Reading in the news - Fri 25 Jul

Community compost research: Scientists from the University are partnering with a Nepalese gardening group to test homemade versus shop-bought compost quality in a community-led research pilot, ITV Meridian Thames Valley TV reports. From our news story: Homemade compost supercharges garden plant growth.

#UniForReading:

• Greatest Hits Radio (Berkshire & North Hampshire) and Reading Today reported that the University selected Daisy’s Dream as its Charity of the Year, supporting bereaved children through the Reading-based organisation.
• The University’s Whiteknights campus has received a Green Flag Award, recognising it as one of the top local beauty spots in the Reading area, reports the Reading Chronicle (in print).
• Scientists from the University are collaborating with a local Nepalese gardening group to test compost quality as part of the Community Led Research Pilot, ITV 1 Meridian reports.
• The University is leading a two-day cultural event bringing together artists and archaeologists at a 1,200-year-old monastery site, reports RDG Today.

#PlanetPartners: working with global partners to protect the environment 

• MP Matt Rodda highlights the University’s role in advancing Reading’s net zero goals and congratulates it for being named Sustainable University of the Year 2025, reports RDG Today.
• Kew Gardens has opened its Carbon Garden, featuring herbaceous perennials inspired by the University’s climate stripes, illustrating global temperature rise, Kew reports and the story is highlighted by Forbes in a feature on gardening amid climate change.
• The Telegraph includes comments from Dr Claire Ryder (Meteorology) explaining the risks of volcanic ash to aircraft in extreme weather conditions. Republished by Yahoo! News and AOL
• Associate Professor Alastair Culham (Ecology) provides a guide on prioritising plants during hosepipe bans and water shortages in RTE Brainstorm.

Health and wellbeing:

• Professor Glenn Gibson (Food and Nutritional Sciences) explains in The Economist that while you cannot overdose on probiotics, excessive prebiotics may cause temporary digestive discomfort.
• Professor Gunter Kuhnle (Food and Nutritional Sciences) clarifies in the food bible that sugary drinks significantly increase heart disease risk, reports Food Bible. Republished by MSN

Other Coverage:

• Dr Brian Pickles (Ecology) and his team discovered parallel dinosaur tracks in Alberta, suggesting different species herded together, reports Today Headline, New Scientist, The Lighthouse and Germanic News. Also covered by AOL, Yahoo News Canada, Yahoo News Australia, INKL, Yahoo News UK, Western Morning News, Money Control, Times Online, IFL Science, Natural History Museum, The Independent and Trill Trill. From our story: Dinosaur tracks show first evidence of multispecies herding.
• A four-bedroom home located in the “heart of the Reading University area” is listed for sale at £650,000, reports the Reading Chronicle (in print).
• BBC regional radio stations, including BBC Radio Kent, BBC Radio Berkshire, BBC Radio Oxford, BBC Radio Surrey, BBC Radio Sussex, featured “A Sign of the Times”, a play by Andy Kemp, who taught at the University for 28 years, training drama teachers.

Alumni:

• Business Day profiles Olamidotun Votu-Obada, a children’s book author and social entrepreneur, who holds a master’s in International Financial Economics from the University.
• Sohaila Rahman, who holds an LLB Law degree from the University, has been named Chief Legal and Governance Officer at Alba, reports The Energy Info.