Epigram 14 February 2005 (Issue 168)
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=424
The Departments of Medical Sciences and Chemistry are to receive a massive funding boost of £21 million, it was announced last week.
The news follows a decision by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to award a joint £9m to the departments, which will be backed by a further £12m from the University itself.
New Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) will be established with the money. Future medical students could be taught using state-of-the-art computerised mannequin patients, while chemistry students can look forward to using professional-standard laboratory facilities.
Jienchi Dorward, a third year medical student, said: "This is fantastic news for future students. The new funding will boost Bristol's reputation as a great place to study medicine."
The new medical CETL will be called the AIMS centre (Applied and Integrated Medical Sciences), while the new chemistry CETL is to be called Bristol Chemlabs.
"These are exciting times for chemistry at Bristol," said Professor Orpen, head of the chemistry department. "Thanks to HEFCE and the University, we will have world-class facilities for students to learn practical chemistry - matching the outstanding research labs we now have in place."
It seems that the divide between universities is growing. Exeter, King's College and Swansea have all closed their chemistry departments, causing hundreds of redundancies and leaving students unsure how best to complete their studies. Some Exeter students are expected to continue their chemistry degrees at Bristol and the department has held an open day on the 10th February for Exeter students. Some Exeter students were forced to return from their third year industry placements to attend.
For students at Bristol, however, the new money will result in improved teaching and learning facilities, cementing the University's reputation as one of the top places in the UK to study science and medical subjects.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Saucy!
Epigram 31 January 2005 (Issue 167)
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=335
The next time you order cheesy chips from the Hunger Hatch, make sure you take a closer look at the colour of your tomato sauce.
Organic ketchup has been found to contain up to three times more lycopene, the red pigment responsible for the colour of tomatoes, than non-organic brands.
Lycopene has been shown to protect against prostate, pancreatic and breast cancer and is also thought to reduce the risk of heart attacks. The chemical is also found in baked beans, the cornerstone of any student meal.
New research from America investigated levels of the compound in 13 different brands of tomato sauce. The three organic brands excelled, one having 183 micrograms of lycopene per gram of ketchup, compared with one fast-food sample which had just 60 micrograms.
According to the researchers, the best way to ensure high levels of lycopene is to pick the darkest red ketchup.
A spokesperson from Heinz declined to comment on the findings.
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=335
The next time you order cheesy chips from the Hunger Hatch, make sure you take a closer look at the colour of your tomato sauce.
Organic ketchup has been found to contain up to three times more lycopene, the red pigment responsible for the colour of tomatoes, than non-organic brands.
Lycopene has been shown to protect against prostate, pancreatic and breast cancer and is also thought to reduce the risk of heart attacks. The chemical is also found in baked beans, the cornerstone of any student meal.
New research from America investigated levels of the compound in 13 different brands of tomato sauce. The three organic brands excelled, one having 183 micrograms of lycopene per gram of ketchup, compared with one fast-food sample which had just 60 micrograms.
According to the researchers, the best way to ensure high levels of lycopene is to pick the darkest red ketchup.
A spokesperson from Heinz declined to comment on the findings.
Raising the stakes
Epigram 17 January 2005 (Issue 166)
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=324
"There are few things that are so unpardonably neglected in our country as poker ... it is enough to make one ashamed of one's species" - Mark Twain.
You probably hadn't realised it, but something had been missing from our university. Oxford and Cambridge contest an annual game and some 300 participants are expected to attend the first ever national student championships in April. With such a boom in the student community, it was only a matter of time before the poker craze hit Bristol.
On November 18, student council finally approved the new UBU Poker Society (PokSoc), giving the go-ahead to begin running tournaments with cash prizes. The society had been in the pipeline for some months, held up by legal concerns and the worry that the university may appear to be condoning gambling. PokSoc had already been granted a modest stall at Fresh, and, despite not being on any of the maps and leaflets, managed to compile a list of 112 potential members.
Thursday 2 December saw the first official poker tournament ever held at the University of Bristol. 48 players turned up to the students' union and paid £5 to enter. The game was no-limit Texas Hold 'em, the most popular of all the different variations of poker. Around 10.15, after nearly four hours of play, a final table of eight players emerged. With prize money going to the top five places, three people knew they would be going home empty handed. A tense 45 minutes and some shaky hands later, Sandeep Achar emerged victorious, claiming the £150 first prize. Second place went to Adam Rixon with Philip Riveron in third.
The first tournament saw a fairly high standard of poker with some very experienced players. However, the society is intending to run a session for beginners at the start of term which represents an ideal opportunity for people interested in the game. Poker is easy to learn but difficult to master, and tournaments like this are a valuable learning experience in a friendly environment not found in casinos or poker clubs. Tournaments are "freeze out", meaning that when you lose your chips you cannot buy back in, ensuring that poker remains a game of skill and not simply a means to gamble. With poker on TV, in the bookshops, on the internet and with at least four tournaments scheduled for this term, there has never been a better time to learn to play. What better use for your student loan?
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=324
"There are few things that are so unpardonably neglected in our country as poker ... it is enough to make one ashamed of one's species" - Mark Twain.
You probably hadn't realised it, but something had been missing from our university. Oxford and Cambridge contest an annual game and some 300 participants are expected to attend the first ever national student championships in April. With such a boom in the student community, it was only a matter of time before the poker craze hit Bristol.
On November 18, student council finally approved the new UBU Poker Society (PokSoc), giving the go-ahead to begin running tournaments with cash prizes. The society had been in the pipeline for some months, held up by legal concerns and the worry that the university may appear to be condoning gambling. PokSoc had already been granted a modest stall at Fresh, and, despite not being on any of the maps and leaflets, managed to compile a list of 112 potential members.
Thursday 2 December saw the first official poker tournament ever held at the University of Bristol. 48 players turned up to the students' union and paid £5 to enter. The game was no-limit Texas Hold 'em, the most popular of all the different variations of poker. Around 10.15, after nearly four hours of play, a final table of eight players emerged. With prize money going to the top five places, three people knew they would be going home empty handed. A tense 45 minutes and some shaky hands later, Sandeep Achar emerged victorious, claiming the £150 first prize. Second place went to Adam Rixon with Philip Riveron in third.
The first tournament saw a fairly high standard of poker with some very experienced players. However, the society is intending to run a session for beginners at the start of term which represents an ideal opportunity for people interested in the game. Poker is easy to learn but difficult to master, and tournaments like this are a valuable learning experience in a friendly environment not found in casinos or poker clubs. Tournaments are "freeze out", meaning that when you lose your chips you cannot buy back in, ensuring that poker remains a game of skill and not simply a means to gamble. With poker on TV, in the bookshops, on the internet and with at least four tournaments scheduled for this term, there has never been a better time to learn to play. What better use for your student loan?
Might your air be just too clean to breathe?
Epigram 17 January 2005 (Issue 166)
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=294
Asthma during childhood has been linked to household cleaning products. New research at the University of Bristol has suggested a connection between persistent wheezing in children and pre-natal exposure to household cleaning products.
The study involved 7,019 families from the university's Children of the 90s project, the most comprehensive study of early childhood ever undertaken. Household usage of various products was considered, including bleach, disinfectant and carpet cleaners.
In the 10 per cent of families using these products the most frequently, children were twice as likely to suffer from persistent wheezing as families where they were used the least. Such wheezing in young children can often develop into asthma.
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=294
Asthma during childhood has been linked to household cleaning products. New research at the University of Bristol has suggested a connection between persistent wheezing in children and pre-natal exposure to household cleaning products.
The study involved 7,019 families from the university's Children of the 90s project, the most comprehensive study of early childhood ever undertaken. Household usage of various products was considered, including bleach, disinfectant and carpet cleaners.
In the 10 per cent of families using these products the most frequently, children were twice as likely to suffer from persistent wheezing as families where they were used the least. Such wheezing in young children can often develop into asthma.
Chemical reaction
Epigram 17 January 2005 (Issue 166)
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=292
Failing departments being axed across the country.
Exeter University is to stop teaching chemistry following a Senate decision to close the department next year. Bristol may take students left in the lurch by the decision.
The move aims to cut an annual budget deficit of £4.5 million and could mean up to 130 job losses. For the 350 undergraduate students enrolled on the course, of more immediate concern is how and where they are going to complete their degrees. Students gathered for a meeting in December were first informed not by their University, but by a call from ITV asking for their opinions.
Alex Gilbert, a second year chemistry student, was left "fuming" over the handling of the decision. "We have been treated with disdain and disrespect. We don't know who's going to teach us or what's going to happen." Staff and postgraduates are likely to take legal action against the university, while many first year students may drop out and re-apply to new universities for next year. Sir Harry Kroto, a Nobel Prize winner, has returned his honourary degree to the university in protest.
For those who decide to continue (the university is legally bound to teach the full course), guest lecturers could be brought in to teach, but laboratory practicals represent a major problem. Students are being offered up to £2,000 to transfer to other universities to finish their studies, but many are understandably reluctant to do so.
Chemistry students at Bristol can rest assured that the same will not be happening here. "The department is going from strength to strength and has the full support of the University." said Professor Orpen, head of the department, adding that "Such closures could be dangerous for UK science, as many jobs depend on chemistry". Bristol's chemistry department was awarded the maximum 5* grade for research in 2001, entitling it to greater funding than lower-rated universities.
Professor Orpen also confirmed that Bristol is in talks with Exeter over the possibility of taking up to thirty students, who would join the second year.
Since 1996, 28 chemistry departments have closed, including King's College, Queen Mary and Swansea. Even Oxford, one of the largest chemistry departments in the world, is suffering financial difficulties. Many blame the Higher Education Funding Council for inappropriate distribution of funds, making it uneconomical to teach expensive subjects like chemistry. The senate also passed a vote to close the music department. Other recent departmental closures include architecture at Cambridge; philosophy, sociology and anthropology at Swansea; maths at Essex and music at Reading.
The debate rages on. Many people feel that while the loss of jobs is regrettable, it could be beneficial to have fewer but better-funded departments, resulting in a higher standard of teaching and research. Whatever the long-term implications of the closure, it seems that government funding of universities, along with universities' own course planning, needs to be reviewed before many more people find themselves out of work and study. In the meantime, staff and students at Exeter face the New Year with uncertainty.
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=292
Failing departments being axed across the country.
Exeter University is to stop teaching chemistry following a Senate decision to close the department next year. Bristol may take students left in the lurch by the decision.
The move aims to cut an annual budget deficit of £4.5 million and could mean up to 130 job losses. For the 350 undergraduate students enrolled on the course, of more immediate concern is how and where they are going to complete their degrees. Students gathered for a meeting in December were first informed not by their University, but by a call from ITV asking for their opinions.
Alex Gilbert, a second year chemistry student, was left "fuming" over the handling of the decision. "We have been treated with disdain and disrespect. We don't know who's going to teach us or what's going to happen." Staff and postgraduates are likely to take legal action against the university, while many first year students may drop out and re-apply to new universities for next year. Sir Harry Kroto, a Nobel Prize winner, has returned his honourary degree to the university in protest.
For those who decide to continue (the university is legally bound to teach the full course), guest lecturers could be brought in to teach, but laboratory practicals represent a major problem. Students are being offered up to £2,000 to transfer to other universities to finish their studies, but many are understandably reluctant to do so.
Chemistry students at Bristol can rest assured that the same will not be happening here. "The department is going from strength to strength and has the full support of the University." said Professor Orpen, head of the department, adding that "Such closures could be dangerous for UK science, as many jobs depend on chemistry". Bristol's chemistry department was awarded the maximum 5* grade for research in 2001, entitling it to greater funding than lower-rated universities.
Professor Orpen also confirmed that Bristol is in talks with Exeter over the possibility of taking up to thirty students, who would join the second year.
Since 1996, 28 chemistry departments have closed, including King's College, Queen Mary and Swansea. Even Oxford, one of the largest chemistry departments in the world, is suffering financial difficulties. Many blame the Higher Education Funding Council for inappropriate distribution of funds, making it uneconomical to teach expensive subjects like chemistry. The senate also passed a vote to close the music department. Other recent departmental closures include architecture at Cambridge; philosophy, sociology and anthropology at Swansea; maths at Essex and music at Reading.
The debate rages on. Many people feel that while the loss of jobs is regrettable, it could be beneficial to have fewer but better-funded departments, resulting in a higher standard of teaching and research. Whatever the long-term implications of the closure, it seems that government funding of universities, along with universities' own course planning, needs to be reviewed before many more people find themselves out of work and study. In the meantime, staff and students at Exeter face the New Year with uncertainty.
Make mine a pint
Epigram 29 November 2004 (Issue 165)
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=234
Finally, the news that students, pub landlords and darts players across the globe have been waiting a lifetime to hear. Beer is not bad for you. In fact, it may even be good for you.
Forget stem cells, genetics and animal testing: here is some science you will definitely want to read. Beer has actually been shown to have a number of health benefits. A reduced risk of heart attacks, gallstones and late onset diabetes are all associated with moderate consumption, not to mention protection from stomach ulcers. Of particular interest to middle aged women will be the news that the high silicon content of beer may help protect bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis. So why do so many people associate beer with bellies?
A quick content analysis reveals some interesting facts. Beer is rich in B vitamins, low in sugar and contains a healthy amount of protein. More importantly, a glass of beer has half as many calories as the equivalent amount of milk and less than wine and most soft drinks. Half a pint contains 95 calories, a 100g packet of peanuts contains 600, while a chicken curry with rice has around 1100. Perhaps it is time to blame the lifestyle, not the choice of beverage.
Believe it or not, schools in Belgium's Limburg province have begun experimenting with low-alcohol beer as an option at lunchtime, on the grounds that it is healthier than fizzy drinks. Children will even be given a choice between lager and bitter, both with an alcohol content below 2.5 per cent. The chairman of the scheme, Rony Langenaeken, said, "Beer is for the whole family, and this scheme will be for children between the ages of three and fifteen." Rumours that fish and chips are to be replaced with kebabs and cheeseburgers have yet to be confirmed.
Before you head down the pub to celebrate this momentous news, a word of caution must be issued. These studies refer only to moderate beer consumption. The adverse health effects of binge drinking and alcoholism are well documented. The government recommends a maximum of 3-4 units per day for men and 2-3 for women. Stick to these guidelines and beer can complement a healthy lifestyle. Just remember to buy one for your mum as well; she'll thank you for it one day.
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=234
Finally, the news that students, pub landlords and darts players across the globe have been waiting a lifetime to hear. Beer is not bad for you. In fact, it may even be good for you.
Forget stem cells, genetics and animal testing: here is some science you will definitely want to read. Beer has actually been shown to have a number of health benefits. A reduced risk of heart attacks, gallstones and late onset diabetes are all associated with moderate consumption, not to mention protection from stomach ulcers. Of particular interest to middle aged women will be the news that the high silicon content of beer may help protect bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis. So why do so many people associate beer with bellies?
A quick content analysis reveals some interesting facts. Beer is rich in B vitamins, low in sugar and contains a healthy amount of protein. More importantly, a glass of beer has half as many calories as the equivalent amount of milk and less than wine and most soft drinks. Half a pint contains 95 calories, a 100g packet of peanuts contains 600, while a chicken curry with rice has around 1100. Perhaps it is time to blame the lifestyle, not the choice of beverage.
Believe it or not, schools in Belgium's Limburg province have begun experimenting with low-alcohol beer as an option at lunchtime, on the grounds that it is healthier than fizzy drinks. Children will even be given a choice between lager and bitter, both with an alcohol content below 2.5 per cent. The chairman of the scheme, Rony Langenaeken, said, "Beer is for the whole family, and this scheme will be for children between the ages of three and fifteen." Rumours that fish and chips are to be replaced with kebabs and cheeseburgers have yet to be confirmed.
Before you head down the pub to celebrate this momentous news, a word of caution must be issued. These studies refer only to moderate beer consumption. The adverse health effects of binge drinking and alcoholism are well documented. The government recommends a maximum of 3-4 units per day for men and 2-3 for women. Stick to these guidelines and beer can complement a healthy lifestyle. Just remember to buy one for your mum as well; she'll thank you for it one day.
Stephen Fretwell - Magpie
Epigram 15 November 2004 (Issue 164)
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=201
Having gained something of a cult following in his hometown, Fretwell finally releases his debut album. The sound is somewhere between Damien Rice and Coldplay, albeit their more sedate, less commercial numbers. The piano and guitar parts remain simple, leaving his rich, melodious voice to do the hard work, giving an overall mellow and somewhat sorrowful feel to the album.
There are some beautiful moments when his voice seems almost perfect, coming together expertly with the music on tracks such as 'Emilie' and the Dylan-esque 'Brother'. However, one or two of the songs seem less suited to his dulcet harmonies, and the lyrics sometimes disappoint with some fairly predictable rhyming. The order could also be improved; it seems to open with the weaker songs, leaving the best towards the end, by
which time the listener could be forgiven for having already lost interest.
However, this is a very promising debut despite a few inadequacies. Be ready to listen to it a few times before passing judgement and you may just grow to love it. With some improved lyrics, Fretwell's next album could be one to buy. Watch this space.
Rating: ***
If you liked this, try Damien Rice - O
http://www.epigram.org.uk/view.php?id=201
Having gained something of a cult following in his hometown, Fretwell finally releases his debut album. The sound is somewhere between Damien Rice and Coldplay, albeit their more sedate, less commercial numbers. The piano and guitar parts remain simple, leaving his rich, melodious voice to do the hard work, giving an overall mellow and somewhat sorrowful feel to the album.
There are some beautiful moments when his voice seems almost perfect, coming together expertly with the music on tracks such as 'Emilie' and the Dylan-esque 'Brother'. However, one or two of the songs seem less suited to his dulcet harmonies, and the lyrics sometimes disappoint with some fairly predictable rhyming. The order could also be improved; it seems to open with the weaker songs, leaving the best towards the end, by
which time the listener could be forgiven for having already lost interest.
However, this is a very promising debut despite a few inadequacies. Be ready to listen to it a few times before passing judgement and you may just grow to love it. With some improved lyrics, Fretwell's next album could be one to buy. Watch this space.
Rating: ***
If you liked this, try Damien Rice - O
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