is needed.

“We expect a big turnout and everyone is invited, whether they are academics; police; social, health and youth workers; NGOs and even family members of missing people.”

The conference, Missing Children and Adults ‘Working Across Borders’, will include speakers from national police, UK Missing Persons Bureau, and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. It is being held at the University’s Richmond and Portland buildings from June 18-20.

To find out more and to register, visit the Centre for the Study of Missing Persons website http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/academic/icjs/csmp/conference/

IT help focusses on keywords and a search bar, much in the same way that you will have used search engines such as Google.

The pages allow you to:

• Check Open Access availability across the campus
• Gain access to wireless support and advice
• Find out what to do if your student card is lost or stolen
• Find solutions to printing problems
• Access the Staff Directory

And plenty more.

The University of Portsmouth is celebrating National Science and Engineering Week with a range of free events that will appeal to all age groups.

The week is officially kicking off on Saturday March 16 with a band of science buskers setting out to amaze and enlighten shoppers in the Guildhall Square area. The event is from 12:00 to 1:00 pm and the buskers are returning on Saturday March 23 at the same time.

Astrophysicists from the University’s Institute of Cosmology and Gravitationwill be holding stargazing nights every day for a week in Gunwharf Quays. People are encouraged to come along, use a telescope, and find out about the night sky. The event is being held from Monday 18 to Friday 22 March from 6:30 to 8:00 pm outside Bar 38.

Astronomers star gaze in the city

Like a Tea Tray in the Sky, a café in Osborne Road, Southsea, will be hosting an evening of knitting with maths on Saturday March 16 from 6:00 pm. Knitting is highly mathematical, with the best knitting patterns relying on an active brain as well as active fingers.

The University’s centre for simulation in healthcare will open its doors to the public for the first time. Guests will be able to see the range of facilities on offer, including mannequins that can simulate the symptoms of a heart attack, among other things. Radiographers, Operating Department Practitioners, and paramedics, among other disciplines, are able to train there as part of their course. The centre will be open on Tuesday March 19 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

The University is also involved with a variety of talks being held in the city.

The Mary Rose Story will be hosting an evening of science and technology as researchers from the Department of Biological Sciences will talk about the science involved in the preservation of the historical ship. The event is being held on Wednesday March 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Mary Rose Story in the Historic Dockyard.

The University is also hosting a talk by Dr Phillippe Blondel from the University of Bath who will be talking about the secrets of our oceans, and what we can learn from the past to predict events such as tsunamis in the future. This will be held on Wednesday March 20, 7.00-8.30 pm, in Richmond Building.

Professor Will Percival will be speaking about the latest theories of the universe and his work in mapping the history of the universe in an attempt to learn more about the present night sky. This event will be held in Park Building on Thursday March 21 at 6:00 pm.

As part of the Café Scientifique series, Dr John Williams, an expert in urban infrastructure, will be talking about the impact every day domestic behaviour has on our waste water systems. Join him for the discussion on Tuesday March 26 at 8:00 pm in Le Café Parisien.

To book onto any of the events please go to http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/newsandevents/events/title,171270,en.html or call 023 9284 3757

Dr Claire Nee

Young men from poor backgrounds who have committed petty crimes are the least likely to be trusted or expected to succeed, according to new research.

The finding was a surprising result in new scientific research which set out to establish if those with a mental illness were likely to encounter problems being forgiven and trusted if they had committed petty crimes.

Researchers at the University of Portsmouth found instead that people with a mental illness and a criminal past were more likely to be given the benefit of the doubt, but that young men from disadvantaged backgrounds but no mental illness were considered beyond redemption.

The research is published in Psychiatry Research.

Lead researcher Dr Claire Nee, a forensic psychologist in the Department of Psychology, said: “We didn’t expect this result. We assumed those with mental illness would be stigmatised more.

“The results suggest those with a criminal past and a disadvantaged background are among the most rejected in our society and will face significant obstacles in trying to lead a crime-free life.

“They are, as many others see it, beyond redemption and have everything stacked against them.”

Dr Nee and colleagues wanted to know the extent to which the general public discriminated against people with schizophrenia, depression and anxiety and alcoholism and particularly whether they were seen as dangerous in our society.

She said: “Research tells us that people with mental illness are discriminated against on many levels, but little has been done on how different mental illnesses might elicit different reactions.”

The researchers composed six different backgrounds of a man in his 20s called Sam. They asked 243 members of the general public, aged 18 to 76, in an anonymous online survey to rate his trustworthiness, how sympathetic they felt towards him, how likely he was to commit crime in future, how serious such crimes might be and whether he could be rehabilitated.

Five of the ‘Sams’ had committed petty, nuisance crime in the past. Three of those also had a mental illness – one had schizophrenia, one suffered from depression and anxiety, and one was an alcoholic – and came from a ‘normal’ background. The fourth ‘Sam’ had committed the same petty crimes in the past, had no mental illness and came from a ‘normal’ background. A fifth ‘Sam’ had no mental illness and came from a disadvantaged background. The sixth ‘Sam’ was the control and had no mental illness, no criminal past and a ‘normal’ background.

In response to the question, how likely is this young man to commit crimes in future, 80 per cent said the disadvantaged Sam with no mental illness probably or definitely would. The other Sam’s results were:  79 per cent for alcoholic Sam; 73 per cent for depressed and anxious Sam; 62 per cent for schizophrenic Sam; 53 per cent for Sam with no illness, a ‘normal’ background and history of committing petty crimes. The Sam considered least likely to go on to commit further crimes was the control Sam, who had no illness, no previous criminal activity and came from a ‘normal’ background.

The most sympathetic towards any of the Sam’s were those aged 46 and older. The least sympathetic were those aged 18-25, closely followed by those aged 36-45. Participants who themselves had either offended or had mental health problems were also more likely to be sympathetic.

Dr Nee said: “What we found was, while people did think the Sam’s with mental illness were more likely to commit crime, this was thought to be petty nuisance crime. Unexpectedly, it was the Sam with no mental illness, but who came from a disadvantaged background who elicited a really negative response.

“He was the only one expected to commit serious crime in the future, was considered beyond rehabilitation, and was seen as significantly less trustworthy than any other version of Sam.

“People were more sympathetic and less discriminatory towards those with mental illness than previous research has predicted which is good news, but the results highlight just how huge the challenges disadvantaged people with previous convictions face in terms of reintegrating into society.”

Dr Nee thinks the reason for the people’s reactions might be because they are more likely to think those with a mental illness can recover, deserve treatment and that the illness is not their fault. With offenders from disadvantaged backgrounds there is no similar understanding and they were seen as having no excuse for their behaviour.

She said: “For offenders from poor backgrounds, there is no allowance made for a recovery period, if you slip up, you’re punished again, and you will always be an ex-con. Your behaviour is seen as totally your fault, no matter what has gone on in your background.”

The researchers suggest further studies need to be done to test attitudes of a wider cross section of participants, but if the results hold, the findings have the potential to be useful to those working with disadvantaged communities.

He succeeds Professor John Craven who will retire after 16 years in post.

Professor Galbraith, currently deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hertfordshire, will join the University in September 2013.

Professor Graham Galbraith

Chairman of the Board of Governors, Stuart Iles, said: “We are delighted to appoint Professor Galbraith as Vice-Chancellor and look forward to welcoming him to the University and to the city.

“He brings with him a wealth of management experience and a strong entrepreneurial outlook which, combined with a substantial record of academic achievement and a thorough understanding of the international and national HE sectors, makes him an ideal person to lead the University forward.“

Professor Galbraith joined the University of Hertfordshire in September 2008 as Deputy Vice-Chancellor. He previously held the role of Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) at Glasgow Caledonian University which he joined in 1993. He gained a BSc(1st class) in Environmental Engineering, an MSc, Mechanical Engineering and a PhD from the University of Strathclyde.

“The University of Portsmouth is well placed to face the challenge of an increasingly competitive market. It is underpinned by sound financial performance and has a strong commitment to providing a first class student experience with excellent student outcomes,” said Professor Galbraith.

“I feel privileged to be offered the opportunity to lead the University through its next stage of development.”

Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Geoff Long, and other SA Agulhas crew members.

University of Portsmouth sports science technician Geoff Long is currently on board SA Agulhas as she makes her way south carrying Sir Ranulph Fiennes and his six man team to begin the first ever attempt to cross the Antarctic during winter.

Geoff is blogging about his journey, as well as tweeting about his experiences.  Read all about his life on board ship and the preparations the team is making for the record attempt.

A senior specialist technician, Geoff will carry out technical work, as well as testing the kit, which includes clothing, skis, and Caterpillar tractor units towing cabooses and fuel, to make sure it is operable before the team set off.

The team will be covering the route travelled in Sir Fiennes’ Transglobe Expedition of 1979-1982.

The trip will take up to nine months, with the team due to arrive in the Antarctic in February, where Geoff and the rest of the support crew will leave the ice team.

SA Agulhas landing in Antarctica

The team has sailed from Cape Town via the Greenwich Meridian to do some Marine Science, heading towards Crown Bay, Dronning Maud Land. The last stages of the crossing will be down the Leverett Glacier and into McMurdo Station. The team will then head to a piece of sea-ice or shelf ice (whatever they find suitable) about 200km from the Belgian base Belare, at which point they will be retrieved by their ship when the sea ice becomes navigable in the spring.

Antarctica in full winter experiences 24 hour darkness and an ambient operating temperature range of – 40 to – 70C. Wind chill will drive down the effective temperature further. Although dark there will be significant light reflected from the moon depending upon its phase and cloud cover.

At 10,000ft the thinner air on the plateau will further stress the vehicle engines until they have acclimatised and will also test the expedition crew. The air outside will be dry, 0 per cent humidity, which increases the effects of frostbite.

Geoff Long and Sir Ranulph Fiennes

While they are in the Antarctic, the team will undertake valuable scientific work to support the work that is normally carried out by scientists from across the globe in summer.

It is the first time Geoff has been to the Antarctic, and he was invited after taking part in a preparation trip with the team in Sweden last year.

The team is attempting to raise £10million for Seeing is Believing to support their efforts against preventable blindness around the world. People can donate here.

Professor Bob Nichol

The Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation (ICG) has been awarded its first “Consolidated Grant” from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

The grant, which covers the full range of research undertaken at ICG, is for a total of £1.72 million pounds over the next three years. It will help support a range of staff, visitors and researchers, as well as some of the travel and computing needs.

Professor Bob Nichol, Director of ICG and Principal Investigator of the grant said, “This grant represents a major achievement for the ICG in these tough times.”
“We will be able to fund research into all aspects of the universe, from the moment of creation to the complexities of galaxy formation and evolution. We also gain important postdoctoral support to exploit our membership of international experiments like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Dark Energy Survey (DES)”.

The grant provides core funding for ICG until April 2016.

View and send your e-card here.

Dr Dan Pinchbeck

A computer game originally created by a University team has won in six categories at an industry awards ceremony.

Dr Dan Pinchbeck and his studio thechineseroom, originally set-up as a research project within the University of Portsmouth, won in six categories in the TIGA awards.

Independent game studio thechineseroom created Dear Esther, the brainchild of Dr Pinchbeck of the School of Creative Technologies. The full independent release of the game was based on Dr Pinchbeck’s experimental and award-winning design. The concept was designed to break new ground in gaming, exploring new types of gameplay and storytelling in first-person gaming.

The game received awards for Best Action/Adventure Game 2012, Best Debut Game 2012, Best Visual Design 2012, Best Audio Design 2012, Originality Award 2012 and Best Start-up Business 2012.

Dr Pinchbeck said “It’s really unusual for a game of this nature to have won so many awards. We’re very pleased with the product, which was originally an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded research project for the University of Portsmouth. To have seen it grow into an award winning game has been a real journey.”

The TIGA Awards are designed to celebrate creative and technical excellence and to commend business proficiency in the games industry. The awards highlight best practice and reward those in the industry contributing to its long-term innovation.

Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO said: “The TIGA Awards demonstrated the creativity and technical excellence of the UK games industry and highlighted some great examples of business professionalism in our sector. The awards have shown that the games development and digital publishing sector is one of our most impressive industries.”