News archive
Local Entrepreneur Scoops Top Prize In Enterprise Challenge
Monday 21 May
A young female entrepreneur has claimed the first prize in the final of flare, the University of Hertfordshire’s prestigious annual Enterprise Ideas Challenge.
Lecture Series kicks off yet another Diamond Jubilee year
Friday 18 May
Leading experts begin a series of lectures introduced by Lord Salisbury to launch celebrations at the University of Hertfordshire to mark its 60th year of higher education in Hertfordshire.Businesses Awarded for their Low-Carbon Initiatives
Monday 14 May
Consultancy packages worth up to £1,000 are being offered to businesses in the East of England towards developing new low carbon transport initiatives, thanks to a scheme ran by EValu8 Transport Innovations, a company owned by the University of Hertfordshire.
Everything is 'Topping' for Hatfield Community Free School
Monday 14 May
Last Friday a ‘topping out’ ceremony was held for the new free school in Hatfield which will be opening in September. The ceremony was hosted by Balfour Beatty to celebrate the building having reached its highest point.
Council and university noise service back for fourth year
Monday 14 May
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council is again working together with the University of Hertfordshire to provide the successful, extended noise nuisance call-out service (Sunday-Thursday, 10pm-3am). This service will operate for two weeks, from 16 May to 31 May, to coincide with the end of term and the University’s exam period.
Olympians Talk about the Importance of Universities to their Careers
Thursday 3 May
Olympians and sporting stars talk about the importance of universities to London 2012 and UK sport in exclusive 'Talking Head' films, launched to mark the start of Universities Week 2012 (30 April – 7 May). The campaign features ambassadors and Olympic medalists including Olympic swimmer and London 2012 competitor Adam Brown, who has been training at the University of Hertfordshire since 2003.
A good standard of GP prescribing ? but improvement possible
Wednesday 2 May
Dr Maisoon Ghaleb, with Professor Soraya Dhillon and Dr Cinzia Pezzoles, from the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Pharmacy has collaborated in a major study into GP prescribing. While the vast majority of prescriptions written by family doctors are appropriate and effectively monitored, around one in twenty prescriptions contain an error
Outstanding Student Recognition
Monday 30 April
Last Thursday the University of Hertfordshire Students’ Union hosted their annual Student Recognition Evening.
University Students Help Local Pupils Level Up
Monday 30 April
Year 11 students from Hertfordshire have been given an exciting opportunity to work with Student Ambassadors from the University of Hertfordshire to boost their GCSE grades in Maths and English.Influencing others through gestures: misleading eyewitnesses
Friday 20 April
Gestures made during interviews can influence or even misinform eyewitnesses. In addition, eyewitnesses are unlikely to recall the influential gestures being shown to them, new research from the University of Hertfordshire suggests. These findings are being presented this week at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference.
First Student Built Rocket Car Goes Off with a 'Bang'
Thursday 19 April
Students at the University of Hertfordshire got to see their latest project fire off at top-speed, as Dallas Campbell, presenter of BBC’s ‘Bang Goes the Theory’, took their rocket-powered car off for a high-powered test-drive for an up-coming episode of the science-based show.
Industry sponsorship fosters professional design skills of University students
Tuesday 17 April
The University of Hertfordshire’s School of Engineering and Technology is very much concerned with students developing technical competence and employability skills. The School design and continually update their courses in consultation with industry professionals from some of the UKs leading engineering firms.
Recognising Flipped Famous Faces has links to Mental Health
Monday 16 April
According to researchers from the University of Hertfordshire, individuals with the mental health problem Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) cannot accurately detect negative facial emotions but they have an amazing ability to recognise famous faces - when they are upside-down. Upside-down faces are difficult for most people to identify because we are used to processing them as a whole, and the right way up. Individuals with BDD, however, process the faces in a different way because they overly-focus on the individual facial features.
Astronomer finds evidence for record-breaking nine planet system
Monday 16 April
A study by Mikko Tuomi, an astronomer at the University of Hertfordshire, has revealed that the planetary system around the star named HD 10180 may have more planets in its orbits than our own Solar system. Dr Tuomi carried out his analysis as part of the EU research network RoPACS, being led in Hertfordshire.
Mass participation dream experiment launches
Thursday 12 April
A new study that uses a specially designed iPhone app in an attempt to improve the dreams of millions of people around the world was launched on Tuesday 10 April by Professor Richard Wiseman, School of Psychology. If successful, the study will allow people to create their perfect dream and so wake up feeling especially happy and refreshed.
Dracula stakes its claim as academics uncover Bram Stoker's ashes
Tuesday 3 April
Dracula stakes its claim as the seminal vampire novel of all time as academics do somevampirizing on a trip to Golders Green Crematorium to pay their respects to Bram Stoker, Dracula’s creator, on the centenary of his death. Dr Sam George, who leads the Open Graves, Open Minds: Vampires and theUndead in Modern Culture Research Project at the University of Hertfordshire, will be joined at the urn by delegates of the Open Graves, Open Minds Bram Stoker Centenary Symposium in Hampstead and members of the Stoker family for speeches and toasts on the 20th April 2012, a hundred years exactly after Stoker’s death in 1912.
International Initiative Improves Mental Health Services
Tuesday 3 April
The University of Hertfordshire is leading an international team set up to establish an online MSc in recovery and social inclusion, the first ever European and US initiative in the field of mental health that will enable practitioners to work with people who experience serious mental illness in a strengths-based approach.
Mind-pops more likely with schizophrenia
Friday 30 March
Almost everyone reports experiencing mind-pops at some time or another, but some experience them more than others according to research conducted by the University of Hertfordshire. In the paper to be published in Psychiatry Research, findings suggest that mind-pop experiences are related to hallucinations in those people suffering from schizophrenia.
British-built telescopes create Milky Way image of a billion stars
Friday 30 March
More than one billion stars across the Milky Way can be seen together in detail for the first time in a near-infrared image. Scientists created the colour picture by combining images from two sky surveys conducted by University of Hertfordshire researchers using British-built telescopes. The United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii covered the northern part of the Milky Way and the VISTA telescope in Chile covered the southern part.
Journalism Summer School Sets Students Ahead of the Rest
Thursday 29 March
The University of Hertfordshire is set to get its own journalism summer school open to anyone interested in gaining the skills and qualifications necessary to work in newspapers and magazines.
Honorary professorship for Hertfordshire plant pathologist
Tuesday 27 March
On a recent trip to China, Dr Avice Hall MBE, from the University of Hertfordshire, was awarded an honorary professorship by the Inner Mongolia Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. She receives this honour in recognition of her achievements in plant pathology for the benefit of the agricultural and horticultural industry in both the UK and China.
Did you attend the 1971 Stansted Summer School?
Tuesday 27 March
Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire are looking to collect the memories and experiences of the women and staff who joined the Stansted Summer School held at Gorsefield House in 1971.
Students Launch Magazine To Help Teenagers Get Ahead
Friday 23 March
Students from the University of Hertfordshire are collaborating with local charity ‘Act For Change’ to launch Get Ahead magazine, an innovative new magazine designed to increase aspirations amongst local pupils.
Olympic Flame Comes to the University
Monday 19 March
It has been announced today (Monday 19 March) the route the iconic Olympic Flame will take through Hertfordshire will feature the University of Hertfordshire on the afternoon of Sunday 8 July as it travels through Hatfield.
Believing the impossible
Thursday 15 March
Research failing to find evidence for the existence of psychic ability has been published, following a year of industry debate.
Magnesium lowers blood pressure
Wednesday 14 March
Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire have found that magnesium supplements may offer small but clinically significant reductions in blood pressure. In a paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers also discovered that the size of the effect increased in line with increased dosage.
First international conference on designer drugs
Monday 12 March
The emergence of new recreational drugs, combined with the internet’s ability to spread information quickly, is a new challenge for public health. This challenge is the focus of the first international conference on novel psychoactive substances taking place this week (12-13 March) in Budapest, Hungary. ‘The Ever-Changing World of Psychoactive Drugs’ conference is co-organised by Professor Fabrizio Schifano and Dr Ornella Corazza, at the University of Hertfordshire, and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).
Happiness: it's not in the jeans
Thursday 8 March
You may throw on an outfit without much thought in the morning, but your choice is strongly affected by your mood. And the item of casual wear in almost everyone’s wardrobe – denim jeans – is what most people wear when depressed, new research from psychologists at the University of Hertfordshire reveals.
New funding to mentor healthcare researchers
Monday 5 March
Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work are part of a successful bid to secure funding to mentor the next generation of world class healthcare researchers. Working alongside the Academy of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Research (UK), Imperial College and the Allied Health Professions Research Network, the programme has received £189,719 to cover three years of funding.
Mark Prisk means Business with Student Entrepreneurs
Thursday 1 March
Mark Prisk MP, Minister for Business and Enterprise, met student entrepreneurs at the University of Hertfordshire to hear how the University supports them in their start-up businesses.
New research links crop disease and climate change
Monday 27 February
Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire have investigated links between crop disease and climate change which impact our food growth and production - affecting our food security today and for future generations. The team of researchers led by Professor Bruce Fitt, at the University of Hertfordshire, in collaboration with Professor Jon West at Rothamsted Research and Dr. Rob Carlton of Carlton Consultancy, describe their investigations in two papers to be published in a special edition of European Journal of Plant Pathology.
East of England MEP unveils latest electric vehicle charge points at Millbrook
Thursday 23 February
East of England MEP Vicky Ford attended Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedfordshire, on Tuesday 21 February to unveil the latest electric vehicle charge points in the Source East electric vehicle charging network. The charging points, supplied by one-stop electric vehicle charging specialist POD Point, include three double-headed posts, one wall unit and one special rapid-charger – the ABB Terra 51.
Paranormal Activity at the University of Hertfordshire
Tuesday 21 February
In collaboration with UHArts, the University of Hertfordshire’s outreach team have developed a series of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) events, which aim to promote these subject areas through film and documentaries.
New Smart Laboratory
Tuesday 21 February
Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire have started work on a new Smart Laboratory to host the latest engineering and digital technology to train future students, which will open on the College Lane campus in late Autumn this year.
Harriet Harman celebrates the music industry's leading education programmes
Monday 20 February
Rt Hon Harriet Harman, Shadow Secretary of State for the Department of Media, Culture and Sport and Shadow Deputy Prime Minister gave a speech at the University of Hertfordshire today (20 February) to celebrate the successes of the UK music industry and champion the sector-leading music programmes at the institution.
Phase Two of National Childrenswear Survey measures size and shape of pre-school children
Friday 17 February
Phase 2 of Shape GB; the national sizing survey is about to commence. Phase 1 was completed in early 2011; the first national survey in the world to use innovative 3D body scanners to measure children aged 4-17. The part public funded study involving Universities, major high street retailers and specialists in 3D measurement announced key findings in April 2011, highlighting changes in children since 1978 and how body shape has changed since then.
Run for Charity
Thursday 9 February
The University of Hertfordshire, with the Abbeyfield Society, are offering guaranteed places in two of London's most prestigious running events in 2012 to staff and students.
New Habitable Super-Earth Detected
Monday 6 February
An academic from the University of Hertfordshire forms part of an international team of scientists that have discovered a potentially habitable super-Earth orbiting a nearby star.
UH students and alumni feature in Calcutta Cup clash this weekend
Friday 3 February
This weekend four UH students and alumni will feature in the opening games of the Rugby Union RBS Six Nations Championship.
Midwifery Lecturers Receive Top Award
Thursday 2 February
Sally Boyle, Denise Campbell and Francesca Entwistle, the leaders of the innovative new midwifery programme at the University of Hertfordshire, have won the prestigious 2012 RCM Award, sponsored by Johnson and Johnson, for Innovation and Excellence in Midwifery Education.
'Tommy Sheridan: from hero to zero? A political biography'
Monday 30 January
“The main conclusion drawn is that Tommy carefully constructed and played the public persona of ‘Tommy Sheridan’”.Just before he is due to be released from prison for committing perjury, the definitive biography of Tommy Sheridan has been published (26 January).
Midwives Shortlisted For Top Award
Tuesday 24 January
Francesca Entwistle and Denise Campbell, the leaders of the innovative new midwifery programme at the University of Hertfordshire, have been shortlisted for an RCM Award in the Johnson’s Baby Award for Excellence in Midwifery Education.
Student Image Selected As NASA Picture of the Day
Saturday 21 January
A photograph, taken by a student of the University of Hertfordshire, has been selected as NASA’s astronomy picture of the day.
First Study of Rutland Water Shows Major Impact
Friday 20 January
The first-ever economic impact study of Rutland Water has revealed that the facility generates up to £100 million annually and provides direct employment for over two thousand people.
Professors do something different at London Book Launch
Wednesday 18 January
Professor Ben Fletcher and Karen Pine launched their book FLEX: Do Something Different. How to use the other 9/10ths of your personality to an audience of over 100 guests at London’s famous Groucho Club on Monday 16th January.
Harwich International Port Gets Switched On for Electric Vehicles
Tuesday 17 January
The Mayor of Harwich has officially ‘plugged-in’ a new electric vehicle charging point at Harwich International today (17 January), the first port to be included in the Source East Electric Vehicle Recharging Network.
Grant to Combat Water Shortages in India
Tuesday 17 January
A researcher at the University of Hertfordshire has been awarded a research grant to study water shortages in India and to assess the merits of traditional water control technology over newer techniques.
Why Acting out of Character Can Lower Your Stress
Tuesday 17 January
Feeling anxious about post-Christmas bills? Worried about relationships or job prospects? Act in a way that doesn’t come naturally and you could begin to feel a whole lot better – that’s the claim in a book launched today (16 January 2012) FLEX: Do Something Different. How to use the other 9/10ths of your personality, by psychologists Professor Ben (C) Fletcher and Professor Karen Pine from the University of Hertfordshire.
A New Way of Ranking Universities
Monday 16 January
An academic at the University of Hertfordshire has challenged the way university league tables are calculated and presents a radically different way of formulating university rankings in the UK, in a paper released this month.
Award for EcoCampus System
Friday 13 January
The University of Hertfordshire has achieved the Gold Award for the implementation of the ‘operating phase’ of the EcoCampus Environmental Management System, following an external audit.
