Reading in the news - Tue 16 Feb

#WeAreTogether: Reading’s work to tackle the coronavirus crisis

• Research led by Reading, showing the mental health of farmers has been hit during the pandemic, was featured on Farming Today on BBC Radio 4, in a piece on Mind Your Head Week, a mental health campaign running this week by the Farm Safety Foundation. The story is covered by Farming UK, Mirage News and regional titles including the Yorkshire Post, Dundee Courier and Aberdeen Press and Journal. Read our news story.
• The Guardian interviews a student on Reading’s physician associate MSc course about her motivations for wanting to work on the front line of healthcare during the pandemic.

COVID-19: expert comment on the pandemic 

• Dr Simon Clarke (Biological Sciences) is quoted by the Guardian, Telegraph, Metro, Sputnik News, MSN News and Yahoo News on the new Covid-19 variant found in the UK; Mail Online about side effects of the vaccines; and the Telegraph on treatments for Covid-19. He spoke to Russia Today about the Prime Minister’s press conference announcing that a pathway out of lockdown was being planned; and Talk Radio about the UK’s vaccine programme.
• The AbScent team spoke to BBC Radio Gloucester about research at Reading into parosmia – a disrupted sense of smell that is recognised as an effect of Covid-19.

Stamp duty holiday: Professor Michael Ball (Henley Business School) spoke to You and Yours on BBC Radio 4 about the effects of the government’s stamp duty holiday on the housing market.

Hobbies and mental health: An article written for The Conversation by Dr Ciara McCabe (Psychology), on how completing tasks and hobbies can improve our mental health, is republished by the Independent. She was also interviewed by Sputnik Radio and quoted by Stuff.

Other coverage

• Gsport in South Africa reports on Henley Business School Africa leading work to formulate a strategy to progress women’s sport.
• Open Access Government and Cambridge Network reports on the new £10m green finance research centre involving Reading climate scientists. Read our news story.
• Phys.org reports on Reading research showing China may see dramatic temperature rises by 2050 due to climate change. Read our news story.
• BBC Radio Berkshire spoke to Professor Uma Kambhampati (Economics) about her research, including male and female leadership during the pandemic.
• Daily Hunt republishes an article written for The Conversation by Thomas Grisaffi (GES) on how farmers in Peru have turned to the coca leaf to make money.
• Berkshire Live uses data from the University’s weather observatory in a story about how temperatures are rising locally after the recent sold spell.
• Facilities Management Journal mentions Reading’s ranking in the People and Planet University League, in a piece on sustainability programmes.
• Business Insider South Africa and Marketing World report on Henley Business School MBA graduate Phillipine Mtikitiki being appointed as Coca-Cola Africa’s vice president for the South Africa franchise.