Hartley News Online Your alumni and supporter magazine
Recent news
Check here in each edition of Hartley News Online for the latest news from the University and your alumni and supporter community…
Good news for Southampton in the 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject! Congratulations to everyone involved – especially Nursing, Statistics and Operational Research, and Geology for all placing in the top 50. See which other subjects feature in this year’s rankings.
In case you missed it this March, catch our ‘in conversation’ event with Jon Sopel in full on YouTube. The Southampton alumnus and BBC North America Editor gives his take on Donald Trump and last year’s extraordinary US election.
Global COVID-19 treatment trials opened for interferon beta – a drug developed and first trialled at Southampton, which prevents worsening of the disease in those most at risk. The initial work was partly funded by generous donations from our community to the Southampton Coronavirus Response Fund.
A huge congratulations to Southampton alumnus, Charlie Dalin, who became the first person to cross the finish line in the 2021 Vendée Globe – the world’s most challenging single-handed, round-the-world yacht race.
2020 was a difficult year – but also one full of hope and accomplishment. Check out this video of University and community highlights, introduced by Vice-Chancellor Mark E. Smith.
We were saddened to hear of the death of John Roundell Palmer, the 4th Earl of Selborne, who served as the University’s Chancellor from 1996 to 2006. Lord Selborne continued to engage with the University even after leaving, and generously supported our philanthropic activity. Read his full obituary here.
Two leading academics from the University’s Faculty of Medicine – Professor Keith Godfrey and Dr Nisreen Alwan – were awarded MBEs in the Queen’s New Year Honours for 2021.
Did you miss our annual Wade Lecture in January? You can still watch the fascinating discussion over on YouTube with our Chancellor, Ruby Wax, about her personal and family history of depression, her training in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and her role as a mental health campaigner.
In January, Future Worlds took University startups to (a virtual) CES 2021, marking the sixth year in a row that Southampton has been the only UK university exhibiting at the world’s most influential tech show.
Congratulations to rising-star researcher (and alumnus) Dr Wassim Dbouk on becoming a member of the Commonwealth Futures Climate Research Cohort ahead of COP26. A core focus will be turning climate research into policy action.
Meet the researchers! The new edition of Re:action, the University’s research and enterprise magazine, throws the spotlight on the people behind some of the amazing research taking place in Southampton. We reveal the results of a survey into the impact of COVID-19 on our Early Career Researchers, and take a look at research into diverse areas from AI in football, to sonic journalism, to data in nursing.
And from our last edition…
Congratulations to new graduates who are now joining the University’s alumni community of over 245,000. Although physical graduations are postponed for this year, we wish to celebrate by bringing you an online version until government guidance allows us to hold the ceremonies safely. In the meantime, check out this special video message to all of our graduands:
Thank you to all those who took part in our alumni and supporter survey in last autumn’s edition of Hartley News. Over 4,300 of you gave us your thoughts on the University, our communications, our events, and more. Congratulations to our lucky winner who receives an all-expenses-paid trip back to campus – and well done to our 10 runners-up who each get a University hoodie! Keep an eye out over the next few months for a full breakdown of what you had to say.
The University has had more success in the ranking tables lately – climbing seven places to 90th in the prestigious QS World University Rankings 2021, and moving up to 17th in the 2021 Complete University Guide.
We’re looking forward to welcoming new and returning students to campus from September. The new academic year will be different from normal, but with the safety of students and staff being our number one priority, the University has invested in new online Learning and Development resources to minimise disruption to the student experience.
The University is committed to promoting equality and diversity within our community, and to ensuring that we work better to support our students and staff from all backgrounds. A joint statement details our plans for the future.
The summer issue of the University’s research and enterprise magazine, Re:action, is now available to read online. This edition covers some fascinating projects that use space-related technology.
The University’s Social Impact Lab has released a new conversation series: The Portal. Hear from a range of voices on how the pandemic may change the world for the better.
Alumnus Tunde Yusuf has launched The Mentor Circle to help tackle youth unemployment within the BAME community, especially in response to inequality and the fallout of the pandemic. The non-profit organisation is aiming to provide access to business events, conferences, and paid mentoring – which is usually for those from lower-income backgrounds.
Hartley Library has introduced new services to support students during the current crisis, including digitised item requests and a click-and-collect service.
The Doctoral College recently held their first online Three Minute Thesis competition. Postgraduate researchers from across faculties competed for this year’s title, and the judges were impressed by the quality and diversity of topics.
The Leadership, Educational Effectiveness & Policy research group has produced a study highlighting the impact that the closure of schools during the coronavirus lockdown could have on children’s education, with those from disadvantaged backgrounds most affected.
