KEELE RESEARCH HITS WORLD HEADLINES

Ground-breaking work on stem cells by Professor Alicia El Haj and Professor Jon Dobson, Research Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, hit the national and international headlines this week.

Professor El Haj was speaking on "Stem cells in their dynamic environment – implications for therapy" at the Second Annual UK National Stem Cell Network Conference at Oxford University.

The Keele scientists are testing injectable stem cells that they can control with a magnet, which would mean that doctors may soon be able to repair damaged bones and joints anywhere in the body with a simple injection.

The injection will use the patient's own stem cells, harvested from their bone marrow. Once injected, these immature cells could be held precisely at the site of repair where the growth of new cartilage and bone can be triggered by external magnetic fields. 

The technology, patented by Keele and currently seeking investment for exploitation, would provide a way to treat disease without invasive surgery or powerful drugs. In a few years the method should be ready for clinical trials and ultimately be used routinely to treat some of the 60,000 people who fracture a hip in the UK each year.

SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABILITY GROUP SHORTLISTED FOR NATIONAL AWARD

Keele's Science for Sustainability group, Professor Mark Ormerod, Dr Zoe Robinson and Lucy Gallagher, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, has been shortlisted for a prestigious Green Gown Award in the Social Responsibility category for their project 'Science for Sustainability: Sustainable Approaches for Sustainable Communities'.

The project describes their highly original and innovative work in developing effective strategies and approaches to catalyse more environmentally-sustainable practices within the local community at both individual and institutional levels, driving attitudinal and behavioural change through increasing awareness of the important role that individual and community actions can play in achieving a more sustainable future.

The Green Gown Awards, organised by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges, 'recognise exceptional initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges to become more sustainable'. The Awards have become established as a prestigious recognition of the achievements within the further and higher education sector, as well as the environmental sector.

For more information about the Science for Sustainability project, visit www.esci.keele.ac.uk/sfs

PGCE HISTORY STUDENTS LAY A WREATH AT THE MENIN GATE

Keele's PGCE History students laid a wreath at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium last week when they took part in the moving nightly remembrance of the men lost in the First World War. The students were on a three day residential following an intensive period of research in the regimental museums for Shropshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire.

The students mined the archives to discover interesting narratives of soldiers in the Third Battle of Ypres. In Belgium they retraced the steps of their 'heroes,' whilst a theatre company brought the sites to life by reading the testimonies of the soldiers at the sites where they were written. Filming at the sites will be used in the digital narratives that the students will use with pupils in their placement schools.

MUSIC DAYS FOR LOCAL PUPILS

Widening Participation and Life Long Learning Division's Events Team hosted two Key Stage 4 Primary Music days on campus last week. Sixty youngsters from the local area had an in-depth look at what music can offer post 18 study, whilst having a taste of what university life is really like. The students enjoyed an 'Introduction to music' by Professor Barbara Kelly, before they split into groups for sessions in which they explored the musical manipulation in both King Kong films in postgraduate student Hannah Bayley's 'Film Music and the Mind' and  examined Steve Bird's 'The Wonderful World of the Weird',  turning everyday sounds into music. The students, many of them members of local bands, commented on what a great day they had had. The final session, a campus tour, was organised by Keele undergraduate student mentors.

STUDENTS' UNION CAN RECYCLE

Keele University Students' Union Ecoverter, launched the start of the University's Green Week in February, has recycled more than 10,000 plastic cans and bottles, mostly from KUSU's shop and catering outlets.

Whilst Keele students recognise the worth of recycling, the Union has incentivised usage of the Ecoverter to encourage students and staff to dispose of their cans and bottles responsibly.  Each can placed in the machine generates a point, which collectively adds up to prizes, with 500 points earning the star prize of a Graduation Ball ticket.

GAS EXTRACTION PLAN GETS GO AHEAD

Keele's plans to develop sustainable energy resources on campus took a massive step forward when Staffordshire County Council's planning committee last week approved the University's application for two exploratory boreholes to be drilled on site to test the viability of extracting methane gas from unmined coalbeds.

The University is exploring a range of exciting options for alternative energy sources,  building on its existing successes in effective energy management and the councillors' decision comes after two years hard work.

Local residents, representatives from local and regional organisations and staff from the University were invited to presentations and exhibitions about the University's energy strategy for the campus and new development site in the context of regional and national policies on energy efficiency.

The University's plans for the development of sustainable energy builds on its strong track-record on energy saving and research expertise in renewable energy sources.

Phil Butters, Assistant Director of Keele's Commercial and Facilities Management Directorate, said: "We are delighted by this decision and it comes after two years hard work with our partners in this venture, Nexen.

"The combination of disciplined 'house-keeping' and utilities management with leading edge research and practice puts us in a strong position to move towards our ambitious energy strategy. The exploratory drilling is expected to commence later this year."

ADVISOR TO U.S. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Dr Rob Jeffries, Astrophysics/ Research Institute for the Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics, was invited to act as an international advisor to the United States National Science Foundation (NSF).

Dr Jeffries served on the committee which awards highly competitive grants to applicants from US institutions in the area of "Surveys and Stellar Properties".

The committee met at the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences in Arlington, Virginia, last week.