Reading in the news - Tue 27 Aug

Hydrogel learns Pong: A new study by Dr Vincent Strong, Professor William Holderbaum and Dr Yoshikatsu Hayashi (all Biomedical Engineering) on enabling a hydrogel to learn to play the Pong video game is reported on by Sky News, Mail Online, MSN News, Gizmodo, Popular Science, Basic Thinking, Yahoo, Pedfire, Bild, Astrobiology Web, Mahalsa UK, Business Telegraph, Gamespot, Germanic News, the i Paper (in print) and others. Broadcast coverage included: BBC World Service, Talk Radio, and LBC. Read our news story.

Air turbulence: The Sunday Times (also in print) produced a feature on the large number of aviation incidents over the last year, including increasing severe turbulence events. Professor Paul Williams (Meteorology) is quoted. Strategic Risk quotes research student Mark Prosser (Meteorology) on the same topic.

Archived recordings: BBC Radio 4 broadcasts interviews by the Museum of English Rural Life, the MERL, originally part of the BBC programme On Your Farm, and recently digitised by BBC archivists. They include historic interviews with former Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden and other insights into aspects of rural life.

Food and farming:

• Financial Times (also in print) quotes Professor Simon Potts (Agriculture) on the global decline in insects.

Heritage and culture:

• Dr Faye Woods (Film, Theatre and Television) is quoted by The Standard on why TV shows on streaming services are being cancelled quickly. Republished by MSN, AOL and INKL.

Health and wellbeing:

• Gulf Insider reports on Reading research which has found that poor-quality diet can impact mental health. Read our news story.
• MSN republishes a story from LoveFood about a University of Reading study that found drinking a blueberry smoothie in the morning can lead to improved cognitive function.

Business and society:

• Businessday.ng reports that Professor Jonathan Passmore (Henley Business School) is listed as a speaker at the upcoming International Coaching Expo, to be held in Nigeria in October.
• John Vlismas (Henley Business School Africa) writes for Daily Maverick about managing diversity in the workplace.
• Dr Mirriam Marra (Henley Business School) is quoted in Gigazine discussing the four-day work week concept.
• Professor Jo Phoenix (Law) spoke to Times Radio, Talk TV and Talk Radio about a call by UK academics to reinstate the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act.
• Henley Business School Africa has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College (BMJC) to strengthen South Africa’s justice sector, TimesLive reports.

#PlanetPartners: working with global partners to protect the environment 

• Air quality stripes, inspired by Professor Ed Hawkins’ climate stripes, have been created by scientists at the University of Leeds, Bioengineer, Scienmag, MirageNews, Science Daily and The Guardian (in print) report. Also mentioned on Phys.org, ReachMD and Nation.
• Professor Hannah Cloke explains how weather apps work for i news (and in print).
• PhD student Theo Keeping (Geography) is quoted in a Sky News piece about the changing response to wildfires, which are increasing due to climate change. Republished by news sites around the UK.
• LBC interviews Visiting Professor Liz Bentley (Meteorology) about the wet weather over the bank holiday weekend.
• The Week features a story on increasingly bad weather in the Mediterranean, following the sinking of a yacht in southern Italy last week. Dr Pete Inness (Meteorology) was quoted. Republished by Knews.Media. Dr Inness also explains what waterspouts are for BNN and Insurance Journal. Read our expert comment.
• Forest Green Rovers FC are using the climate stripes on their new kit, reports BBC Radio Berkshire. Read our news story.
• Inverse and Inkl both feature a story about the accuracy of Victorian-era technology when to comes to measuring air temperature. Read our news story.
• Shopshire Star (in print) and The Hype Magazine mention the inclusion of the climate stripes, created by Professor Ed Hawkins (Meteorology) in the new animated movie ‘Ozi: Voice of the Forest’.
• Chip Chick features research led by Professor Giles Harrison (Meteorology) revealing that extreme storms can alter the boiling point of water, resulting in a bland cup of tea.
• Hindustan Times explains the climate stripes, created by Professor Ed Hawkins (Meteorology).

Other coverage:

• A MailOnline article about earworms mentions previous University of Reading research on the subject. Republished by News Explorer.
• Professor Ian Jones (Biological Sciences) discussed bovine TB amid discussion of badger culling with BBC Radio Oxford and BBC Radio Berkshire. 
• Paudel writes about the Royal Horticultural Society, mentioning the University’s work with Wiseley Research Centre, looking at soil health, ecology and insect pollination.
• A column for Wokingham Today, written by the leader of Wokingham Borough Council, mentions the Council’s partnership with the University around the climate change emergency and skills/employment.
• The Henley Standard and Worksop Guardian (in print) profile A-Level students who plan to study at the University of Reading.
• Analytics Insight mentions the University’s Begin Robotics free online course.
• Public Sectoring Catering reports that Matthew White, former director of campus commerce at the University, is coming to the end of his two-year term as chair of the Public Sector Catering Alliance.
• The Reading Chronicle writes that the University’s Great Hall is open for visitors next month, as part of the upcoming Heritage Open Days programme.
• The New European (in print) quotes Josh James, a Modern Languages student hoping to become a French teacher.
• The Reading Chronicle, Bracknell News and Rayo report on a planning application for new offices at Shinfield Studios based at Thames Valley Science Park, owned by the University of Reading.
• Nation Cymru and Pet News 2Day mentions a University of Reading study that found cats living in the suburbs in the UK kill 270 million animals a year.

Alumni:

• City AM (also in print) runs a profile piece on jewellery entrepreneur and founder of D.Louise, Olivia Jenkins. It mentions that she studied Business Management at Reading.
• Dr Nader Abdullah Mohammed Al-Jallal is profiled by Kuwait Times, Kuwait News Gazette and others, as he has been named as one of four new ministers in the country’s government. It mentions that he studied at Reading.
• Vaishnavi Murthy Yerkadithaya, a creative type director mentions that she pursued an MA in typeface design at Reading, for Communication Arts.