Reading in the news - Mon 24 May

Racism and Inequality: The University has identified 20 recommendations to tackle racism and inequality in a report covered by BBC Radio Berkshire, BBC One South and BBC One Oxford. Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Parveen Yaqoob spoke to BBC Berkshire about the report. Read our news story, which includes a link to the full report.

#PlanetPartners: Reading’s global work for a sustainable future

The #PlanetPartners campaign is running 4-27 May, showcasing the University’s support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Read today’s news story on SDG14: Life Below Water, covering the University’s work to monitor and understand threats to global underwater ecosystems, and promote sustainable use of marine resources.

Please share your own examples using the hashtags #PlanetPartners and #sdgoals. Read more about the campaign here.

• The Sunday Times covers research involving Professor Frank Mayle (GES) that revealed indigenous Amazon populations may have been in decline due to climate change before European settlers arrived after 1492.
• Professor Ed Hawkins (Meteorology) is quoted in The Times on his Rainfall Rescue project which looks at archived rainfall records from the 19th century; and The Times on how climate change affects the weather in the UK.
• Dr Caroline Wainwright (Meteorology) is mentioned in The Conversation, MyZA and Big News Network for contributing research on forecasting rare cyclones.
• MSN and The Daily Hunt quote a tweet from PhD student Akshay Deoras on tropical Cyclone Yaas. 

#UoRWay: how University life continues through the pandemic

• The Reading Chronicle wrote an article on how the university has welcomed students back to campus.
• Dr Anna Kontopoulou (Art) is quoted in The India Education Diary about the pandemic’s effect on the arts, and talks about an upcoming film on students’ self-care during the lockdown. 

COVID-19: expert comment on the pandemic

• The Guardian quotes Professor Helen Dodd (Psychology) on children’s play being limited during the pandemic.  
• Dr Simon Clarke (Biological Sciences) is quoted in The Daily Mail, The Amed Post and The Express Digest on mutant strains of COVID-19; The Daily Mail about the COVID-19 vaccines working against new variants; and spoke to LBC and BBC One South on the Indian COVID-19 variant.
• The Indy 100, The Daily Hunt quotes Dr Al Edwards (Pharmacy) on fake claims that COVID-19 vaccines are magnetic.
• The Mid Day mentions a UoR study on parosmia as a result of COVID-19. 

Solar storms: Research led by Professor Mathew Owens (Meteorology) on how increased solar storm activity could delay moon missions is picked up by multiple news sites including IFLS , The Auto Evolution and The Moon Daily. Read our news story.

Global education: The Star publishes an article written by Professor Wing Lam (University of Reading Malaysia) on new strategies for the global education market.

Other Coverage:

• The Times (in print) and The Mail on Sunday further cover an apology by the University of Essex to Professor Rosa Freedman (Law) after disinvited her from a speaking opportunity in 2020.
• MDPI publishes new UoR research on the effects of plastic debris in lake water.
• UoR Agriculture student Lauren David is featured in the Young Farmer’s Focus in The Farmer’s Guardian.
• BBC Berkshire spoke to Dr Ollie Douglas, curator of the Museum of Rural Life collections, about the 51 Voices project to mark its 70th year. Read our news story.
• Dr Mark Shanahan (Politics) is quoted in NewsWeek, The Raw Story and Press From with potential reasons to why Donald Trump has not announced whether he will run for presidency in 2024.
• UoR has created a new online Archaeology course ‘From Dig to Lab and Beyond’ which provides students with an insight into studying Archaeology at University, covered by News Break.
• Get Reading mentions the Whiteknights Campus in an article about extreme weather in Berkshire.
• Sarah Lambert-Gates, Nick Pankhurst and Rory Williams-Burrell (Archaeology) are involved in digging up an ancient ‘bear pit’, covered in The Henley Standard.
• Professor Kate Williams (History) is quoted in Cherwell about the accessibility of studying History at university. 
• Research on the benefits of flavanols by Professor Gunter Kunle (Food) is mentioned in Head Topics, with a focus on tea. 
• The People’s Friend mentions UoR research in the Neuroscience department on knitting as a hobby to encourage mindfulness. 
• New UoR research suggests that drinking cow’s milk has no association to increased cholesterol levels. Dr Vimal Karani (Food) is quoted in Devdiscouse and Web India 123 on the study.