University Environment Campaign ends after 84 days of promoting the best of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s expertise and research

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s environment PR campaign ends today after a 12-week spell which has spread news of our game-changing research to millions of people worldwide.

Since April 5, the University has actively promoted its expertise in a number of areas related to climate, sustainability, CO2 reduction, pollution, renewable energy and engineering.

Our academics have appeared on the BBC and Sky News – as well as in Physics World, National Geographic and the Conversation, all under the banner #LboroExperts. Many also feature in the new º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Game Changers campaign, which has been designed to raise the profile of the University’s innovative work that is making a real difference to society.

In total, more than 20 researchers have been given the opportunity to showcase their work.

To mark the end of the campaign, members of the PR team travelled to St Bartholomew’s Primary School, in Quorn, to discuss some of the projects featured in the initiative.

After hearing about solar engineering, recycling, plastic waste and other research themes, the Year 6 youngsters were asked to create a slogan which reflected how they felt about the environment and name the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ bear - who would deliver the phrase. 

They chose David Atten-Bear and the motto: Clean up your mess... so we don’t have to.

But the green research the pupils learned about reached a far wider audience than just Charnwood.

Dr Jin Xuan, from Chemical Engineering, and Dr Benjamin Buckley appeared on BBC television and radio and in numerous newspapers.

They have developed a system of industrial carbon capture, which grabs pollutants from factories before they are released into the atmosphere and transforms the CO2 in green fuels and useful chemicals.

Other featured projects included Physicist Dr Niladri Banerjee, of the School of Science, who wrote this feature for Physics World about creating greener supercomputers.

And Dr Tom Matthews, who took º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ to new heights when he scaled Mount Everest and, with a frozen drill, installed the world’s highest weather station at 8,500 metres.

His experiences were documented by National Geographic and in the Conversation.

Other Conversation articles in the campaign included:

The campaign was designed by the University’s PR team, which trailed a new Q&A format on social media with Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Dr Richard Hodgkins.

The idea was to include members of the public and students, who sent their climate change questions via Instagram.

A short video was then created with Dr Hodgkins answering the queries.

The issue of food waste, which, according to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), sees a total of 7.1 million tonnes of food being thrown away each year, was looked at by Dr Rhoda Trimingham, of the Design School.

She designed a food planner which allows homes to track their meals and more importantly, their leftovers – it is estimated that £15bn of edible food goes to waste each year in the UK.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the issue of malnutrition results in millions of deaths each year, as does household air pollution from inefficient cooking practices.

In April, we reported that Professor Ed Brown, of the School of Social Sciences, will oversee a five-year programme of work – worth £40 million – which has the potential to prevent premature deaths and reduce climate change by using electricity to cook rather than charcoal and wood.

To see more Environment Campaign stories, search #LboroExperts on Twitter.

ENDS

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 19/92

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is equipped with a live in-house broadcast unit via the Globelynx network. To arrange an interview with one of our experts please contact the press office on 01509 223491. Bookings can be made online via www.globelynx.com

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2019 QS World University Rankings, University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019 and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ staff, students and alumni make a real difference. They challenge convention, think creatively and find solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing society today and in the future.

Meet the #LboroGameChangers at lboro.ac.uk/lborogamechangers

Categories