Welcome to the latest edition of the University media digest, which covers major media appearances during the month of January.

In that time, media appearances relating to the University created over 72 million opportunities to view and hear stories via print, broadcast and online outlets. The advertising equivalent value of these appearances in print and via commercial broadcast media reached £503,364.

Below is a selection of stories which reached regional, national and international audiences:

Patient-Doctor communication

Research by Dr Maddy Greville-Harris that found a perceived lack of empathy on the part of doctors could lead to a worsening of patients’ symptoms, was covered in more than 180 UK regional newspapers, as well as The Daily Mail, Yahoo News and media outlets in 12 other countries, including The Times of India, The Business Standard and The Malaysian Sun.

Read the press release here

Brain marking technique

A new cell marking technique to help understand how our brain works, developed by Dr Diego Gomez-Nicola, was reported by the Times of India, Daily Echo, Financial Express, Economic Times, Medical News Today and other specialist news websites. Read our press release here

Focus on ageing

Professor Jane Falkingham reached over 1.5 million viewers in a live broadcast by BBC Breakfast concentrating on the issues of an ageing population. The programme, at the Lowry Arts venue, also highlighted an exhibition about the subject being taken on a tour of the UK by the ESRC Centre for Population Change based at the University. Read more here 

Hoegh Osaka incident

Oceanographer Dr Simon Boxall  gave comment to the world’s media on the Hoegh Osaka, which ran aground in the Solent, including Good Morning Britain, Channel 4 News (online), BBC News Channel, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC TV South, ITV Meridian, Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Echo, BBC Radio Solent, numerous BBC regional radio stations, Press Association and a number of regional newspapers.

The Conversation 

University academics contributed 12 opinion pieces to The Conversation during January. These articles had a total readership of 618,617 and were republished on popular websites including IFL Science, Business Insider and The Huffington Post.

Top articles included: James Dyke’s Humanity is in the existential danger zone, study confirms, Richard Werner’s ECB is about to implement the wrong type of quantitative easing and Mirco Tonin’s Note to bosses: workers perform better if you give to charity

Welcome to the latest edition of the University media roundup, which covers major media appearances during the month of November and early December.

In that time, media appearances relating to the University created over 31 million opportunities to view and hear stories via print, broadcast and online outlets. The advertising equivalent value of these appearances in print and via commercial broadcast media reached £268,849.

Below is a selection of stories that reached regional, national and international audiences:

Eye of Sauron galaxy

There was global media coverage for research led by Sebastian Hoenig from Physics and Astronomy, which has found a new way to accurately measure the distances to galaxies. The Times, Daily Mail, BBC News online, ITV news, National Geographic, NBC News (USA), Irish Examiner,Scottish Herald, Times of India, Times of Malta, Yahoo News, Press Association, Red Orbit, Astronomy magazine, plus further coverage in Russia, China, Spain, Italy, Japan and Malaysia. It was also in the top 10 per cent of Nature articles by press attention. Read our press release here.

Mapping of medieval city

Kristian Strutt’s work to reveal the layout of the medieval city of Old Sarum, in Salisbury, received major international and national coverage. Highlights included BBC Radio Four’s Today Programme, BBC News, BBC World News Today, BBC World Service Television, ITV News, Sky News, The New York Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Mail Online, The Times of India and The Belfast Telegraph.

The story also appeared across outlets in Spain, Germany, Romania, China and Russia and featured in over 150 UK local newspapers. Read the press release here

Photonics Institute launch

The launch of the University’s new Photonics Institute, in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, was reported in The Strait Times, The Business Times, Today, AsiaOne, Channel NewsAsia, Laser Focus World, The Register, Electronics Weekly,New Electronics, plus many other technology news outlets. Read our press release here.

Eat your greens for a healthy heart

Professor Martin Feelisch’s  study into the health properties of green vegetables received coverage in The Times of India, The Daily Mail,Yahoo News, The Dundee Evening Telegraph and The Belfast Telegraph. Read the press release here.

More women needed in economics

A study by social scientist Dr Mirco Tonin, showing there are far fewer woman studying economics than men, has featured in the Times Higher Education, The Observer and The Guardian and Business Week, amongst others. Read the press release here.

The Conversation

University academics contributed six opinion pieces to The Conversation during November and early December. These articles had a total readership of 129,550 and were republished on popular websites including IFL Science, Business Insider and The Huffington Post.

Top articles included: Amanda Bates’ Mystery virus that turned millions of starfish into goo is finally identified, Asghar Zaidi’s Hard evidence: which is the best country to grow old in? and Ryan Copping’s It took a decade before film could look at the trauma of World War I straight on.

………………………………………………

If you have a story, or are undertaking research that you think might be of interest to the press, please upload it to the Telling Our Stories portal. You can also view a more comprehensive listing of the University’s latest media coverage here.

Welcome to the latest edition of the University media roundup, which covers major media appearances during October.

In that time, media appearances relating to the University created over 42 million opportunities to view and hear stories via print, broadcast and online outlets. The advertising equivalent value of these appearances in print and via commercial broadcast media reached £354,664.

Below is a selection of stories that reached regional, national and international audiences:

Is there life after death?

The results of the AWARE study into near-death experiences by former Research Fellow Dr Sam Parnia generated worldwide media coverage. The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Daily Mail, Metro, Daily Mirror, BBC World News (TV), BBC World Service (radio), The Spectator, The Huffington Post, Sydney Morning Herald,Times of India, Delhi Daily News, New York magazine, CTV News (Canada), New Zealand Herald, ABC (Australia), RIA Novosti (Russia), China Post, Malaysian Digest, Yahoo News and Gulf Times were just some of the global media outlets that covered the story. Read our press release here.

Global AgeWatch Index

Professor Asghar Zaidi’s development of an index that ranks the wellbeing of older people across 96 countries received international coverage, including Time Magazine, The Daily Mail, The Independent, The Examiner, National Public Radio (USA), ABC Radio (Australia), Globo TV (Brazil), and The Huffington Post (Italy). Read the press release here.

Eye stem cell discovery

Professor Andrew Lotery’s research has discovered that an area of the eye called the corneal limbus that harbours special stem cells that could treat blinding eye conditions. The research was covered by the Daily Telegraph, the Express, Daily Mail, Forbes and the Times of India among others. Read our press release here.

The Conversation

University academics contributed seven opinion pieces to The Conversation during October. These articles had a total readership of 41,144 and were republished on popular websites including IFL Science, Business Insider and The Huffington Post. Top articles included: Dr Jon Copley’s  Just how little do we know about the ocean floor?  Dr Clive Trueman’s Nemo and chips? Tropical fish are fleeing warming waters and heading to the poles and Dr James Dyke’s If he were alive today Alfred Nobel would have wanted an environment prize.

Academic appearances

Professor Nigel Shadbolt appeared on the Pride of Britain Awards on ITV One giving his reflections of working with Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web and Southampton professor, who won the prestigious judges’ special award for outstanding achievement.

Professor Martin Feelisch appeared on BBC Two’s Trust Me I’m a Doctor speaking about nitric oxide levels in the skin and its reaction to sunlight. This follows a study Martin recently had published. Click here for more details.

Swipe, SKY TV’s science programme, which is broadcast on TV, online and on Virgin Atlantic flights, featured an interview with Dr Verity Nye about the use of unmanned technology to track marine mammals.

………………………………………………

If you have a story, or are undertaking research that you think might be of interest to the press, please contact us onpress@soton.ac.uk. You can also view a more comprehensive listing of the University’s latest media coverage at http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/in_the_news/current.shtml

Welcome to the latest edition of the University media roundup which covers major media appearances during June and July.

During that time, media appearances relating to the University created over 35 million opportunities to view and hear stories via print, broadcast and online outlets. The advertising equivalent value of these appearances in print and via commercial broadcast media reached £399,386.

University of Southampton enters world’s top 20 for International media coverage

Independent tracking by The World 100 Reputation Network (www.theworld100.com) shows that in the period March – May 2014, the University’s media coverage entered into the world’s top 40, climbed in April and in May overtook the Universities of Nottingham, Bristol, Warwick and Birmingham amongst others to be placed number 17.

This ranking is a quantitative assessment of the total number of international media mentions during the assessment period – the first full week of each month. This is carried out for all 150+ institutions who are ranked in the top 100 by the Shanghai Jiao Tong, Times Higher Education or QS world rankings and helps to set the monthly context for overall media volume. It excludes broadcast media, which would place Southampton even higher.

Below is a selection of stories which reached regional, national and international audiences:

What to do with Mein Kampf?

Historian and Professor Neil Gregor has commented on the implications of the forthcoming end to copyright on Hitler’s notorious book Mein Kampf. He appeared on Al Jazeera‘s social media debate programme The Stream and in the Huffington Post.

Read our expert comment here

LifeLab gets Royal seal of approval

LifeLab, an innovative education facility, which aims to empower school pupils to take control of their health and make better choices for a healthier life, has been officially opened by HRH The Countess of Wessex. BBC South Today, BBC Radio Solent and the Daily Echo covered the event.

Read our press release here

The Naked Scientists

With the Tour de France taking place in the UK, Professor Steve Turnock talked about the aerodynamics behind cycling for ‘The Naked Scientists ‘radio programme, which is broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live and over 15 regional BBC radio stations across the UK and in America and Australia.

Specialist care for people with ME

Research from the University of Southampton has shown that one in three people who have severe ME, otherwise known as chronic fatigue syndrome, does not have access to specialist services, contrary to NICE guidelines. The story has featured on BBC South Today, BBC Radio Solent, the Daily Echo and ITV Meridian.

Read our press release here.

Are public sector workers different?

Research by economists at the University, who have explored whether working as a public sector employee makes you more socially motivated, has been covered in The Conversation and Science Daily, plus also in the Indian media in Business Standard, The Siasat Daily and Yahoo News India.

Read our press release

If you have a story, or are undertaking research that you think might be of interest to the press, please contact us onpress@soton.ac.uk. You can also view a more comprehensive listing of the University’s latest media coverage athttp://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/in_the_news/current.shtml

Welcome to the latest edition of the University media digest which covers major media appearances during the month of May.

During that time, media appearances relating to the University created over 29 million opportunities to view and hear stories via print, broadcast and online outlets. The advertising equivalent value of these appearances in print and via commercial broadcast media reached £362,969.

Below is a selection of stories which reached national and international audiences:

Ocean comments

Oceanographer Dr Simon Boxall commented on the issues of searching at sea and ocean conditions for the search for the lost vessel Cheeki Rafiki to Sky News, BBC News Channel, BBC South Today, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Solent, BBC Scotland, BBC Wales, a number of regional BBC radio stations and various news agencies for press.

Dr Boxall also continued to comment on the missing Malaysian plane MH370, providing updates for BBC Breakfast, South China Morning Post, CTV News Channel (US), CNN and NBC.

Using JeDI to search for jellyfish

The Daily Mail, Times of India, Daily Echo, Environmental Monitor, The Ecologist and various science websites reported on a new research project, led by Dr Cathy Lucas from Ocean and Earth Science, which maps the global jellyfish population.

Read our press release here.

3D printed hip implant

Doctors and scientists from the University of Southampton and Southampton General Hospital completed their first ground breaking hip surgery with a 3D printed implant and bone stem cell graft. The story was widely covered by media outlets including Sky News, BBC South Today, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, i-newspaper and the Engineer. The Sky News feature was also broadcast on CBS TV outlets throughout the United States.

                                           Read our press release here.

Combating malaria with mobiles

Geographer Dr Andy Tatem was interviewed on the BBC World Service programme Newsday about his research using mobile phone data to help track population movements and tackle the spread of malaria more effectively in Namibia. The story was also covered on National Public Radio outlets across the United States.

Poetry on woman’s hour

Dr Will May from English was interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour about the life of poet Stevie Smith.

If you have a story, or are undertaking research that you think might be of interest to the press, please contact us on press@soton.ac.uk. You can also view a more comprehensive listing of the University’s latest media coverage at http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/in_the_news/current.shtml

Welcome to the latest edition of the University media digest. This digest covers major media appearances for the University during the period 21 February – 26 March 2014.

During that time, media appearances related to the University created 24.8 million opportunities to view and hear stories via print, broadcast and online outlets. The advertising equivalent value of these appearances in print and via commercial broadcast media reached £165,254.00.

Below are stories which reached national and international audiences:

National flood comments
Oceanographer Dr Simon Boxall featured across the BBC – from BBC One’s Breakfast TV programme and News at One to the World and UK News Channels – commenting on coastal erosion and new research revealing the record amounts of freshwater run-off following the recent wet weather in Britain.

Missing Malaysian Airlines Jet

Dr Simon Boxall also appeared on many of the world’s major news outlets to offer expert insights into the search for missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370. Simon was featured across the BBC News Network (including BBC One, BBC World News, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live and every regional BBC radio station), CNN, NBC, Sky News and several other national and international broadcast channels. He was also quoted in a number of major newspapers including The Guardian, The Financial Times and The Independent.

World Wide Web @ 25
To mark the 25^th anniversary of the World Wide Web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Professor of Computer Science at the University and Professor Dame Wendy Hall gave interviews to Sky News and The Daily Telegraph about the web and its future. Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Head of the Web and Internet Science group, was interviewed by BBC Radio 5 Live, and appeared in TechWeekEurope.

In addition, Professors Berners-Lee and Shadbolt were named by The Daily Telegraph amongst the top 25 superstars who have made the Web what it is today.  

Importance of nursing degrees
Research that degree educated nurses can reduce hospital deaths drew national media attention with ITV’s Daybreak coming to Southampton to broadcast live from the clinical skills lab in Health Sciences with Professor Peter Griffiths who was involved in the study and two nursing students, Alex Collyer and Katy Elliot. The story was also carried in over 70 UK regional newspapers thanks to the Press Association and featured in The Guardian, The Times and The Conversation, the new website featuring academic comment.

                                           Read our press release here. 

Defibrillator shortage
The Independent, Health Service Journal, Nursing Times, MSN News UK and the Press Association all carried news of a Southampton study showing that restricted availability of defibrillators, and poor understanding of how to use them, is helping to boost the number of deaths from heart attacks occurring outside hospitals.

Read our press release here.

Chemicals in food packaging
Professor David Coggon expert comments on research into the chemicals found in food packaging featured in The Guardian, Huffington Post UK, the Press Association, The Times and MSN News UK.

Read Professor Coggon’s comments here.

Coral bleaching
The diverse and challenging ecosystems of coral reefs was the subject of a feature by Professor Jörg Wiedenmann, Head of the Coral Reef Laboratory, in The Guardian. The feature coincided with a press release by Professor Wiedenmann on the importance of nutrients for coral reefs.

Read our press release here.

Law-abiding prisoners
Research from January showing that prisoners consider themselves as law-abiding as non-prisoners was the subject of a blog in The Economist in March.

Heathrow noise
A study by ISVR researcher Dr Ian Flindell on Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources in England made headlines in The Sunday Times, The Daily Mail and Travel Weekly. The research showed that as many as one million people living near Heathrow suffer from aircraft noise – almost four times official estimates.

And finally . . . Software developed by Professors Tim Leighton and Paul White from ISVR and their MSc student Nikhil Banda featured on the BBC’s Sky at Night programme as presenters Maggie Aderin Pocock and Chris Lintott tested how their voices would sound on Venus.

Space debris expert Dr Hugh Lewis appears amongst the special features on the DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the Oscar and BATFA-winning film ‘Gravity’. Dr Lewis joins a host of world-renowned experts on the documentary entitled ‘Collision Point: The Race to Clean Up Space’.

And sadly, the long run by Southampton’s University Challenge team during the current series ended in the quarter-finals with a loss to the University of Manchester.

If you have a story, or are undertaking research that you think might be of interest to the press, please contact us on press@soton.ac.uk. You can also view a more comprehensive listing of the University’s latest media coverage at http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/in_the_news/current.shtml

Read about the major media appearances for the University during the period 21 January – 20 February 2014. During that time, media appearances related to the University created 85.8 million opportunities to view and hear stories via print, broadcast and online outlets. The advertising equivalent value of these appearances in print and via commercial broadcast media reached £155,898.00.

Below are stories which reached national and international audiences:

Skeleton Gold
The University’s part in supporting Lizzy Yarnold’s gold-medal winning performance in the skeleton bob at the Sochi Games achieved widespread coverage in UK national media – The Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph, The Times and BBC online – with specific references to graduates James Roche and Rachel Blackburn who designed and delivered Amy Williams’ sled ‘Arthur’ in 2010 as well as Lizzy’s sled ‘Mervyn’ this year. A blog by James was also published on the UKTI website.

The Jump on Channel 4
The R.J. Mitchell wind tunnel featured in Channel 4’s new series The Jump watched by 1.7 million viewers. The wind tunnel was used to put competitors, including Olympic rowing champion Sir Steve Redgrave and investigative journalist Donal Macintyre, through their paces in the Speed Ski section of the competition.

Watch the wind tunnel in The Jump here (the first appearance is at eight minutes in).

Flooding comments
Robert Nicholls, Professor of Coastal Engineering, spoke to Sky News about coastal flood defences in response to the storms and flooding experienced across the UK. His comments were also reported on local commercial radio stations across the country including Wave 105, City Talk FM Liverpool, Key 103FM Manchester and CFM Radio Carlisle.

A new study by Professor Nicholls’ predicts that climate change threatens to cause trillions in damage to world’s coastal regions if they do not adapt to sea-level rise. The study featured around the world including articles in The Australian, French Tribune, Scientific American, Zee News (India), Red Orbit (USA), Newsroom America and many more.

Read our press release here.

Professor of Physical Geography, David Sear was interviewed by LBC Radio about river dredging and what can be done to help minimise the swelling of rivers. He’s also commented on the same issue via the BBC News Channel (focusing on the Somerset Levels), ITV Meridian, BBC South, Sky News (online) and the Voice of Russia.

Railways and climate change
William Powrie, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering and Dean of Engineering and the Environment, spoke to BBC TV South Today about his research into the impact of climate change on railway infrastructure. The interview was featured on the BBC News website.

Watch a YouTube video about the University’s work to improve railway design here.

Here comes the sun
University research revealing how sunlight can reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke by reducing blood pressure through altering levels of nitric oxide in the blood resulted in widespread media interest both nationally and internationally. Articles have appeared in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Daily Mail, and on the front page of The Daily Express. Additional coverage included NBC News, ABC News, Newstrack India, Huffington Post and The Toronto Sun among many science and health news websites.

                                          Read our press release here.

Silicon photonics coverage
The Engineer, New Electronics and science websites reported on a new £6m project, led by Professor Graham Reed from ORC, to bring silicon photonics to the mass market.

Read our press release here.

Getting academics moving
m.c. schraefel Professor of Computer Science and Human Performance, contributed a blog for the Guardian HE Network on getting academics moving to improve health and wellbeing.

Research changing cancer treatment
Peter Johnson, Professor of Medical Oncology, was interviewed by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about the ways new research can help the fight against cancer.

Listen to the interview here.