Staffordshire University Proudly Presents: Level 4 Early Childhood Studies Degree; 1st Baby Conference

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With Guest Speaker Midwife: Sylvia Baddeley

Staffordshire University observed its first (ever) Student Baby Conference on Friday February 8th, 2019. This event had been organised to co-inside with the delivery (pardon the pun) of the Working with Babies Module (0-3 years) and to cover specific topics related to the module.  The whole day event was an opportunity for students to engage and experience a conference style presentation, something new for many students.

Our Guest Speaker, Sylvia Baddeley is a Bonding and Attachment Specialist Midwife whose career spans nearly over 39 years; she is a Freelance Lecturer, an eminent speaker and researcher; has (also) worked with Stoke Speaks Out; pioneered Aqua Natal Classes and on top of all that, she still finds time for personal hobbies such as painting; art and local history. And so, it was our privilege to have some an experienced and knowledgeable professional delivering our first ever conference. Continue reading →

Why Manchester United should make Ole Gunnar Solskjaer manager next season

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Anthony Miller, PhD Candidate and Lecturer at Staffordshire University, writes for the Conversation

With speculation rife over who will be taking over as manager of Manchester United FC in the coming season, any talk of appointing current caretaker and former player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is strictly under wraps.

With limited experience in top-flight football, the Norwegian currently in charge of the biggest club in the world has renewed players’ confidence and attacking flair. The turnaround from ex-manager Jose Mourinho’s dismal performance this season can be explained by what social psychologists call the social identity approach – the study of interpersonal relationships and emotional connections within a group.

 

Solskjaer scored 126 goals for Manchester United between 1996 and 2007 under manager Alex Ferguson, but he is best remembered for coming off the bench to score in the 93rd minute of the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona. His winning goal in the dying seconds of this legendary match gained him the respect and adulation of fans and a place in the club’s history. When he was appointed interim manager the day after Mourinho was sacked, Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said:

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s history at Manchester United means he lives and breathes the culture here and everyone at the club is delighted to have him back. We are confident he will unite the players and the fans as we head into the second half of the season.

Read the full article on The Conversation

Biological Sciences and Education students visit The Netherlands

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Our Biological Sciences and Education students have just returned from an action-packed visit to Radboud University in Nijmegen. Radboud University is a student-centered university in The Netherlands, active in almost all scientific fields and with a large Education department. The University benefits from an ‘open climate’ and inspiring environment.

Biological Sciences students spent two days at Radboud visiting their fantastic laboratory facilities including greenhouses and root labs, animal ecology and physiology departments and the University’s zebra fish facility. Students participated in practical laboratory activities including extracting DNA from wastewater samples; discussing their different approaches and methods employed. Continue reading →

Biological Sciences students visit Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona

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Our Biological Science students have just returned from an action-packed visit to Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona, the most cosmopolitan city in Spain.  After touring the campus, attending lectures and experiencing life as a student at UPF it is easy to see why this university made it to the number one spot in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for a Spanish university.

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It’s just Brilliant to be back

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The level 6 Education Department students kicked off semester 2 with a visit from Martin Burder from The Art of Being Brilliant. We made sure we wore our positive pants and strapped ourselves in for a motivational, inspirational, and emotional ride, and Martin certainly delivered.

We chatted through what it means to be more positive, how we can make daily changes to eventually form healthy habits, and the many benefits this has for us and others.

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Why mosquitoes bite some people more than others

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Dr Richard Halfpenny, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, writes for The Conversation.

Surprisingly few of the more than 3,000 mosquito species actually specialise in biting humans. Instead, most are opportunistic feeders – feeding when they are able and from lots of different sources. But Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae are well known for their preference for human blood and their role as vectors which transmit disease in humans. Ae. aegypti has been linked to zika and dengue, while An. gambiae carries the parasite which causes malaria.

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Advice from a student parent

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Right okay, so as we already know being a parent is a hard task. Its life consuming having a miniature human entirely reliant on you, then add in looking after yourself and having some form of your own life and you’ve got a full time job on your hands; and that’s without actually taking into consideration the actual job you need to do in order to fund their ever growing appetite and clothe their tiny bodies that don’t EVER seem to stop growing. Continue reading →

Student Blog – Nippon Sports Science University Exchange

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On 20th May, 2018, 23 students from various sport and exercise courses and years set off from Manchester Airport to Haneda Airport, Tokyo. After arriving at the University guesthouse, we got some much-needed sleep and then got straight into classes and activities the next day. We were split into small groups of 3 or 4 and given a class timetable filled with various classes to attend. Continue reading →

Graduate Blog – Karine’s Story

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It strange to think that 3 years ago I was just starting out my journey on BA Hons ECS and now I have graduated with a first-class degree. The road to success has been like a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs, twists and turns but every moment was worth it. As nothing worth having is ever going to be easy. I had to work hard, be dedicated, made sacrifices and faced adversity. And this is what people sometimes don’t see or understand.

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