In the News: Feb 23 – Mar 1

This week’s roundup of University news.

Despite the weather, our Big Bang Northants event attracted thousands of school children to the iconic Silverstone circuit on Wednesday, where they found out more about the wonderful worlds of science, technology, engineering, arts and maths. Organiser, Linda Davis-Sinclair, was on BBC Radio Northampton to explain more (starts 1h 42m) whilst hubby (and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology) John Sinclair, featured on ITV Anglia (West edition, starts 18m 32s, available until 7pm Thursday 1 March).

On Wednesday, Newsweek asked why YouTube was still hosting videos by a Neo-Nazi group linked to five murders. Dr Paul Jackson, expert in far right groups and extremism, spoke to the magazine about the challenge for social media providers to balance their duty to free speech against the spreading of violent ideologies.

Coffee chain Starbucks plan to introduce a 5p charge on ‘disposable’ takeaway cups and Prof Margaret Bates spoke to BBC Radio about the problems of recycling coffee cups made of both cardboard and plastic (starts 2h 39min).

Margaret also spoke this week to the BBC website about the likelihood of the UK hitting its 50% recycling target for household waste by 2020, whilst in a similar vein, law lecturer, Simon Sneddon, told BBC Radio Northampton about how he and his wife Katie attempted to go plastic free for January (starts 2h 10m)

Journalism student Bruna Tomsic conducted a very poignant interview with former Conservative Party Leader, Michael Howard, about his father’s death from breast cancer. ITV saw it and ran the story on its website. It was also picked up by The Nene Quirer.

Psychology lecturer Lauren McAllister, spoke to Cosmopolitan about toxic masculinity and the reboot of the Queer Eye TV show on Netflix.

The launch of a new engineering course has been picked up by All Things Business and The Engineer.

Head of our Centre for the Reduction of Firearms Crime, Trafficking and Terrorism, Dr Helen Poole was also on BBC Radio Northampton, talking about the current gun control debate in the US (starts 2h 41m).

Education student and Liberian, Johnette Brownell, told BBC Radio Northampton’s Mark Dean how she ended up in Northampton (starts 9min 23s).

A new shelter in Kettering run by former University of Northampton students is providing a lifeline to people who are rough sleeping in the town. You can read all about it on the Northamptonshire Telegraph’s website.

Meanwhile, from the event that keeps on giving, our Women in Sports Media conference might have been held three weeks ago, but it’s staying in the headlines. The Chronicle & Echo is the latest to run a story on it.