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Day: 23 September 2013

Why censorship is not OK

Written by Alice Rigby on . Posted in Opinion.

Freedom of speech is always a hot topic. There is an incredibly fine balance between protecting free expression and preventing offence or harm through censorship. It is almost impossible to create universal rules as to what should be deemed offensive and what should not. Therefore, any decision taken to censor material on the grounds of its apparently damaging nature is often met with marked opposition.

In the past week, both the Manchester Debating Union and The Mancunion have been censored. Both were asked to remove a photo from physical material deemed offensive by the union executive. The photo in question was an image of porn star Sasha Grey, in underwear, in the kind of image oft featured on the cover of ‘lads mags’. The physical material on which the image was intended to appear were promotional flyers for a debate concerning the role of women in porn and the printed edition of The Mancunion. The exec explained their decision, suggesting that the image objectified women, citing a vaguely worded clause in the union constitution. However, while the union executive is designed to protect the welfare of students and was acting within this remit, they seem to have fallen into two common pitfalls in this case of censorship: context and scope.

The context in which potentially offensive material is published is clearly the dividing line between an oppressive society and an anarchic one. If context is not taken into account when censorship occurs then any discussion of issues within society will be severely limited. How can we discuss racism if racist material is always deemed offensive and we are therefore banned from even providing it as evidence of the continuation of racism? There have in fact been cases of overzealous censorship that that discussion has been damage by.

With regards to the image of Sasha, the context is clear; an intellectual debate is clearly not the kind of arena that is designed to reinforce the status quo. In fact by using the image of Sasha, MDU illustrated the issue at the centre of their debate clearly. By the fact that they were debating it, they illustrated that the issue of the plight of women in porn is important and does need to be debated. By censoring the image the union deemed both Manchester students too under developed intellectually to grasp the need for free discussion of a vital issue it was promoting and the fair use of a shocking image to draw attention to such a debate. While the exec may still be able to accuse the MDU of objectifying Ms Grey by using her semi nude image to promote their own ends, the censorship of The Mancunion is both illogical and unnecessary. The image would have been used to directly illustrate a developing issue. The role of news agencies is to reflect what is happening in the world around them. Blanket censorship of controversial images only undermines this process.

Furthermore, the scope of the images at hand was not taken into consideration. The arena in which the image was to be circulated for either debate promotion or news purposes was solely the university itself. The vast majority of those consuming the image through either of these two media would have been students or other members of the university community. A university by definition is a community of learned, learning and educating individuals. It is not unreasonable for MDU or The Mancunion to assume that this group can ascertain the reasonable justification for the use of the image for themselves and to not draw offence from this due to its being used in an intellectual context to illustrate the issue at hand. As such, a blanket censorship is almost patronising on the part of the executive.

However, the most evident problem with this particular instance of censorship is, again, one common to many instances of a similar kind. There is an evident tone of nimbyism in the ban. Pornography exists and if, as many studies have found, 100% of men and around 70% of women view it then the vast majority of the university community must do. To censor an image associated with porn in light of this is near pointless. One member of the exec explained that while Sasha may have chosen to participate in the image, the nature of the image in itself is objectifying her. The use of the image to promote an event only furthers this objectification.

The issue here is that, although the use of the image may have been planned to incite shock, discussion and attention for the debate, none of those things is necessarily bad. While it is good to see the question of ‘Does Porn Empower Women?’ visible around the union at all, it would inevitably have got more attention with the image at hand, particularly from groups in the university community who may not have previously considered this question worthy. This is the issue with blanket censorship of a single image in student media; while bans that are designed to prevent damage on the small scale continue, the big ideas that could tackle these issues on the big scale will continue to be silenced.

To veil or not to veil?

Written by Alice Rigby on . Posted in Opinion.

A single human rights issue has come to the fore in every public institution over the last week. From hospitals, to the courtroom, to schools the wearing of the niqab, or full-face veil, by some Islamic women has become a zenith of controversy. On Question Time the issue of veils being worn by staff in hospitals was the first to be debated, by a panel that was notably absent of any Islamic women. Earlier this week, the leader of one of the major teaching unions suggested that veils worn by students in class inhibited their learning. Birmingham Metropolitan College notably banned the hijab completely, a decision that has now been reversed. Judge Peter Murphy arguably made the most significant decision regarding the niqab, when he negotiated with a defendant and her counsel to allow her to wear her niqab for the entirety of her trial with the exception of when she was giving evidence. The niqab is clearly the issue of the day.

There are two distinctive sides to the niqab debate, with pragmatic requirements and individual liberties coming into direct conflict. Pragmatically, it can be argued that with the face fully covered the ability to communicate is significantly reduced, preventing patients from understanding their treatment fully, teachers from monitoring the progress of their students in class and a jury from making a value judgement on the evidence presented to them. However, the freedom to wear what one chooses is a fundamental human right. While some choices are deemed offensive or potentially damaging to those around the wearer, such as nudity or images of oppression, it is generally accepted that the niqab does not fall into this category. As such, what is a relatively intuitive and straightforward debate seems hard to reconcile.

However, the debate has been marred by the sensitivities involved on all sides. The most evident of these is the religious tension involved. For those caught up in a wave of anti Islamism this is an outward depiction of a religion they despise. While this is obviously a distasteful and unacceptable point of view, the force of the reaction against it could prevent the niqab from being banned in limited circumstances due to a fear of appearing to fall into the category of religious or racial prejudice. Equally, the Islamic community understandably views the failure of western communities to appreciate the role of the niqab as frustrating and bigoted. Particularly, many leaders have highlighted that only a very small minority of women choose to wear the full niqab. As such, its affect seems marginal and the choice of the media to turn the issue into headline news seems unreasonable – they see evidence of a subtle attack against outward symbols of Islamism as a whole.

Most potently, the debate has turned to the ever-present issues surrounding western criticism of the role of women in Islam. Many people have said that they dislike the niqab due to its perceived role in oppressing women, with the Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston deeming the veil ‘offensive’. The home secretary Theresa May has conversely suggested that in her opinion a woman should be able to choose to wear the veil should they wish. These opposing opinions mark a turning point in the debate; the discussion has moved from the practical implications of the veil to a moral analysis of its role in ‘oppressing’ women. This damages the arguments of those simply trying to improve communication in public situations and can expose them to accusations of being morally against the niqab, a position which did not play a role in their initial suggestions.

One group is notable in their absence from these discussions. Women who wear the niqab themselves have rarely been drawn on for their opinions on its use in public circumstances or their personal motivations for wearing it. In The Indpendent, Sahar Al Faifi has written a compelling article about her own choices when it comes to the niqab, highlighting her successful career in molecular genetics and her own parents arguments against her wearing the veil. The simple narrative that has pervaded the debate over the niqab, accusing all niqab wearers of simply complying with external pressures, is clearly not as compelling as has been suggested. The views of Islamic women must enter the arena of this debate before we can draw any meaningful conclusions.

What is most evident from the debate over the niqab is the ease with which a discussion about practicality can descend into a debate about moral right. As much as possible, when considering the niqab we must separate practical requirements from religious and moral emotion. Judge Peter Murphy showed that in the case of practical necessity solutions can be found for the niqab ‘problem’.However, he never suggested that the niqab in itself was an issue. Those who hijack these debates for their own moral programme only damage the useful discussion between each side of the pragmatic debate over the application of the strictures of Islam to the necessities of western society.

My Political Hero: Peter Tatchell

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Opinion.

I first came across political activist Peter Tatchell shortly after the equal marriage bill passed in parliament a few months ago. Anxiously watching the debate live on my tiny laptop screen in my not-much-bigger room in halls (the only time I broke the TV licensing laws) I saw Nadine Dorries, a Conservative MP, demanding that the Minister for Women and Equalities deny the rumours that Tatchell was puppeteering David Cameron’s stance on same-sex marriage. In the end, it transpired that these rumours were false – he had very little influence on the Prime Minister. Instead, he had set his sights on the Mayor of London. When Boris Johnson lead the London Pride march in 2010, in the infamous pink and sequined cowboy hat, Tatchell jumped in front of him, on camera, and asked Johnson whether he would support a same-sex marriage bill. The mayor stumbled for a few moments, until he realized that speaking against same sex marriage while leading a gay pride march would be political suicide. It was the first time that one of the traditional Tories had made a statement in support of the idea, and it made it suddenly acceptable, if not even fashionable, for a hardcore Conservative to be positive about marriage equality. Without this, it is unlikely that Cameron would have been able to subsequently suggest the bill.

Tatchell has campaigned for LGBTQ rights for a long time, without any potential benefit to himself, as although he is gay, his 14-16 hour, seven day week work schedule does not allow him any time for a relationship. His selfless lifestyle does not end there – he only began paying himself a £29,000 salary from the donations to the Peter Tatchell Foundation last year – a pound or two less than the national minimum wage. He also does not limit himself only to LGBTQ issues, and instead stands against anything he believes to be an injustice.

An example of this was the event that changed his standing within the media, from being condemned as a “gay terrorist” to being hailed as a “hero”. On discovering that the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, known for abusing the human rights of his citizens, would be visiting Brussels, Tatchell travelled there, found out Mugabe’s itinerary, and preceded to attempt to put him under house arrest. He stepped out in front of the President and said, “I am putting you under arrest on charges of torture under the United Nations Convention Against Torture 1984”. Mugabe’s bodyguards took Tatchell into the corner and severely beat him, including several blows to the head. He reports that since the attack, his “memory, concentration, balance and co-ordination have been adversely affected”. Despite this, he attempted to approach Mugabe another three times that day. According to Tatchell, he was first pulled away by the Belgian secret police and handed over to two more of Mugabe’s men. He managed to duck away while they were distracted by journalists, and ran to stand in front of Mugabe’s car, where a bodyguard got out and knocked him unconscious. As soon as he came round, he attempted to enter the building that Mugabe had gone to, the home of the Belgian Prime Minister, where he was informed that Mugabe’s men had guns. Only when he saw one of them reach into his jacket did he run.

However, the thing that really strikes me about Tatchell is not just his bravery and selflessness. There have definitely been braver – Emily Davidson, the suffragette who ran in front of the king’s horse and was killed, for example. Tatchell’s real skill is his ability to be in the right place, at the right time, and say the right thing. Instead of simply protesting Robert Mugabe he found a United Nations convention that he was in breach of, and without being a bully, he still managed to back Boris Johnson into a corner, giving equal marriage a chance to actually become a reality.

 

‘A Princess Is Made Not Born’

Written by Charlotte Green on . Posted in Opinion.

This week the upper house of the French parliament passed a piece of legislation aimed at criminalising children’s beauty pageants, so called ‘Mini-Miss’ competitions on the grounds that they are responsible for the hypersexualisation of girls under the age of sixteen. The policy specifically targets the organisers of child beauty pageants, who may face a jail term of up to two years and a fine of 30,000 euros if the ban passes into law.

Despite being initiated by a politician on the centre-right, Ms Chantal Jouanno, a senator and former sports minister in Nicolas Sarkozy’s government, the measure has considerable cross-party support and whilst the legislation still has to be approved by the National Assembly to become law, it is expected to pass through with a relatively small number of amendments.

At first glance the penalties may seem extreme for what most people perceive as a relatively harmless competition for young children. They may also be called reactionary, especially since they come off the back of uproar caused by a controversial spread in Vogue in 2010 which featured ten year old girls dressed in make-up and high-heels, supposedly emulating their mothers.

However if you’ve ever seen a clip of the American reality series, ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’, centering around a seven-year old pageant monster called Alana Thompson,  then these reforms appear long overdue in stopping one of the creepiest industries in mainstream Western culture. Pageants are perceived as being wholly within the domain of the USA, and as a result their spread across the globe has gone almost unnoticed. Aware as we are of pageants like Miss Universe, Miss America and Miss GB, ‘Mini-Miss’ competitions take place under the radar in this country. Perhaps because they operate in such a niche market, only concerning parents and girls of a certain age and attitude, they are not particularly evident in the public consciousness, and we don’t generally associate them as part of British culture. Even with films like Little Miss Sunshine casting light on the dubious ethics of child beauty competitions, we have yet to collectively realise that there is something fundamentally wrong with judging a six-year old girl on her appearance.

Whilst the industry is nothing like as large as it is in the US, Britain has numerous beauty pageants aimed at children and ‘tweens’. One competition, Miss Mini Princess, claims to be ‘UK’s prestige Princess Pageant’, a ‘USA style beauty pageant with a British attitude’ and features the tagline “A Princess is Made not Born”. There are five age categories, Baby Princess (Under 1), Tiny Princess (1 -2 year olds), Little Princess (3-5 year olds), Petite Princess (6-9 year olds) and Little Miss Princess (10-12 year olds). Types of rounds include modelling swimwear and evening dress, as well as exhibiting talent and beauty.

The Anglo-Saxon West condemns child-brides, child pornography and under-age sex. How then does it permit an entire industry to be based on parading children dressed as adults performing adult-style glamour modelling? There has already been a crackdown on suggestive or inappropriate clothing designed for children, such as padded bras for ten-year old girls and crop-tops that bear the slogan ‘future porn star’. In 2011 a Government-commissioned review into the sexualisation of children by Reg Bailey, head of the Mothers’ Union led to a ban on sexually-suggestive clothes for children. Most criticism was targeted at bikinis and bras marketed at under-16s that enhanced and sexualised the wearer’s breasts and body. The Daily Mail has been at the forefront of the press campaign to prevent the sexualisation of children, despite their own dubious descriptions of young girls and women; anyone remember the comments about the ‘blossoming’ Obama daughters?

Will Britain follow in France’s footsteps? It does seem odd to think that while Operation Yewtree rages on, we are not yet turning an eye towards the other end of the problem; towards the sexualisation of children and the pressures surrounding adolescence image. The current attitude towards ‘Mini-Miss’ pageants in this country is one of laissez faire, that parents know what is best for their children and will act accordingly. Of course this is simply not true. If it was there wouldn’t be a market for crop-tops for five-year-olds with ‘future porn star’ splashed across them. It’s an easy leap to presume that these are the same parents who think that dressing their daughters as living barbies and persuading them to prance around a stage for sixty seconds in a baby-bikini is beneficial to their development. Not only does it create an entirely false conception of what the child has to offer the world (i.e, her body and looks), but it brings a self-consciousness that is entirely out of place within a child’s mentality. Extreme youth contains the most blissful ignorance of snap-judgements and instant rejection, and to take that away is frankly abhorrent. Its true children can be cruel, but so can adults, and they can do it better and more exploitatively. France is finally making a stand, and we should stand with them.

 

BOP returns to Fallowfield

Written by Aidan Gregory on . Posted in News.

Popular club night, The BOP, is set to return to its spiritual home of Fallowfield. The themed weekly event will be held at 256 Wilmslow Road, as of Friday 27th September,

The club night caused public outcry when owners Social Junkies organised a ‘Taliban versus armed forces’ theme, last year. An expose by The Mancunion led its cancellation, and a lively debate about the ethics of nightlife promotion.

“As long as the promoters do their job properly, within the bounds of decency and the law, then hopefully the event can be a great success. What they’ve done in the past is really no business of mine,” Alex Allan, general manager of 256 told The Mancunion.

The BOP has been a fixture of Manchester student nightlife for many years, and in its Owens Park heyday was well known among University of Manchester students as one of the best places to be on a Friday night. It has been held weekly on Friday nights at Jabez Clegg, since September 2009.

The clubnight has always been infamous for student debauchery. FHM voted it as ‘the easiest place to pull’ in the UK. Reasons cited for this vary wildly, they include the close proximity of the venue to university halls, a cheesy playlist, and reasonably priced drinks at the bar.

Allan is optimistic about The BOP’s return to Fallowfield.

“We’re happy to bring The BOP back,” he said in an interview with The Mancunion.

When taking on the Friday night event, Allen also said he knew Social Junkies “have had those risky themes”. But in his view it doesn’t seem like anything 256 cannot handle.

“It’s a well-run venue. We have an excellent door team, an excellent bar team,” he said. “I like to think that we can add something to the Bop, and revive the excitement for it.

 

Doctors stress students should sign up with GP

Written by Gawain Owen on . Posted in News.

Doctors and health workers have urged students to register with a local GP at the start of this semester. The call is partly to help decrease the number of admittance’s to A&E over illnesses which could be treated by GP’s.

Manchester has the largest student population in Europe, and sees an influx of over 100,000 students in September, which requires certain public services to brace themselves. For this reason, GP’s situated in student areas are fitted with the resources to deal with the surge of applicants.

Most people who attend university are temporary residents in the city, and so many do not use local GP’s, rather using A&E at the first sight of illness.

“It’s very important that students don’t forget their health needs and that they make registering with a GP in Manchester a priority,” said Dr Helen Hosker, GP and lead for urgent care at Central Manchester Clinical Commissioning Groups, in an article on website Mancunian Matters.

Due to the lifestyles students often lead, general health and well being are commonly neglected. Hangovers and cold houses create a recipe for flu and other illnesses. And it is these health issues GP’s are tailored to deal with.

Registration is a straight forward process and with a practice in Owens Park, attending the GP is often more convenient than making the trip to A&E.

GP’s offer a wide range of services which could be invaluable for some students. Dr Helen Hosker also said some students can be more “vulnerable to depression or anxiety”, through the pressures and stresses of stepping blind into a new and often alien city.

Fallowfield female jogger warning

Written by Sean Doherty on . Posted in News.

Police have issued a warning to female joggers in South Manchester following a string of reports from women who have complained about being harassed.

Nine separate incidents have been reported to the police. Most occurred in Disdsbury between the hours of 6pm and 8pm, but some have taken place in the area surrounding Sainsbury’s on Wilmslow Road between the hours of 10pm and 1am. All the incidents reported took place between the 21st and 29th August.

In most of the cases reported, the man involved followed the female joggers on his bike, staring at them in a manner which made them uncomfortable. In some instances, the women were also subject to sexual comments. All the women who reported an incident felt they were victims of harassment which caused them to feel distressed.

The person being accused of harassment has been described as a white male in either his late 20s or early 30s, wearing a dark baseball cap and occasionally a rucksack. The victims’ ages ranged from 23 to 38.

Detective Inspector Mark Radford said, “We don’t want to unduly alarm anyone, but it would be remiss of us not to warn people about these incidents.

“At this stage the offender hasn’t progressed towards physically attacking anyone, but that doesn’t lessen the impact of what he is doing.

“To be followed and then stared at by a stranger is, at best creepy, and at worst really sinister. I now want people to take a good look at the efit and call us if you recognise him.

“I also want to advise people, particularly women joggers, to take some simple precautions, especially if out at night.

“Stick to well-lit areas, be aware of your surroundings and, if possible, go out jogging with a friend.

“We are taking these offences very seriously and I want to reassure residents that we are doing our utmost to catch the offender.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 4973.

Salford students convicted of drug dealing

Written by Sean Doherty on . Posted in News.

Two Salford University students found guilty of dealing drugs have been sentenced to two years each in young offender’s institutions.

First year student Cara Donnison, 20, and her boyfriend, gap-year student Daniel Campbell, 20 were caught with over £2,500 worth of class A, B and C drugs after police searched Donnison’s room last December.

Police found the drugs in the room after following up calls complaining of disruptive behaviour and drug use. After seeing cannabis and white powder on the bed, as well as digital weighing scales, they searched the room.

The search revealed a haul which consisted of ecstacy worth £1,092, 120 grams of cannabis worth £1,206, 8.95 grams of ketamine worth £179, a bag of cocaine worth £40, as well as two bags of ketamine and cocaine worth £36. They also found £170 of cash along with a collection of plastic snap-bags.

While Campbell transported the drugs into Salford, they were kept in Donnison’s university halls room in Castle Isle Student Village, a halls of residence which is home to over 1,000 Salford students and located a mile from the Allerton campus.

The pair, neither of whom have any previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession with intent to supply as well as one count of possession.

Regarding their sentences, Judge David Hernandez said, “I appreciate that this is going to have a disruptive effect on your lives and I keep the sentences as short as I possibly can”, however he added that their actions meant that, “There has to be a custodial sentence.”

The prosecuting attorney said, about Daniel Campbell, ”He said he knew what he was doing was wrong but he got carried away due to the money that he was making from drugs.”

Researchers speed up diagnosis for children with cataracts

Written by Sean Doherty on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Researchers from the University of Manchester believe they have developed a test which will allow for faster diagnoses of children born with cataracts.

The group, from the Centre for Genomic Medicine, worked to develop a single blood sample test which checks all genes known to cause congenital cataracts, the largest cause of blindness in children. They received funding for the research from Fight for Sight.

Genetic mutations are estimated to be the cause of half of the 200,000 cases of congenital cataracts. It is hoped that such research may help increase the accuracy of doctor’s prognoses regarding how the condition may develop in individuals and how successful surgery may be.

Previous tests have required consecutive testing of each different gene. Mutations which have the potential to cause congenital cataracts exist in over 100 genes, meaning that the methods of testing currently in use are both slow and expensive.

With a single screening for one gene taking four weeks, diagnosis using conventional means can sometimes take years.

As well as helping to find which genes cause congenital cataracts, genetic testing can also help to reveal conditions which would otherwise go undiagnosed.

Rachel Gillespie, developer of the test, said that “In some cases, we have identified that the cataracts aren’t just a standalone problem, but a symptom of a more complex syndrome. This includes Warburg micro syndrome and galactokinase deficiency, both rare conditions that are probably under-diagnosed, as warning signs in children can be subtle.”

The tests are currently being validated by the team from the University of Manchester and Central Manchester NHS foundation Trust. They plan to make them available on the NHS this December.

Afghan teen who “made the impossible possible”

Written by Inez Dawoodjee on . Posted in News.

An 18 year old who survived a perilous European trek is starting his degree at the University of Manchester this year.

BA Politics and Philosophy student Gulwali Passarlay, who was awarded a scholarship to the University, spoke to The Mancunion about his struggle to make it to the United Kingdom.

Gulwali’s journey began in his home country of Afghanistan. He fled from his home province of Nangarhar, in eastern Afghanistan and began a year long journey spanning 10 countries. Living in the shadow of the Taliban, Gulwali’s mother made the decision to send him outside Afghanistan’s borders.

“I didn’t really understand at the time. I thought we might be coming back, but then we went forever. So I had to make myself stronger and keep telling myself ‘ You can do it. You have left Afghanistan, you can’t go back.’  As an Afghan you have to have this dignity, this self- determination,” he said.

Upon arriving in Bulgaria, Gulwali was sent back to Turkey and had to hike through kilometres of snowy mountains. After this, he was also arrested when entering Greece.

He said, “They told me that I had to leave Greece within a month or I would have faced deportation back to Afghanistan.

“In all the countries I’ve been to, they’ve arrested me and put me in jail, even though I was only 13.  But I had no choice, I had to make it to my destination, of getting somewhere safe.”

For Gulwali, the most difficult moment was being trapped in the underbelly of a boat that was making the crossing between Turkey and Greece, “There were a hundred people in a small boat for nearly 50 hours.

“We did not have access to food or drink, nowhere to go to the toilet.  The ship was about to sink, water came in. If the police had not come, we would have sunk within seconds.

“I thought I was gone. The only thing I was worried about was that my family would not find my body, I would be somewhere in the sea.”

Gulwali’s arrival in England was the start of his involvement in a number of panels and organisations.  He was a member of the Youth Consul and is now the representative of the North-West in the National Scrutiny Group.  He is also the Ambassador for Refugees and Asylum Seekers as well as shouldering other positions of responsibility.

“ I do as much as I can because I think it is the time for me to get involved and make a difference, not only because this country has given so much  and I want to give back to society, but also because I want to put this to use in Afghanistan. Hopefully it will be relevant and help me and my people,” he said.

Speaking no English when he first arrived, Gulwali went on to achieve 10 GCSEs.  He then applied for the Manchester Access Programme (MAP) and was one of the 500 students awarded a place.  He had to integrate his A- Levels with university workshops and seminars several times a month, all the while learning English.

“ I got into MAP,  I fulfilled all the requirements. I am very grateful to the University. They gave me the chance.  I made the impossible possible.  I still can’t believe that I’m here.  Having this wonderful opportunity and facilities in this great institution, people need not take it for granted. We’re the future and we should be preparing for this future,” he said.

Despite what he has been through, Gulwali’s desire to return to his home country is strong.  “Even if I had very little, I would still appreciate to be there with my family.”

He added, “even if young people leave, it’s because they have no choice.  If they join the Taliban, they will be killed. If they join the government, they will be killed – either case, they go out in the morning and there is no guarantee they will return home alive.”

Gulwali said he wants to one day return to a safer Afghanistan, “My hope is to support my people, my nation. I hope to go back and see my family and take care of them and to get involved with the Afghan peace process.

“My ultimate goal is to be in a position where I can change things.”

 

Scientists win at UK awards

Written by Inez Dawoodjee on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Two researchers from the University of Manchester have won a prestigious award for their work in biology.

Developmental Biology PhD student Rebecca Williams and Dr Sheena Cruickshank won prizes in the Society of Biology Science Communication Awards, which focus on work that informs and engages the public in Biology.

Applicants for the awards could undertake a range of possible projects, from writing articles to public exhibitions.  The projects had to fulfil the criteria of conveying science to non-academics in an engaging manner.

Williams – a demonstrator at the Manchester Museum and a Widening Participation Fellow at the University –  won the New Researcher prize.  She is the founder of Fastbleep Biology, an organisation that arranges biology workshops for schools around Manchester.

“I feel absolutely honoured to be given this award for science communication. I love science, and I find that talking to young people and the public about the work that scientists do here at the University of Manchester is incredibly rewarding,” she said.

Dr Cruickshank, a Faculty of Life Sciences Lecturer, was awarded the Established Researcher Prize.  She is one of the developers of ‘ Worm Wagon’, an interactive program which merges art and activities to promote awareness of global health matters.

The program also targets groups of migrant women from India and Africa and enables them to understand the adverse effects of parasitic worms in their countries of origin.

“I am incredibly honoured to win this award. It acknowledges the work done by the whole Manchester Immunology Group who carry out world-leading research and work tirelessly at so many events to help highlight the significance of worm infections and neglected tropical disease in the world,” she said.

Chief Executive of the Society of Biology, Dr Mark Downs commented, “it is essential that scientists share their research with members of the public so that we can all explore the ethical implications of our advances in knowledge.”

“I am pleased to see the entrants to our Science Communication Awards sharing their research in such engaging ways. They are also helping to inspire our next generation of scientists!”

Winners will be presented with their prizes at the Society’s Annual Award Ceremony on Thursday 17th October during Biology Week 2013.

How long does your student loan last?

Written by Gawain Owen on . Posted in News.

Loans are in, the bank balance is looking healthy, but how to approach this new found wealth? Is it a chance to budget and be an independent individual? Or to immediately put down the deposit for a holiday and head out to buy GTA V?

Evidence suggests few people manage to stretch their student loan a single semester.

Maintenance loans on average last just seven and a half weeks, figures from a recent survey by Voucher Codes show. This is despite the first term of university lasting 13 weeks.

The research, published earlier this month, attempts to show a break down of how students spend the money they get from the government, and how this varies from region to region in England.

The award for most frugal goes falls to Londoners, who manage to make their loan last a eight and a half weeks out of the 13. While students in the North East make the call to the bank to extend their overdraft after only six.

Excluding rent, alcohol comes in at number one on the list of expenditures, closely followed by food shopping with books coming in third. The survey suggests students spend on average £84 per month on alcohol, out of a £475 budget.

But, for the majority of students being away from home is a new experience and a big step into the unknown. So it is to be expected that this newly granted freedom will be exploited on occasion.

But what is true for all students is that university does not last forever. It is important to make the most of the time you have here. Perhaps this is why alcohol takes priority in the majority of students budgets.

The research also revealed that women spend on average £483 while men only spend £464. The results for the survey are calculated averages taken from a sample of 750 students across the country.

The financial environment for students has changed a lot in recent years. Advances in internet and mobile banking allow us to keep track of our finances and make the whole process of budgeting much more painless.

University of Manchester student Ewan Hamilton told The Mancunion he found mobile banking helped him.

“Downloading a mobile banking app on my phone has really helped me keep to a budget,” he said.

This appears to be the way in which student finance is heading with smart phones creating new and innovative ways to help you stay on top of your money.

Hamilton also suggested such tips as preparing meals in advance and doing one big weekly food shop. By doing this and cutting out daily trips to Sainsbury’s you do not only save money, but have more to spend on the more enjoyable things in life.