Reading in the news - Mon 10 Nov

Electric bees: Professor Giles Harrison (Meteorology) spoke to BBC World Service Radio and BBC Radio 4 (replayed ABC News Australia and more than 50 global broadcasters) about his research into bees and electric charge.

Health and wellbeing:

• Dr Simon Clarke (Biomedical Science) was quoted by Daily Mail and Telegraph on how to avoid getting ill in winter.
• Dr Hisham Al-Obaidi (Pharmacy) was quoted by Wells Nub News on the ineffectiveness of over-the-counter decongestant, phenylephrine.
• Arina mentioned a study from Professor Netta Weinstein (Psychology) on spending time alone. From our story: Alone but not lonely: how solitude boosts wellbeing
• CNFO Radio and other local US broadcasts mentioned research from Professor Ciara McCabe (Psychology) on colouring in and depression.

Food and farming:

• Women’s Fitness highlighted a study into how bananas alter nutrient absorption in smoothies.
• Ethical Marketing News mentioned a research project looking into how AI can be used to make agriculture more sustainable.
• The Times (print) quoted Professor Julie Lovegrove (Food and Nutritional Sciences) on the benefits of eating more beans, peas, and lentils.
• Research which found benefits to eating walnuts was highlighted by Top Radio and Botasot.

Business and society:

• BBC News, Head Topics, Newcastle Journal, Chronicle Live, Daily Mail, MSN and others reported on evidence given by Professor Jo Phoenix (Law) at the Darlington Hospital nurses tribunal.
• Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice Chancellor, was interviewed by Times Higher Education on the benefits and risks of specialisation of universities.
• InYourArea included comments from Professor Andrew Charlton-Perez (SMPCS) on plans for school national curriculum reform in England, on climate education. From our expert comment: Curriculum and Assessment Review
• BusinessInsider and Money highlighted Henley Business School research which found benefits to four-day working weeks.

Heritage and culture:

• Reading Today, The i Paper, Daily Telegraph, Sun, and Daily Mail reported on a new Channel 4 documentary airing tomorrow (Tuesday 11 Nov), in which Sandi Toksvig visits the University’s archaeological excavations at Cookham. From our story: Sandi Toksvig discovers Cookham monastery’s Hidden Wonders.
• Professor Andrew Mangham (English Literature) spoke to BBC Radio Berkshire about the influence A Christmas Carol had on holiday traditions.

#UniForReading: our role as a civic university

• Housing Today and Wokingham Today reported on the submission of plans for the University’s Loddon Garden Village project. From our story: Planning application submitted for Loddon Garden Village
• Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice Chancellor, wrote for Reading Today about the importance of universities in helping regional economies with skills and jobs.
• Reading Chronicle and Wokingham Today reported on a University-funded nutrition project for local SEND children involving Professor Kate Harvey and Natalie Ellison (both Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences). From our story: Supporting SENDfamilies through food, play and nutrition
• Reading Chronicle and Reading Today feature comment from Cllr Liz Terry, the leader of Reading Borough Council, on how the University is supporting efforts to tackle climate change.

#PlanetPartners: working with global partners to protect the environment

• Eme Dean-Lewis (Meteorology/the Pearl) spoke to Times Radio about the upcoming COP30 summit, and its focus on deforestation.
• Dr Xiangbo Feng (Meteorology) was quoted by Daily Maverick, The Standard, The Telegraph India, Laodong, and other outlets on climate change and Typhoon Kalmaegi. Comments from Dr Feng were also featured by The Vibes, New Straits Times, Arab News, and other on Typhon Fung-wong.
• Huffington Post (republished by Canada News and Yahoo!News) quoted Dr Rob Thompson (Meteorology) on the difficulty of predicting snow in the UK.
• EuroNews, Travel and Tour World, TimeBulletin, Yahoo!News and Inkl and others mentioned research from Professor Paul Williams (Meteorology) on air turbulence. From our story: Turbulent flights to continue as warming world shakes skies
• Carbon Brief highlighted that the University will be a location of upcoming IPCC workshops.
• Dr Jamie Thompson (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) wrote for The Conversation (republished by Yahoo!News) about the Earth’s psychedelic plants.
• Professor Keith Shine (Meteorology) was also quoted by CleanTechnica and Conservative Woman on his research co-authored by Professor Laura Wilcox (Meteorology).
• Professor Hannah Cloke (Geography/Meteorology) was quoted by The Guardian, The Independent,  Watson (republished by Yahoo!News and MSN) and others on drought measures in the UK.
• Oxford Mail (republished by Yahoo!News) featured comments from Dr Jess Neumann (Geography) about riverside flooding risks.
• FundsForNGOs reported on research from Professor Sandy Harrison (Geography and Environmental Science). From our story: How fire, climate and people shaped Africa’s landscapes.

Other coverage:

• Earth.com, Media Indonesia, World Today News, and Commercial UAV News featured research from Dr Brian Pickles (Ecology) on a method of finding dinosaur fossils. From our story: Lichens and drones reveal dinosaur bones.
• GreeneFact mentioned a study investigating the impact indoor plants have on air quality.
• Poets and Quants highlighted Henley Business School’s ranking in the Corporate Knights 2025 MBA Ranking.
• The Chosun featured student Shin Gyo-jun, who won The Ministry of Science and ICT competition for work on AI.

Alumni:

• Wealth Briefing mentioned that Behavioural Finance graduate Victoria Gevorkova has been appointed as a fund research analyst for Arbuthnot Latham.
• Sonicstate interviewed software engineer Greg Burns, who studied Computer Science and Cybernetics.
• British Society of Soil Science provided a biography of Professor Alan Wild, who taught Agricultural Chemistry.
• The Stat Times featured Reading graduate Wilson Kwong, who is the new Director of Hong Kong Transport Services.
• MyBroadband (republished by HeadTopics) interviewed Rashid Tar-Mahomed, Managing Executive for Vodacom South Africa and Henley Business School graduate.
• The Guardian (republished by MSN and Yahoo!News) published an obituary for Peter Edwards, who studied Agriculture.
• Typeface design graduate Pooja Saxena has written a new book on India’s typographical history, reports Creative Boom.