Reading in the news - Mon 5 Aug

UK far-right riots: Professor Rosa Freedman spoke to BBC Arabic and Al Jazeera about the UK’s far-right riots, and was quoted online by Al Jazeera on the same topic (republished by inkl, apdirect, SA India Magazine, Exbulletin, The Madras Tribune and Hirran Online).

#UniForReading: our role as a civic university

• Reading Today reports on University of Reading’s new Charity of the Year. Read our News.

#PlanetPartners: working with global partners to protect the environment 

• Polsat News continues coverage of a significant increase in turbulence frequency during flights, citing a comment Professor Paul Williams (Meteorology) gave to CNN, in 2022. Read our news story.
• The Dirt and Garden Trade News continue to feature the University of Reading’s collaborative project, which is seeking responses from gardeners on how climate change is affecting their plants. Read our news story..
• Das Gelbe Blatt German Post republishes a report on a new weather phenomenon discovered by researchers, including lead author Dr Balaji Senapati (Meteorology). Republished by Pledge Times. Read our news story..
• The Collegian highlights a new collaboration involving the University of Reading, which is focussed on ‘data assimilation’ for atmospheric science research. Republished by UWire.
• The Atlantic reports that Robbie Girling, a visiting professor at the University of Reading, co-authored a study, which found that plants exposed to low levels of pollutants received up to 90% fewer visits from insects. Republished by Our Community Now.
• Hindustan Times features Dr Akshay Deoras (Meteorology), discussing the cloudburst event at Pragati Maidan.
• CNN Indonesia highlights a statement by Dr James O'Donoghue (Meteorology), explaining that while planets orbit the Sun, their paths are influenced by gravitational forces from other planets.
• All-Creatures.org reports that James Ryalls (Agriculture) emphasizes the role of air pollution in driving pollinator declines, which could negatively impact crop yields. Read our news story.

Health and wellbeing:

• Nutrition Insight reports on study results from the University of Reading, which show that personalized dietary advice tailored to socio-demographics was more effective in encouraging diet changes compared to generic advice.
• The Daily Telegraph (in print) briefly reports the Coroner’s comments with respect to the death of a University of Reading student, in 2023, citing that universities need to provide better mental health support to postgraduate students.

Business and society:

• Professor Rosa Freedman spoke to Times Radio about tensions between Israel, Hamas and Iran and what is likely to happen next in the Middle East.
• The Sunday Post and The Times report that 400 students in Scottish universities have been caught using AI to cheat. Stories mention a study from the University of Reading, which found that markers failed to detect 94% of AI-generated answers in exams. Read our news story.
• ITWeb Africa mentions that Tshidi Pila MacHaba is a learning facilitator at Henley Business School.
• Bracknell Forest interviews Victor Nicholls (Real Estate and Planning), who is surveying local residents about changes to Bracknell town centre ITV Meridian (Thames Valley) also reports.
• Architecture highlights the RIBA Berkshire committee visit to the University of Reading’s end-of-year show, praising the impressive work and supportive environment.
• Japan Web Review reports that Henley Business School has launched a new website as part of its commitment to innovation and enhancing user experience in business education.
• Guardian Nigeria reports on the end of Steve Babaeko’s tenure as President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), highlighting the launch of AdCademy in partnership with Henley Business School.
• Mirror reports on the Southport stabbing incident and the role of misinformation on TikTok in inciting riots. Dr Rodrigo Perez-Vega (Marketing) suggests four strategies to address the issue.

Other Coverage:

• Daily Maverick carries a column by Heather Robertson, who is attending MBA classes at Henley Business School. The column reflects on the violent aftermath of a stabbing in Southport, fueled by misinformation on social media. Republished by MSN and News Explorer.
• BBC News reports that the origins of the Cerne Abbas chalk giant will be explored at an upcoming conference. Speakers include Professor Martin Bell (Archaeology). Republished by Aol and Yahoo! News.

Alumni:

• The Telegraph covers an interview with Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell, reflecting on his athletic career and personal challenges. Republished by MSN and Yahoo Entertainment.
• German Post Kurier announces Dr Johannes Pollak's as the new Rector at Vienna’s Sigmund Freud Private University. Republished by multiple outlets, including 24hamburg, az-online.de, Wetterauer-Zeitung, SauerlandKurier, Merkur.de and Kreisbote.
• The Times has an obituary for Peter Beal, a palaeographer who catalogued Churchill’s papers, and lectured at the University of Reading, in the past.