Reading in the news - Wed 7 Apr

COVID-19: expert comment on the pandemic

• Dr Simon Clarke (Biological Sciences) is quoted in the Independent (with his quotes mentioned on BBC Radio 4) and Yahoo! News about an AstraZeneca vaccine trial that’s been postponed over blood clot fears; Mail Online (and here) and Metro about potential ban of AZ jabs for under 30s; Mail Online about SAGE modelling about lifting lockdown restrictions; Independent about hairdressers and barbers reopening; and Telegraph and Yahoo! News about women having the AZ vaccine. Dr Clarke spoke to Al Jazeera (twice), BBC Radio 5 Live, Times Radio, LBC Radio (three times), Talk Radio (twice), Virgin Radio, BBC Berkshire (three times), BBC London (twice) and BBC Hereford and Worcester (twice).
• Dr Al Edwards (Pharmacy) is quoted in NewsWeek about what happens when you get vaccinated when you have Covid-19; and in a number of US outlets including ABC 30 and Miami Herald via an AP comment debunking a myth about Covid vaccines and cancer.
• Professor Ian Jones (Biological Sciences) is quoted by Japan Times on virus mutations.
• Professor James Reade (Economics) spoke to Times Radio about his research into how home advantage in sport has been diminished by playing matches behind closed doors.
• Dr Lily Fitzgibbon (Psychology) spoke to BBC Radio Berkshire about the importance of allowing children to enjoy the Easter holidays after a difficult time during the last lockdown.

#UniForReading: fulfilling our role as a civic university

• Reading Chronicle (in print) reports on the planning approval of the first temporary stages in the Shinfield Studios scheme at Thames Valley Science Park. Read our news story.

#UoRWay:

• HuffPost mention the University’s increased popularity in Pharmacy and Maths and Statistics in an article exploring young people’s increased interest in STEM subjects due to the pandemic.
• BBC Radio Berkshire spoke to three Reading students about their university experiences during the pandemic.

Forecasting:

• Professor Hannah Cloke (GES and Met) writes for the Times about how technology is helping to improve weather forecasts.
• A feature on forecasting in the Telegraph quotes Prof Andrew Charlton-Perez (Met) about the issues with long-term forecasting.
• Oxford Mail republish a 2018 Conversation article by former Reading researcher Dr Jon Shonk (Met) about why forecasting always includes some error.

Other coverage

• Physics Today runs a feature on Professor Anne Lawrence-Mathers’ (History) research into medieval weather forecasting.
• New Scientist (in print) and regional press, including the Oxford Mail, report on research into wildfires in the UK. Prof Nigel Arnell (Met) is quoted.
• BBC Radio Berkshire interviewed Sue Wallace (Student Services) Dr Allan Laville (Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and Co-chair of the University’s #NeverOK campaign group about experiences of women on campus.
• Professor Ben Laker (Henley Business School) writes for MIT Sloan about developing talent virtually.
• The Times reports on the benefits of a four-day working week, citing the Henley Business School report on it.
• A commentator in the Times writes about trade unions and mentions Professor Rosa Freedman (Law).
• Professor Rosa Freedman is mentioned in an article in the Critic about legal changes to the gender recognition act.
• Prof Glenn Gibson and Dr Gemma Walton (Food) are mentioned in a Nutra Ingredients article about probiotics potentially being helpful for reducing the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections.
• Bloomberg quotes Professor Jorge Guira (Law) on airline bailouts by some countries.
• The Street republishes a Conversation article by Dr Jorge Guira (Law) about oil prices and renewable energy.
• Food Unwrapped on Channel 4 visited the University’s International Cocoa Quarantine Centre, and spoke to Professor Jeremy Spencer (Food and Nutritional Sciences) about flavanols contained in dark chocolate.
• Psychology Today covers research co-authored by Professor Carien van Reekum (CINN) about the role of the amygdala on holding onto negative thoughts.
• New research co-authored by Dr Katie Gray (Psychology) finds that masks only have a limited effect on making people to harder to recognise, in Science Daily and Medical Xpress.
• South Africa News covers a UN Development Programme support scheme for female farmers in Dominica, and mentions UoR as a project partner.

• BBC Radio Berkshire spoke to Anna Jones (The MERL) about the latest item in the museum’s 51 Voices project, celebrating the museum’s 70^th anniversary. Read our news story.

• Reading graduate and CEO of bus company Go-Ahead is quoted in the Times about the importance of local buses for lowering emissions to combat climate change.
• University Fine Art graduate Sheila Casebourne was interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire about her appearance on Sky Arts’ Landscape Artist of the Year.
• ITV News reports on the new owner of Wigan Athletic, who has hired Henley Business School graduate Tom Markham as a non-executive director.
• The Health Site reports on research carried out by Professor Bhismadev Chakrabarti (Psychology) into autism in children in India.
• Wokingham Today reports on a new entrepreneurship module on offer to Henley Business School students.
• BBC Radio London replayed an interview from 1999 with Professor Emeritus Kevin Warwick (Cybernetics) after he had a computer chip implanted into his body.
• BBC weather presenter and Reading graduate Simon King explained the Saharan dust cloud that hit the UK last week to BBC Radio Berkshire.
• An obituary in the Guardian looks at the life of Sue Pritchard, a Reading graduate who founded a Dorset arts centre.
• RCI covers the company that provided screens for the new Health and Life Sciences Building.
• UoR’s award winning catering team is covered in an article for Stir It Up Magazine.
• BBC Radio Berkshire reported that a Reading graduate Vickii Cornborough was set to start for the England Women’s Rugby team in the Women’s Six Nations opening game at the weekend.