Reading in the news - Thu 19 Mar

Health and wellbeing:

• Channel 4, The Independent, The Standard, EuroNews, GB News, Reading Chronicle, Times Higher Education, Science Media Centre and others quoted Dr Simon Clarke (Biomedical Sciences) about the ongoing meningitis outbreak in Kent. Dr Clarke also answered readers’ questions for The Telegraph and spoke to LBC and BBC Radio Berkshire. Stories republished by Yahoo News, AOL, Newswav, Byteseu, Inkl and MSN. From our expert comment: Meningitis outbreak
• Professor Stella Chan (Psychology, pictured) spoke to ITV News on changes to sex education for teenagers.

Food and farming:

• AOL and Yahoo News republished an article from The Telegraph about a study finding benefits of wholegrain cereal.

#PlanetPartners: working with global partners to protect the environment

• Luxemburger Wort featured research by PhD researcher Jeff Da Costa (Geography and Environmental Sciences) on Luxembourg’s large-scale flooding in 2021. A further article from Luxemburger Wort also mentioned Jeff Da Costa and his PhD supervisors Professor Hannah Cloke (Geography/Meteorology) and Dr Jess Neumann (Geography and Environmental Science). From our story: How Luxembourg flood warnings went without action 
• A study by Professor Nicolas Bellouin (Meteorology) investigating the climate impact of plane contrails was featured by Reading Today. From our story: Contrail sensors aim to cut aviation's climate impact
• Further mentions of research from Dr Matt Greenwell (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) on colour-changing katydids was featured by Earth.com, National Geographic Poland, Times of India and India News. From our story: Bright pink insect stands out to blend in, scientists say
• Dr Rob Thompson (Meteorology) was quoted by The Daily Mail (republished by MSN) on the accuracy of weather forecasting apps.
• Comments from Dr Akshay Deoras (Meteorology) were featured by Assam Tribune (republished by My Press Today) on how El Niño events affect monsoon activity.
• EurekAlert, Mirage News, NewsBreak and Phys.org reported on a study by Dr Andrew Bladon (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) into using AI to track insect conservation. From our story: Global insect rescue plan needs new tech to ensure success
• Agricology featured research from Dr Amelia Hood (Sustainable Land Management) on integrating agroforestry into UK farms, also highlighting a study by Dr Tom Staton (Agri-Food Economics) into the potential benefits. From our story: How to make farms tree-friendly and boost food production
• IXBT Live and SocPortal reported on a study by Dr Jamie Thompson (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) into the rapid evolution of cacti. Dr Thompson also wrote an article for The Conversation on the same topic. From our story: The cactus on your desk is an evolution speed machine
• Professor Richard Allan (Meteorology) was quoted by Science Media Centre responding to research linking ancient climate shifts to greenhouse gases and ocean warming.

Business and society:

• Professor Nada Kakabadse wrote for Global Government Forum about changes to the UK civil service in the past 170 years.
• Boardroom Global also featured an article written by Professors Nada and Andrew Kakabadse (both Henley Business School) about governance in business boardrooms.
• Dr Caroline Rook (Henley Business School) was quoted by People Management on risks of mental fatigue following AI use.

Heritage and culture:

• Reading Today provided further coverage of the University’s centenary celebrations, quoting Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor.
• Professor Kate Williams (History) will be attending the Cheshire Literature Festival to discuss her new novel Regina, reports Visit Cheshire.
• Professor Adrian Bell (Henley Business School) co-wrote an article for The Conversation (republished by Tolerance) about the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt.

Alumni:

• FAD Magazine reported on an upcoming art exhibition by Daisy Dickens, who studied Art and Psychology at Reading.