Author: colesresearchblog

In the MRC-ARUK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research (CMAR) we all know the benefits of keeping active as we age, and on Sunday 27^th of September we had the opportunity to play a major role in the filming of a new series of programmes about healthy ageing which will go out across the airwaves in the UK in the near future.  Star of the show and CMAR director, Professor Janet Lord had the pleasure of working alongside TV presenter Angela Rippon in Cannon Hill Park and a group of our local enthusiastic volunteers which included some of our Birmingham 1000 Elders cohort.

After a warm up delivered by Julie Robinson of Move it Or Lose it (http://www.moveitorloseit.co.uk/) the volunteers were asked to perform a simple ‘sitting-rising test’.

Encouraged throughout by Angela Rippon and scored by Janet each person started with a total of 10 points. Points were then deducted for wobbles, loss of balance, and placing of hands or knees on the ground during the execution of the test, which is designed to be a simple, no frills measure of flexibility and strength and also a predictor of 6 year mortality (luckily nobody got a truly worrying score!).

Based on the results of this test a subset of the willing volunteers were selected to take part in a 10 week physical activity / training program designed for older adults and delivered by none other than Move it or Lose it director Julie Robinson. All recruits will be tested again at the end of the program to see how they have improved their scores – we can’t wait to see the results!

Find out how they got on by tuning into BBC1, the programme is scheduled to air in Spring 2016

On the 13th of September,  12 members of the MRC-Arthritis Research UK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research (CMAR), ran the 13.1 miles of arguably the world’s greatest half marathon.  Starting in Newcastle upon Tyne the Great North Run route is lined with supporters all the way from the iconic Tyne Bridge, all the way out towards the coast (and finish line) in South Shields.

The centre team, comprising staff and students from the Universities of both Birmingham and Nottingham, were Janet Lord, Carolyn Greig, Phil Atherton, Beth Phillips, Matthew Brook, Andrew Murton, Jessica Cegielski, Joseph Bass, Colleen Dean, Francis Stephens, Aline Nixon, and Haitham Abdulla.

Running for Arthritis Research UK (Charity Registration No. 207711), the team managed to exceed their fundraising target of £4,500, it’s still not too late to donate to such an important and deserving cause – visit https://www.justgiving.com/CMAR2015 for more information.

MRC’s Max Perutz Science Writing Award is currently underway. The award asks MRC-funded PhD students to write an 800-word article for a non-scientific audience, explaining why their research matters.

The winner will receive £1,500 of prize money and their article will be published on the BBC News website.

Application deadline is Wednesday 22nd of July, 2015

Read More “Max Perutz Science Writing Award”

Running Monday 14^th – Sunday 20^th March, the festival is a free programme of exhibitions, talks, performances, workshops and screenings open to staff, students, alumni and beyond.

The 2016 programming theme is Memory and Forgetting and we hope that this will be interpreted broadly. We’d like festival events to fit with the theme as much as possible, however events which do not link will still be considered for inclusion so please do forward your event ideas.

Read More “The Arts & Science Festival will return for 2016”

In January 2016, the Association for Science Education will be returning to the University of Birmingham with this flagship science education conference that attracts over 2,500 participants from across the UK and beyond engaged in science teaching from Early Years to A-level.  A core part of the conference programme is the Frontier Science Lecture series. This is curated by the host University and aims to showcase research from all aspects of science to offer our audience of science teachers a chance to enhance their subject knowledge.

The proposal call is now open and you are strongly urged to take this major opportunity to promote your research to a large cohort of UK Science School teachers.  This may also be of interest to PhD students and/or research fellows.

Read More “Call for proposals: ASE Annual Conference 2016 – Frontier Science Lecture series, University of Birmingham (7-9 January 2016)”

If you’re a bioscience researcher at a UK university or institute and involved in science communication – apply for the Society of Biology Science Communication Awards. 

Read More “Science Communication Awards 2015:”