Oral presentations and public speaking are an important aspect of the student experience in UK higher education and oral presentations are a commonly used a form of assessment. Previous research evidence has indicated that many students experience a fear in public speaking. The aims of this qualitative survey were two-fold. First, it sought to gather further insight into the fears experienced and strategies used by students who fear public speaking, including oral presentations. The second objective was to determine whether their fear affected their overall experience of higher education.
The main findings from this qualitative survey have clearly indicated that for those students with a fear of public speaking and oral presentations, public speaking tasks have an overall negative effect on learning and the student experience. Specifically, the findings have indicated that many students’ main fears are associated with being judged, uncertainty about the topic and physical symptoms. This survey also clearly indicated that most of the students in this study, although fearful of public speaking, were aware of the importance of practice and preparation. The findings clearly identified the lack of and need for further comprehensive support for students with a fear of public speaking.
Dr Tariq Umar, Senior Lecturer from the School of Built Environment and Architecture, College of Arts and Technology, UWE Bristol, was invited by the Coahuila state in Mexico to deliver workshops on classroom management and student engagement strategies for over 500 state teachers. The visit took place from 6 to 9 November 2024.
The Coahuila state in Mexico has a population of more than 3 million, divided into 38 municipalities, and has 17 public and private universities. The state government of Coahuila has put several initiates including the establishment of several organizations including INSPIRA which is mainly focusing on the community services, education, youth, women, and mental health.
Above: Coahuila State’s Municipalities
Dr Umar delivered two workshops on classroom management and student engagement strategies covering topics and activities on classroom management techniques, interactive learning strategies, active participation, using technology and multimedia and developing and improving subject curriculum. The workshops were attended by more than 500 teachers from different areas of the state.
Above: Workshop
He had several interactions with the INSPIRA team including meetings the lead of each focus area (community services, education, youth, women, and mental health). In the meeting with the honorary president of INSPIRA (Ms Paola Rodríguez López), it was explored that how to work together to establish a strong collaboration to address the challenges of the State. Dr Umar also shared the current ongoing project “Improving soft skills, learning outcomes and employability of women students, graduates, and early career professionals in STEM” is funded by the British Council, Mexico, and explain that how this project is aligned with the several initiatives of INSPIRA. This project is in collaboration with Universidad Politécnica de Ramos Arizpe (UPRA) located in Coahuila state aiming to improve women’s participation and leadership in the STEM disciplines.
While Dr Umar is expected to visit Coahuila again in January 2025, it was agreed to meet virtually in November and December.
The Ageing Lifestyle in Blacks and Asians (ALIBSA) network is a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to improving health literacy and reducing health inequalities within Black and Asian communities. Founded by Associate Professor Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu of UWE Bristol, the network focuses on empowering these communities to take control of their health by addressing the unique barriers they face in accessing healthcare.
ALIBSA emerged from a collective passion for reducing health disparities among its six core team members. These include Dr Niyi-Odumosu, who leads the initiative, alongside Dr Zheng Ma, a senior lecturer in public health who engages with Chinese ethnic minorities to promote health awareness. Other members include Alosh Jose, CEO of Cricketqube; two medical doctors, Dr Gisele Abissegue and Dr Abolanle Adesope; and doctoral researcher Oluwatobi Fatola. Together, this multidisciplinary team combines expertise to design culturally tailored interventions that enhance access to healthcare while fostering self-confidence and autonomy in managing health conditions.
The network operates through a variety of community-focused activities. One of its key initiatives is the organisation of monthly webinars that bring together experts to discuss health-related topics relevant to Black and Asian populations. These sessions serve as a platform for knowledge exchange, where participants can engage with speakers and share experiences. Beyond these events, ALIBSA maintains a vibrant WhatsApp group with over 120 members, which acts as a resource hub for sharing links to ongoing research, health services, and other useful information.
ALIBSA’s influence extends well beyond the UK. Participants and volunteers from countries including Nigeria, Ghana, the Netherlands, Canada, Malaysia, Australia, and the United States contribute to the network’s mission. Volunteers also serve as champions in their regions, advocating for health literacy and supporting local community initiatives. The network offers mentoring opportunities to early-career researchers and health professionals passionate about addressing lifestyle-related health conditions.
At its core, ALiBSA strives to be a global movement. Its vision is to establish health literacy initiatives led by communities, with a champion in every country. By empowering individuals through education and accessible resources, ALiBSA aims to reduce health disparities and ensure equitable access to healthcare services for Black and Asian populations worldwide.
Joining ALIBSA means becoming part of a collective effort to create a healthier, fairer future. Whether as a volunteer, researcher, or advocate, there are opportunities to contribute to this important work. Together, we can make a lasting impact.
Vertical farms for crops eliminate the soil microbes that, in the field, help plants grow – UWE Bristol academics are putting the microbes back.
Professor Neil Willey, Dr Mukesh Sharma, and PhD student Segun Ogunmefun are part of a €6 million European Innovation Commission (EIC) project, ‘Microbial Hydroponics (Mi-Hy)’, that is making vertical farms more sustainable by incorporating microbial processes.
In the next few decades Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) will produce an even higher proportion of the world’s food than it does now. It will include not just greenhouses but vertical farms and urban agriculture. In CEA crops are frequently grown without soil in a controlled environment with artificial light. In contrast to growing in soil, crops are just fed a nutrient solution (‘hydroponics’) and there’s no microbiome involved in nutrient uptake – a bit like intravenously feeding a human. In the field, the soil around plant roots (the rhizosphere) teems with microbes that help not just nutrient uptake but also stress avoidance and pathogen resistance. When plants in hydroponics have no rhizosphere microbiome, they are completely dependent on inorganic unsustainable sources of nutrients and their taste and nutritional quality can be different. This makes sustainable growth of nutritious crops in hydroponics difficult.
Basil growing in hydroponics in the Envirotro
The Mi-Hy project is using wastewater streams to drive Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) and Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MECs) and is developing a system to manage them as a prosthetic rhizosphere. This prosthesis captures nutrients from waste, provides energy for lights and pumps, and produces organic compounds like those of the rhizosphere. The project is also developing designs for incorporating this hydroponic system into urban spaces. The plant growth experiments for the project will be done in the UWE Envirotron and the whole system will be demonstrated at, for example, the Sony Computer Science Labs in Paris and the Milan Triannale 2025. Numerous UWE student projects and modules are linked to the research.
We’ve already been able to capture from waste streams more than 50% of the nitrogen that hydroponic plants need so we’re confident that when we’ve made the whole system and can fine-tune it, we will be able to grow plants completely on nitrogen captured from waste streams. We‘re hoping that we might help develop buildings that can feed their inhabitants!
Professor Neil Willey, Dr Mukesh Sharma, and PhD student Segun Ogunmefun are part of a €6 million European Innovation Commission (EIC) project, ‘Microbial Hydroponics (Mi-Hy)’, that is making vertical farms more sustainable by incorporating microbial processes. They are funded by UKRI under the Horizon Europe Guarantee.
UWE Bristol is excited to announce a new three-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with WASE Limited, funded by Innovate UK. A KTP is a unique collaboration between a business, a university, and an associate. It aims to create a positive commercial impact, enable transformational improvements, and drive innovation.
WASE provides their customers with decentralised, next-generation technology that converts wastewater and organic waste into energy (methane-rich biogas). Their services help clients reduce energy costs, shielding themselves from market volatility and lowering waste treatment costs. This is all achieved, whilst decreasing carbon impact through an enhanced local circular economy.
They currently support SMEs in food and beverage manufacturing and agriculture. Their direct sales team offers a Waste and Sustainable Energy as a Service (WASEaaS) model that requires no CAPEX for instant low-cost renewable energy. They also provide an ownership model with remote operation and maintenance support.
The KTP will create a machine learning-based soft sensing platform. This platform will be integrated within WASE’s Electro-Methanogenesis Reactor (EMR) to remotely optimise system performance. The system will help expand EMR technology, allowing customers to treat wastewater on-site while generating energy, reducing carbon emissions, and producing cleaner water and nutrients for use as fertilizers.
The project aims to develop game-changing improvements to the EMR technology by enhancing the system’s monitoring and adaptability. This will ensure minimal downtime and maximum value from the waste. The improvements will involve optimizing WASE’s industrial-scale system and improving predictive analytics in anaerobic digestion (AD). We will use feedback from microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) modules to enhance sensor accuracy.
If you would like to find out more about WASE’s next generation anaerobic digestion system and the novel machine learning biosensing, reach out to the team at WASE: Get in touch – WASE.
Will Gambier, Head of Science from WASE commented:
“We’re delighted to partner with UWE Bristol on this exciting Knowledge Transfer Partnership. This collaboration is an important opportunity to take our waste-to-energy solutions to the next level, combining our industry expertise with the University’s innovative research capabilities.
We see great potential in using data-driven insights to help our customers treat wastewater more effectively, generate clean energy, and support sustainability goals.”
KTPs integrate academic research into companies, to promote innovation and growth. The unique three-way collaboration between a business, a university and a graduate help businesses improve competitiveness and productivity.
In this blog post, we highlight some of the groundbreaking discoveries Black academics have made that have significantly advanced our understanding and capabilities in numerous areas.
Black History Month is a time to honour and celebrate the rich contributions of Black individuals to various fields, including innovation and research.
The theme for this Black History Month 2024 is Reclaiming Narratives and for us in Research, Business and Innovation that means celebrating Black heritage, culture and doing our best to highlight Black contributions to the world of research and innovation.
Research at UWE by Black Researchers
Below is an introduction to just some of our fantastic Black researchers based at the university:
Dr Tinkuma Edafioghor
Dr Tinkuma Edafioghor is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, based within the Bristol Business School. Her research focusses on the relationship between HRM and organizational resilience, exploring key areas such as Talent Management, Employee Engagement and Well-being, Leadership and Change Management, Crisis Management and Response, and Strategic HRM Alignment. Tinkuma is currently working on a project titled “A Gender-role Perspective of Employee Well-being and Resilience,” funded by the VC Early Career Researcher Development Awards.
Dr Rachael Ununuma Chidugu-Ogborigbo is a Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences in the School of Applied Sciences. Rachael’s research focuses on the biological effects of environmental contaminants at the molecular level, known as ecogenotoxicology. Rachael’s current projects include the exploration of novel extremozymes from marine sponges for application in Biotechnology; cloning of CYP1-like and CYP3-like genes in Sea sponges as potential biomarkers of organic pollutants; and assessment of organic pollutants in environmental matrixes from the Niger Delta.
Dr Amina Hamoud is a Lecturer in Systems Engineering, based within the School of Engineering. Her research interests include modelling and simulation for connected and autonomous vehicles systems and their verification and validation. Alongside her research and teaching duties, Amina is a keen volunteer and STEM Ambassador, providing mentorship to students from diverse backgrounds. She is a member of the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK) and a member of the Women in Engineering Society. Last year, Amina was named as one of the top 50 Women in Engineering by the Women’s Engineering Society, a testament to her research as well as her advocacy work for black and ethnic minority groups.
Professor Shawn-Naphtali Sobers
Professor Shawn-Naphtali Sobersis Professor of Cultural Interdisciplinary Practice in CATE’s School of Arts. Shawn’s research has spanned a wide range of diverse topics, from the use of youth media in informal education, through to using media as an ethnographic research tool exploring subjects such as the legacy of the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved African people, through to disability issues and walking. His recent book ‘Black Everyday Lives, Material Culture and Narrative: Tings in de House’, published by Routledge (2023), explores British Black history through looking at the stories of objects found in Black British homes. His recent research, funded by the AHRC, explores the intra-cultural, religious, and political relationships between Britain, Ethiopia, and the Caribbean. This year, Shawn was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Arts University Bournemouth, in recognition of his unique contribution to the field of filmmaking, photography and writing.
Professor Emmanuel Adukwuis Professor of Applied Microbiology and Deputy Head of the School of Applied Sciences. His research focuses on strategies to reduce the burden of infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, employing a range of experimental and public health approaches. In recognition of his outstanding teaching, Emmanuel was awarded the Royal Society of Biology Higher Education Bioscience Teacher of the Year in 2023. He was also elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, the society’s highest grade of membership, acknowledging his notable contributions to the advancement of biological sciences. Beyond his research, Emmanuel is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion within academia. He was previously nominated for a National Diversity Award, included in the Bristol BME 100, and continues to Chair the Africa Staff Network at UWE Bristol and an active member of the BME forum.
Contributions of Black British Academics
Black academics across the UK have made significant contributions and visionary achievements to various fields, often overcoming systemic barriers to achieve ground-breaking discoveries.
Here are a few notable examples:
Professor Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu: A pioneering nurse and geneticist, Dame Nneka Anionwu made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of sickle cell disease and became the first UK sickle cell nurse specialist. Anionwu received a Damehood in 2017 for her services to nursing and the NHS.
Dr Mark Richards:A physicist at Imperial College London, Dr Richards’ research focuses on using optics and spectroscopy for trace-gas quantification. He is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM fields and has dedicated his career to inspiring young people into physics through his science education, outreach, and public engagement activities. To support this, Dr Richards developed The Blackett Lab Family, a UK-wide network for Black physicists aiming to diversify perceptions of physics and promote Black representation at all levels in the field. These contributions have resulted in Dr Richards receiving the Institute of Physics’ Honorary Fellowship for his “inspiring contributions, advocacy and commitment to increasing equity in physics”.
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock:A space scientist and science communicator, Dr Aderin-Pocock has worked on numerous projects, including the development of instruments for the James Webb Space Telescope. She is also known for her efforts to inspire young people, particularly girls and those from underrepresented backgrounds, to pursue careers in science. On the topic of racism, Dr Aderin-Pocock has said “I always think that when we acknowledge our biases, we grow… and become better people. It’s also important to show that we aren’t trying to pull others down. Rather, it’s about trying to make a level playing field for everyone.”
Professor Robert Mokaya:Professor Mokaya’s research focuses on porous carbons as sustainable energy materials. His work has significant implications for the development of more efficient and environmentally friendly energy solutions. Furthermore, his achievements have been pivotal in developing chemistry in Africa and in the Black community in the UK. At present, Professor Mokaya is the only Black Professor of Chemistry in the country. He has recently been elected as the future president of the Royal Society of Chemistry and will enter the role in 2026.
These pioneers, among many others, have made invaluable contributions to their respective fields. Their work continues to inspire and pave the way for future generations of researchers in the UK and further afield.
100 Black Women Professors NOW
The 100 Black Women Professors NOW initiative is a pioneering program aimed at increasing the number of Black women in the academic pipeline. Launched by the Women’s Higher Education Network (WHEN), this program addresses the significant underrepresentation of Black women in academia by providing career coaching, sponsorship, mentoring, and community building.
The programme is about supporting Black academic women to navigate and manage their careers; and it is also about challenging institutional assumptions and bias, recognising the need to address fundamental societal inequities, and acting to achieve systemic change for a fairer world. For this programme to work, a deep commitment is required from institutional leaders, line managers, and the academic cohort.
In 2018, there were 25 Black women professors in the UK, compared to 12,500 white men. As of April 2024, the number of Black women professors in the UK has increased to 66. While this is encouraging progress, Black women professors still represent the smallest group numerically among all professors, demonstrating that there is still a long way to go to achieve greater representation and equity in academia.
RBI’s Support for 100 Black Women Professors NOW
UWE Bristol is one of only eight universities actively participating in the 100 Black Women Professors NOW initiative, with active support from UWE’s Research, Business, and Innovation (RBI) department.
RBI is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that supports the career progression of Black women academics and is in close contact with the cohort identifying areas for development and support tailored to their needs. A mentor is assigned to each cohort member to support their research ambitions, offering guidance and practical support with bidding. A knowledge sharing programme has also been developed, with RBI colleagues attending cohort meetings to present on their roles and areas of expertise.
In the below spotlight, we meet Louis Aberdeen, Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate for Metrea.
Metrea Mission Data Limited and the Centre for Machine Vision (CMV) at UWE Bristol began their KTP together in October 2023. The KTP is developing unique software solutions that process telescopic images of objects in Low Earth Orbit to detect, track, image and categorise Resident Space Objects. The KTP will embed machine learning principles to allow autonomous detection and categorisation of space objects to provide essential data to clients. Metrea sought a partnership with CMV in order to utilise their extensive experience and expertise in employing state-of-the-art machine learning for complex image processing and feature recognition.
What attracted you to the position?
At the time I was searching for Data Analysis roles and was immediately drawn in by the title “Space Data Analyst” because what’s cooler than space. Initially I assumed I would be underqualified as I had only done a degree in mathematics. However, as I read the job description, I could see how I matched more and more of the requirements and this really excited me. Because of the nature of work the details of the job description were vague which just made me more interested. Space debris is a very serious problem and there aren’t enough cost-effective approaches to dealing with this, this project will take a step forward in this regard.
“I’m looking forward to when the work I have done makes a real impact on the Space Domain Awareness (SDA) system and contributes to the field of SDA”
How is the partnership between UWE Bristol and the company working?
The partnership between UWE Bristol and Metrea is really productive for both parties. The guidance and technical background of UWE Bristol and specifically the Centre for Machine Vision has been critical to the progress of the project and I’d especially give credit to Lyndon and Mark for their mentorship as I follow down this pathway. Metrea have the unique capability to capture imagery of objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the opportunity to work on this project is only possible because of the hard work Metrea has done to develop this system. In particular I would like to highlight Chris and Ryan for their stewardship of the project and for giving me invaluable direction as I develop professionally.
“The benefits are that UWE Bristol are able to produce novel research in an area of study new to the CMV and that Metrea have access to the resources and expertise at the CMV to develop their SDA system.”
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I really love the variety of the work. The project encompasses so many different areas, machine learning, optical systems, signal processing, workflow optimisation, customer engagement, project management. The research is really enjoyable, the processes of working through a problem and experimenting with different approaches is very rewarding. I have a lot of work ahead of me but I’m excited to tackle it head on.
What do you think about the support available from UWE and the Company – give examples if you can
Thanks to Metrea and UWE Bristol’s support I have been able to take a course in video and image processing which has been instrumental in the progress of the project, inspiring a promising direction of study. I have attended serval conferences including the Farnborough air show and SPAICE hosted by ESA on using AI in space. These gave me a really great insight into the wider Space Domain Awareness business as well as modern reinforcement learning, and AI techniques being applied in the space domain. I learned how these trends will only continue to grow which is why it is so important to become knowledgeable.
I have also had many discussions with the academics at UWE Bristol in the CMV guiding me towards writing my first paper. The process of writing a good literature or abstract were very new to me and their expertise was really helpful.
Additionally, I am working with UWE Bristol and Metrea to use the KTP budget on a machine learning/development computer. As a part of this I consulted with many stake holders at UWE and within Metrea to determine the correct allocation of the money. UWE have a lot of experience with purchasing workstations for researchers, so their input was invaluable. Metrea’s IT department were very knowledgeable and knew how they wanted the workstation to be integrated within the wider IT system.
KTPs integrate academic research into companies, to promote innovation and growth. The unique three-way collaboration between a business, a university and a graduate help businesses improve competitiveness and productivity.
Professor Kieran McCartan, Professor of Criminology at UWE Bristol, was recently invited with the Council of Europe, by the Greek government to talk to the Ministry of Civil Protection about their approach to managing people convicted of a sexual offense in prison.
Kieran had worked on the recommendations on the assessment, treatment, and integration of people accused or convicted of a sexual offense for the Council of Europe. The Greek government wanted to talk through those recommendations as well as the research and evidence landscape across Europe.
The Council of Europe emphasized the need for risk assessment, treatment and proper management of sexual offenders based on a person-centered approach, evidence-based practice, and the involvement of multi disciplinary teams of professionals. Victims and community support, the role of Probation, the staff selection and training as well as the media and communications strategy to be followed, were also discussed.
The ultimate objective of the new prisons should be reintegration of the sexual offenders. To this end, Council of Europe will follow up the implementation of the two Ministerial Decisions for the designation of two sex-offenders’ only prisons and stands at the disposal of Greek authorities for further support in view of the European Court of Human Rights and other member States jurisprudence and practices, as well as the findings of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT).
The fellowship was awarded to Dr Freya Wise, who will be joining UWE Bristol to look at “Low carbon residential retrofit: considering the resident as well as the carbon”.
Energy use in buildings is responsible for 27% of global emissions. Retrofitting existing buildings to reduce their energy demand and associated carbon emissions is critical to mitigate devastating climate change. However, standard retro approaches often focus exclusively on technical and financial aspects, failing to consider residents’ preferences and behaviours. These approaches are often inappropriate for the 20-30% of UK homes with heritage value.
Freya’s interdisciplinary PhD examined heritage homes and their residents, identifying holistic solutions to reduce carbon while retaining heritage. The fellowship will consolidate and extend Freya’s PhD research and enhance its wider impact and usability.
Fellowships are aimed at providing a development opportunity for those in the immediate postdoctoral stage of their career, to provide the opportunity to consolidate their PhD through developing publications, their networks, and their research and professional skills.
Freya commented:
“I’m really looking forward to working in the multidisciplinary environment at the Centre for Architecture and Built Environment Research at UWE Bristol on this excellent opportunity to consolidate and extend my PhD work on reducing carbon from heritage buildings while retaining their heritage values and increase its reach and impact.”
As part of the fellowship, Freya will be mentored by Dr Laura De Vito Senior Research Fellow, Air Quality Management Resource Centre and Professor Alice Moncaster, Professor of Sustainable Construction.
Laura commented:
“Freya’s interdisciplinary research is cutting-edge and addresses an important sustainable development topic. I look forward to supporting her in fully realising its policy impact potential and connecting her with other interdisciplinary environmental academics”
Alice commented:
“I’m delighted that Freya has been awarded this Fellowship. Her socio-technical doctoral research into reducing carbon from heritage buildings while retaining their heritage values is both important and novel, and is already becoming well-known across the heritage retrofit sector. This opportunity will ensure its further impact in academic, practice and policy levels, and support Freya on the next steps of a stella academic career.”
Freya’s Fellowship will be 2 years part time starting in November 2024
The South West Doctoral Training Partnership consists of eight South-West universities. The SWDTP focuses on collaboration between the universities, which includes sharing best practice, resources and academic knowledge.
The SIM Project uses the SIM card as a platform to shape new ways of sharing and archiving stories of migration. A SIM card is many things. An international ID card held within our smartphones, a repository of personal data, and a tool for intimate connection. They have a symbolic meaning too. They provide a bridge to transnational, as well as local networks to give us a portable sense of belonging.
The project is inspired by conversation and craft with refugees and people who are seeking sanctuary. The growing mobile collection includes over 150 unique artefacts created at free workshops in 8 countries. Participants make a screenshot from the image archive on their phone, which is transferred onto a sim-scale glass model. In turn, metal frames are etched, polished and stamped with ID numbers of personal significance.
The wearable SIM artworks tell stories and ask questions about notions of home, identity and how people relate to each other through digital devices.
‘As an immigrant, I don’t really have roots, I have tendrils, which stretch to different places in the world where there are people I love’
