Invenite 2022 Issue 6

IN CONVERSATION Members of the Plymouth Nautical Degree Association reflect upon 50-plus years of support.

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE The University's Built Environment experts who are upgrading cob into a modern construction material.

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Al u m n i & Fr i en ds m a g a z i n e

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Marine biologist Tom Gammage and his campaign for a global treaty on plastics.

Invenite GUEST FEATURE History undergraduate Jack Smith journeys to Alcatraz Island to meet the Indigenous people who made history in 1969.

THE BIG INTERVIEW Professor Sir Chris Whitty reflects upon his scientific journey and how the University can play a key role in the health of our coastal communities.

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Welcome In February, I had the pleasure of formally opening the new Brain Research & Imaging Centre (BRIC) at Plymouth Science Park.

A partnership between the University, the research charity DDRC Healthcare and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, BRIC directly improves patient outcomes because, as part of the project, we have installed the most advanced frontline 3-Tesla MRI scanner in the South West. This scanner will not only bring enormous benefit to our work on conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and autism, but will also be used by clinicians at Derriford Hospital.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic over these past two years, we have remained true to our mission to ‘Advance Knowledge and Transform Lives’ – whether igniting the curiosities of our students, delivering impactful interdisciplinary research, supporting innovation – not least in the vital marine economy that is Plymouth – or creating sustainable social capital through outreach and community engagement.

In this edition of Invenite you will find further evidence of how the University’s mission is reflected in the actions of its staff, students and alumni. Whether campaigning for a treaty against plastic pollution or building global networks in the maritime sector, our extended academic community is making a significant difference and is earning international recognition. It is something that defines us, and of which we can be proud.

I hope you enjoy the edition. Please do keep in touch – our alumni are important to our success.

Professor Judith Petts CBE Vice-Chancellor

Cover image: Beach cleaning at Whitsand Bay – highlighting the far reaching effect of environmental campaigning.

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WELCOM E

Exploring the behaviour of brain-inspired artificial intelligence.

We would love to hear from you and know your thoughts on the magazine – please get in touch by emailing alumni@plymouth.ac.uk. For the latest news from Plymouth and its community of alumni of friends, you can follow us on social media.

 @PlymUniAlum  University of Plymouth Alumni  @plymouthunialumni  plymouth.ac.uk/alumni Content Editor – Andrew Merrington, Graphic Designers – Kate Sardella, Lee Mattock, Zachary Child, Lauren Porter, Tara Tregidgo, Digital Designer – Catherine Hemsley, Photography – Lloyd Russell, Proofreaders – Alice Li and Sarah Dunstall, Head of Development and Alumni Engagement – Rachel Brown, Alumni Engagement – Samantha Davis, Print Production – Design and Print Centre, University of Plymouth, Printer – Deltor Communications Ltd. University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA

The University is committed to promoting equality and diversity. If you require information from this publication in an alternative format, please email alumni@plymouth.ac.uk

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The formal opening of a new research centre at the University has taken place – signalling a transformation in the level of neurological work academics can undertake.

The Brain Research & Imaging Centre (BRIC) consists of seven cutting-edge human neuroimaging research laboratories to help better understand brain activity and human behaviour. One of the laboratories contains a Siemens Prisma MRI scanner equipped with multiple additional brain imaging technologies, establishing the first multi-modal MRI facility in the region.

BRIC is a unique collaboration between the University, the research charity DDRC Healthcare and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHPNT) and is located at Plymouth Science Park. It forms part of the expansion of the Hyperbaric Medical Centre, providing improved facilities for research and the treatment of scuba divers, along with delivery of advanced medical training. University researchers have already been using the facility and postgraduate students in human neuroscience are also being taught there.

BRIC was officially opened by Professor Judith Petts CBE, Vice-Chancellor, and Ann

James, Chief Executive of UHPNT. Professor Stephen Hall, Director of BRIC and a leading researcher in human neuroimaging, said: “BRIC has immediately transformed brain research in the region and beyond, with international collaborations utilising the technology we have here to shed light on complex conditions to benefit patients. The addition of BRIC, with its cutting-edge facilities and leading expertise, will support the University’s ambition to become one of the most impactful brain research organisations in the world. We are proud to be working with DDRC Healthcare and UHPNT to make this work possible.”

Plymouth wins bid to run first residential dental summer school The Peninsula Dental School is to be one of just two hosts for the UK’s first residential programme based around dentistry. The Medical Schools Council Summer School is funded

by Health Education England and has been set up to widen participation and access to dentistry and help create a greater diversity in the dental profession.

The programme will welcome 35 Year 11 and 12 students onto campus and focus on supporting their journey into dental education, from the admissions and selection process to life beyond dental school, showing the range of careers within the oral healthcare profession. By detailing the specifics of dental school, including study skills and revision workshops and even going through a mock entrance interview, the University will hope to break down barriers. The four-day, three-night summer school will recruit from South West schools, and will also include supervised trips to places of interest around the locality.

Professor Christopher Tredwin, Head of the Peninsula Dental School, said: “We’re thrilled to be running the Medical Schools Council Summer School to help reach more dental professionals of the future, and know it’ll build on our already hugely successful widening participation work.

Recruiting the best students, regardless of their background, ultimately means we’ll be helping to graduate the best dentists to positively impact on patient care, which is hugely important.”

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New Doctoral-Training Partnership to focus on climate A new post-COP26 Doctoral-Training Partnership (DTP) focusing on the challenges and opportunities relating to our global climate has been launched by the University in collaboration with University College Cork.

The DTP will focus on research proposals related to climate challenges and opportunities in four key areas: Delivering the Blue Economy; Building Resilient Coastal Communities; Achieving and Maintaining Healthy Landscapes; and Enabling the Zero Carbon Energy Transition.

The DTP will host six PhD students, who will be supervised by staff from both institutions, bridging natural and social sciences.

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Environmental law experts helping to preserve Shackleton’s lost vessel, Endurance

The remarkable discovery of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship, Endurance, in March, after more than 100 years at the bottom of the Weddell Sea was greeted with universal acclaim by marine archaeologists around the world. Immaculately preserved some 3,000m below sea-level, the vessel was located by a project team from the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust using an icebreaker and submersibles, bringing to a close a truly iconic story of human endeavour.

For two environmental law experts in the University’s School of Society and Culture, however, the discovery had extra resonance.

Jason Lowther, Associate Professor of Law, and Michael Williams, Visiting Professor and Research Fellow, were the lead authors of a groundbreaking policy that protects underwater heritage in Antarctica, ensuring merchant vessels like Endurance can never be salvaged by third parties. The pair worked with the Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust and a marine archaeologist at Bournemouth

University to create the policy under the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, specifically to address concerns that undiscovered wrecks, such as Endurance, might be at risk of salvage.

The policy was passed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2018, and Endurance added to the list of underwater cultural heritage belonging to the British Antarctic Territory.

“It’s great to have been part of something so foundational as this,” Jason said. “And it’s gratifying that Plymouth is developing a reputation as the go-to institution for legal expertise in underwater heritage. To see the pictures and the state of preservation – and know it is going to stay like that – is something of which we can feel very proud.”

“And the irony is not lost that Plymouth was the last UK departure point for Shackleton and it’s Plymouth 100 years on that is protecting Endurance,” added Michael.

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The Big Interview Professor Sir Chris Whitty He is Chief Medical Officer for England and has become a defining public presence during the COVID pandemic. But who is Professor Sir Chris Whitty and what comes next for him?

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CobBauge – constructing a low carbon future The award-winning research project that is upgrading the centuries-old construction material of cob into a sustainable alternative for today's industry.

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Alumni Portrait

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Student Story

Tom Gammage How a marine biology degree paved the path to Indo-Pacific fisheries and campaigning to control plastics.

A foundation for learning and life.

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In Conversation

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The Plymouth Nautical Degree Association From professional networking to nights out in Plymouth: six members of PYNDA share their experiences of Plymouth and how the network has supported their careers.

Feature

Best foot forward Evelyn Truter on running and raising money for Multiple Scleroris research.

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Medical Research Recruiting talented new brain tumour research scientists and securing funding for cuttingedge biomedical equipment.

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Community

The stunning transformation of the historic Market Hall in Devonport, Plymouth.

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Jack Smith A personal and academic odyssey to Alcatraz Island to mark the anniversary of the historic peaceful occupation of the former prison.

Guest Feature

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“PLYMOUTH HOE IS A SUPERB PL ACE TO HAVE A GR ADUATION ,” SAYS PROFESSOR SIR CHRIS WHIT T Y, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER FOR ENGL AND. “ THERE ARE VERY FEW PL ACES, IN ENGL AND AT LE AST, WHERE YOU ’LL FIND SOMEWHERE AS BE AUTIFUL AS THAT TO GR ADUATE .”

Under autumn skies, with the University’s Graduation Week restored to a physical ceremony once again, Sir Chris had received an Honorary Doctorate of Medicine from the University in recognition of his support for its research community. The following day, he would deliver a guest lecture on campus to a packed audience on the health challenges facing coastal communities.

“It was an honour to receive a degree with University of Plymouth students graduating in medicine and health sciences, many of whom have been working to combat COVID-19 as well as completing their studies,” he says, speaking from his office in London, some weeks later. “This generation of students have had a particularly hard last two years and have responded remarkably.”

Chief Medical Officer in living memory, a constant presence on our television screens and in our newspapers, and now, a Knight of the Realm for good measure. As The Times put it, a “quiet professor (who) became the most influential figure in the land”.

“I am a clinical doctor, who happens to be doing this job as Chief Medical Officer,” he says.

“I am a clinician and I’ve always found it incredibly rewarding.”

Born in Gloucester, the eldest of four sons, Sir Chris spent his formative years overseas, living with his family in countries such as Nigeria and Malawi, before he returned to England to complete his education in West Sussex, and Malvern College, Worcestershire.

He describes it as “something of an accident” that he ended up in medicine. Accident or otherwise, Sir Chris earned a place at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he studied for a degree in physiology, and later, a doctorate in medical science.

“Like a lot of people at university, But there’s more to Professor Sir Chris Whitty than the fight against I saw it as a great opportunity

Professor Sir Chris Whitty

Few people have had a better insight into those two years and the pandemic that has dominated them than Sir Chris, who, as Medical Adviser to the UK government and head of the public health profession, has played a critical role in supporting the scientific and clinical response to COVID-19. During that time, he’s been catapulted into the public consciousness like no other

Chief Medical Officer for England

COVID. For decades, he’s been at to be intellectually adventurous the forefront of medical research and look at other things,” he into tropical diseases and played says. “So, I was interested in a key role in overseas projects history; I was interested in politics tackling malaria, HIV and Ebola. and philosophy. I believe that He was part of the governmental university is a time to expand in advisory group that dealt with the lots of areas and not just the one Novichok poisonings on domestic you’re doing your degree in.” soil; and there’s his continued commitment to patient care, This broader interest in other running clinics throughout the topics is evident from some of pandemic, even treating those the educational opportunities Sir in need on Christmas Day 2020.

Chris has sought out alongside his

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medical career, such as an Open University diploma in Economics; a degree in medical law from Northumbria University; and an MBA from Heriot-Watt University.

But medicine has remained the driving force of his career, having studied medicine at Wolfson College, Oxford.

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“I preferred the areas of medicine where you made a treatment and people got better relatively quickly,” he says. “I think that is one of the attractions of infectious disease medicine.”

So it was that Sir Chris began training in this field of care at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). And his career as an epidemiologist has taken him back to Africa, and to Asia, working as a doctor and conducting research. He was Director of the Malaria Centre and Professor of Public and International Health at LSHTM, where during his tenure, the centre landed a £31 million grant for malaria research in Africa from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He would go on to be the principal investigator on that programme.

In 2009, Sir Chris was appointed Chief Scientific Adviser and Director of Research for the Department for International Development. Here he headed up the Research and Evidence Division, which worked on health, agriculture, climate change, energy, infrastructure, and

"I PREFERRED THE AREAS OF MEDICINE WHERE YOU MADE A TREATMENT AND PEOPLE GOT BET TER REL ATIVELY QUICKLY. I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE AT TR ACTIONS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE MEDICINE ."

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economic and governance research. This included leading technical work on the West Africa Ebola outbreak and other international emergencies, and it was during this time that Sir Chris and two co-authors first formulated the proposal to build and support centres where people could self-isolate voluntarily if they suspected that they had the disease.

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“I lived overseas for quite a lot of my childhood and it seemed quite natural to undertake research – so that led me into the field of researching tropical diseases in other countries,” he says. “And I think I was very fortunate to work overseas because you learn a huge amount from colleagues working in different systems. It was a great opportunity for me to learn and to contribute through teaching and research. Indeed, I would encourage anyone with the opportunity to work overseas to do so because it does bring big benefits in the long run.”

As the UK’s representative on the Executive Board of the World Health Organization – a role he has held since being appointed Chief Medical Officer for England in 2019 – Sir Chris retains that international outlook. But he’s also been at the heart of two of the biggest domestic public health stories of modern times. As Interim Chief Scientific Adviser, he chaired the government’s Scientific Advisory Group in Emergencies (SAGE) and advised the government's Civil Contingencies Committee, COBRA, during the shocking Novichok poisonings in Salisbury. And then came COVID-19, which, while international in its scope, has turned Sir Chris into a household name, whether he was ready for it or not.

“In the case of the Salisbury poisonings, I wasn’t really involved with the media side – that fell to the Chief Medical Officer at the time,” he says. “With COVID, well, I’ve had to get used to it. It’s not something I would choose to do but it’s a necessary part of the job.

You’ve got to be able to present in public, and as with most professions, medicine requires you to explain technical things to people who come from different disciplines. The same would be true if you’re talking about law or engineering. It’s a professional skill.”

Despite the demands of his governmental role, Sir Chris has remained a practising NHS Consultant Physician at University College London Hospitals and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. He continues to treat patients with infectious diseases, including those with COVID. He says: “People are motivated by different elements of their role, but I’ve always found that interacting with patients, learning from them, and learning what to do next is a really important part of my career and something that makes it worthwhile.”

"YOU’ VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT IN PUBLIC, AND AS WITH MOST PROFESSIONS, MEDICINE REQUIRES YOU TO EXPL AIN TECHNICAL THINGS TO PEOPLE WHO COME FROM DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES."

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That theme of learning is a recurring theme in our conversation, and when I ask what advice he might have for a Plymouth graduate starting out on their profession, the answer is a passionate one.

“The report concluded that there is more in common between coastal areas than there often is between them and their nearest inland neighbours,” Sir Chris says. “And that is true all around the coast. The University did a huge amount of research on this, both on the 'dry end' of the spectrum – so, looking at coastal communities, where a lot of the research we quoted was from Plymouth – and on the ‘wet end’ with the marine biology and sciences that Plymouth has specialised in. There is nowhere better to think about how communities interact with the sea and the marine environment.”

And Sir Chris believes that this is where the teaching side of the University also plays a crucial role.

“THERE ARE T WO BIG DRIVERS OF POOR HEALTH, BROADLY: REL ATIVE DEPRIVATION AND POVERT Y ON THE ONE HAND, AND AGE ON THE OTHER .”

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For Sir Chris, that journey has taken on a coastal aspect this year, and one in which academics at the University have played an important role. Published in the summer of 2021, his Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report featured a chapter by Professor of Health Policy Sheena Asthana and Senior Research Fellow Dr Alex Gibson, which highlighted the many and varied health challenges facing England’s coastal communities. Indeed, on the morning before we speak, Sir Chris has been talking to the chief executives of the regional health trusts about how some of the ideas raised can be taken forward.

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“You have to accept that you will continue to learn throughout your career and the point at which you obtain your degree is still a very early part of your learning journey,” he says. “You’ll be learning, hopefully, to the very last day you stop practising. And then if you transition over to be a doctor or a nurse or another discipline, you learn a great deal doing it. It’s a continual and interesting journey.”

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"ALONG THE COASTAL STRIP OF THE UK , THERE IS BOTH DEPRIVATION AND OLDER POPUL ATIONS, AND THESE ARE THE PL ACES WE HAVE GOT TO PROVIDE STRONG HEALTHCARE TO."

role that universities can play in He continues, “Along the coastal strip of the UK, there is both answering them. deprivation and older populations, “What you have around the UK and these are the places we have is an ecosystem of outstanding got to provide strong healthcare universities, some of which are to. One of the recommendations outstanding in multiple disciplines of the report was that it’s essential and some are more specialised,” that people are trained in coastal he says. “Plymouth is both and areas because they tend to work has some areas of science where close to where they’re trained. it is the best in the UK or best in And therefore again, Plymouth, Europe. I think that is the level to having a medical school and a which we should aspire: really whole variety of paramedical good teaching, which is essential disciplines, is absolutely critical for the community and society, but for the South West in the mediumalso really good research because and long-term.” that is what drives the future.”

With COVID continuing to cast a It’s a message of hope following shadow over the health landscape, a long period of uncertainty.

Sir Chris is nevertheless looking Education and research: the to develop wider work in the next health of the country is in our year. Firstly, he says, there’ll be a hands. focus upon air pollution as a driver “Medicine today is better than of ill-health. And then there’ll be it was ten years ago because of work around multiple morbidity – research, and medicine in ten how people accumulate chronic conditions as they grow older, and years’ time will be better than it is today because of ongoing how medicine can move beyond just focusing on a single disease. research,” he concludes. “That’s the way it develops. It’s a future And for these major questions, investment.” he remains an advocate for the

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GUEST FEATURE JACK SMITH:

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However, Alcatraz Island was, to some, an escape, a chance to form a new life and live out the ways of their ancestors. A people that have been mistreated at the hands of colonial powers for more than 400 years; slaughtered by the millions, segregated, starved, sexually abused and ultimately liquidated into a society alien to them and their culture.

Whether by the blade or by the strike of ink, they have been persecuted with the upmost ferocity. I talk of course about the Indigenous people of America, often referred to as the American Indian. This, of course, is absurd as they are neither Indian nor American, since the sovereign state of America was not discovered until 1776 and the Indigenous people are estimated to have arrived some 15,000 –18,000 years prior.

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The waves crashed against our Pier 33 shuttle boat as it darted through the dispersing fog, which clung to the morning like a blanket of despair. I tried to imagine the thoughts of those criminals that had made their way to this isolated place. Even the likes of Al Capone and George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly must have felt some terror as they pulled up alongside the menacing guard towers and the off-white looming lighthouse that projected safe passage and a warning to stay clear to passing boats. A place designed to withhold the worst criminals of the USA, it is said ’if you break the rules you go to prison; break prison rules and you go to Alcatraz’. On this morning, it is clear to see why. Iron cages, sharp rocks, cascading cliff faces, razor wired fences, armed guards and freezing, treacherous waters are but some of the defences the mainland population had against these dangerous and violent men.

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SPEEDING TOWARDS THE SOLITARY ISLAND OF ALCATRAZ IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY AT 8AM ON 20 NOVEMBER 2021 WAS BOTH INTIMIDATING AND SPECTACULAR.

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On 20 November 1969, an unarmed group of Indigenous peoples occupied the Island, after several previously unsuccessful attempts. This occupation lasted until 11 June 1971, making it the longest peaceful occupation on American soil. Their actions were not only supported by the fact that the land was theirs morally and historically, but also by the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which, like more than 500 other treaties, was not upheld. The occupiers of Alcatraz used this treaty as a tool in a righteous attempt to dismantle the US government’s opposition to this protest and their stolen lands, and to revitalise their dying culture that has been destroyed at the hands of capitalist colonial powers.

EVERY YEAR, ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE START OF THE OCCUPATION, MEMBERS OF THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY GATHER UPON THE ISLAND FOR A COMMEMORATION. AND SO IT WAS, AFTER I HAD SPENT SOME TIME EXPLORING AND BREATHING IN THE SENSE OF HISTORY, A CEREMONY OF SORTS BEGAN IN A LONGPILLARED HALLWAY.

I would like to thank and recognise Ilka Hartmann, Dr LaNada War Jack, William Ryan Jr and Eloy Martinez for their kindness to me, resilience to injustice and strength in adversity, and to Dr Darren Aoki for his constant support.

Jack Smith is a third-year undergraduate on the BA (Hons) History degree.

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This trip to Alcatraz Island was an eyeopening experience and one that I will never forget. It truly made me realise that although recent racial tensions across the Western world have sparked awareness and in some cases justice, the true living victims of previous crimes are often overlooked.

Indigenous peoples of the world are today faced with outstanding injustices as well as new threats due to climate change. To recognise and learn about these issues helps us to understand the past, improve our present and prevent further atrocities from taking place. To recognise and learn about these issues helps us to understand the past, improve our present and prevent further atrocities from taking place.

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Constructing a low carbon future A new building is nearing completion on the University campus that is unlike anything else seen in its history. Constructed from an optimised form of cob, the centuries-old material once used extensively for house building, the single-storey facility is set to become a living laboratory, a classroom and a demonstration site for a major cross-Channel research project. We talked to the researchers leading the CobBauge project to find out how subsoil and natural fibre might be the building blocks of a low carbon future.

Words by Steve Goodhew, Professor of Environmental Building and the project’s Principal Investigator; Karen Hood-Cree, CobBauge Project Manager; Dr Matthew Fox, Lead for Architecture; Dr Jim Carfrae, Research Fellow; Kevin Owen, Senior Technician

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Traditional cob building

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or centuries, people built their homes from a material called cob. A mixture of subsoil and fibre, cob (known in France as ‘bauge’) was particularly popular in southern England and Normandy, France. However, cob does not currently comply with the thermal aspects of many building regulations across the world and has been supplanted by more energy dependent materials such as masonry and concrete. Concrete, like plastic, has become ubiquitous in its use, but it also comes with a high environmental cost. It’s estimated that 8% of the world’s carbon footprint (Olivier et al., 2016) is owed to concrete.

Cob on the other hand can be viewed as an ultra-lowcarbon material. It comes from the earth and can return to it once it’s served its purpose, offering one of the rationales for the CobBauge research.

The Built Environment Department is a respected and longstanding research and teaching collective within the School of Art, Design and Architecture. It has led major national and internationally funded projects in fields such as building performance analysis, natural building materials and construction management. From using thermal imagery to visualise energy loss from buildings, to designing innovative ways for people to engage with the thermal performance of their homes, the underlying aim is to simply make buildings perform better and create awareness of the issue. Through this work, the department has developed relationships with a wide range of organisations in the construction sector – and this in part, culminated in 2017 with a

joint application for European funding to launch a project that would examine whether it was possible to scientifically upgrade cob so that it meets today’s regulatory thermal and structural standards. The CobBauge project is a cross-border research project, led by the University, aiming to demonstrate that this ancient technique has a role to play in the future of the construction industry. The CobBauge project (a merging of the English and French words for the technique) runs from July 2017 to June 2023 and has received a total budget of almost €4.1 million from the Interreg VA France (Channel) England Programme, cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project partners are École Supérieure d'Ingénieurs des Travaux de la Construction de Caen (ESITC), Syndicat Mixte du Parc Naturel Régional des Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin (PnrMCB), Earth Building UK and Ireland (EBUKI), Hudson Architects and the Université de Caen-Normandie.

The first phase of the project was conducted in laboratories on both sides of the Channel and focused on creating a cob material that was strong, yet improved the thermal efficiency of cob buildings. The CobBauge partners created four new cob mixes that were thermally and structurally tested to ensure they met building regulations and significantly improved household energy efficiency. They designed and optimised a low-density cob mix intended to maintain the material’s low carbon credentials while conforming to the thermal aspects of building regulations.

“It’s estimated that 8% of the world’s carbon footprint (Olivier et al., 2016) is owed to concrete.”

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This image shows the distinct difference between the two layers. What makes this composite construction remarkable is how well the two different mixtures of cob bond together. When the two layers were destructively tested, even exerting quite large forces to ‘tear them apart’, little damage was noted. In addition, it was found that this dual layer mix complied with current thermal building regulations, both in the UK (HM Gov. Part L, 2021) and France (RT2018).

The results were shared through academic papers and presentations to industry, and through public engagement, supported by the University’s Sustainable Earth Institute. The CobBauge partners work resulted in winning the prestigious EU Regiostars award for sustainability out of 50 other entries. This was clear recognition of the importance of the work.

Having proven the concept, CobBauge moved forward to phase 2. We secured further funding from the Interreg VA France (Channel) England Programme and the ERDF for four more years of work, which would involve the construction of two full-sized buildings using the new material – one in Normandy, the other here in Plymouth. Hudson Architects, a UK practice based in Norwich with nationally leading expertise in innovative design, also joined the project team.

The location for the Plymouth prototype CobBauge building is adjacent to the Sustainability Hub on campus. In January 2021, our project architect for this building, Fox Ecological Architects, submitted a planning application to Plymouth City Council. In being approved, the Plymouth CobBauge Building created a new landmark – the first cob building in the UK to be approved under modern regulations.

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The newly created cob mixes were produced from local soils, which the project has calculated will reduce CO2 emissions by around 40% compared to the production of traditional masonry materials.

They also reduced construction waste by an estimated 16 tonnes per property, a saving of €2,115 (around £1,700) in terms of landfill costs.

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Efforts to create a material that would not exceed the 0.3W/m²K maximum U-value for walls (all insulating materials have a ‘U-value’) led researchers to develop a composite product with two separate layers for structure and insulation. Using only natural fibre for insulation, they found they could increase the fibre volume by up to 50% and significantly drop the density and therefore improve the thermal conductivity value. This meant the structural layer could be optimised to create a density as high as required and could offer a ready-made solution for compliant low-carbon, energy-efficient, low-rise properties or the extension of existing historic buildings.

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“To produce a CobBauge building, we needed to utilise ‘formwork’ – essentially a frame into which you place the cob before tamping it down.”

So, how was it built? To produce a CobBauge building, we needed to utilise ‘formwork’ – essentially a frame into which you place the cob before tamping it down. This ensures that the walls remain ‘plumb’ straight. The structural mix goes in first to form the inner part of the building followed by the thermal layer which sits on the external part of the building, each layer being 300mm wide.

The CobBauge material requires time to dry and set (through research it was found that both layers dry at the same rate, offering complementary hygrothermal properties), and the walls are built in stages, or ‘lifts’, of 500mm in height. A significant aspect of this story is about how the research can help to provide confidence for contractors, engineers, designers and ultimately the public. The project partners EBUKI/PnrMCB and the University are working on approximately 30 training videos, which will be shared via the website/YouTube and the project's social media sites during 2022.

Working closely with PnrMCB, Hudson Architects and other partners has allowed dialogue and feedback to happen between architect and contractor right from the start about the CobBauge material. The completed building – a single storey, 30m2 facility – will be a demonstration site for contractors and a classroom for students, who are the industry professionals of tomorrow. There’s no reason that further innovations will not follow, and already it can be seen how it will be possible to build multiple units at once.

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“Through the CobBauge project, we are addressing the need for affordable, sustainable, energy efficient dwellings.”

This building is being monitored at every stage, both for structural and thermal performance, as well as the air quality when occupied, so that the team can make informed comparisons with equivalent, conventionally constructed homes. The team will be putting the building through a broad range of scenarios through to the end of the project’s lifetime in 2023. In every respect, it is a living, breathing research project and has already had significant interest from the USA and Australia.

There is a real sense that the construction world is watching the progress and evolution of this material.

“Through the CobBauge project, we are addressing the need for affordable, sustainable, energy efficient dwellings. Cob has clear advantages over other materials in terms of the energy needed to construct it and bring it to site, and the construction of these homes will also make use of the traditional skills of small businesses and tradesmen in areas where cob has historically been used. With authorities requiring new construction and renovations that are sympathetic to the historic built environment, there is definitely still a place for them. By developing new methods and training professionals in how to implement them, we can ensure this traditional technique is adapted so that it remains part of the streetscape for centuries to come.

Of course, we understand that cob isn’t for everyone, but unless we start innovating, we’ll carry on doing the same thing and a university is a perfect place to conduct this type of real-world experiment.”

Professor Steve Goodhew OLIVIER, J. G. J., JANSSENS-MAENHOUT, G., MUNTEAN, M, & PETERS, J. A. H.W. 2016. Trends in Global CO2 emissions. 2016 report.

The Hague: PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.

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Medicine has a recruitment problem: historically viewed as a profession for the privileged, there has remained a notable shortage of people entering from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, despite national attempts to widen participation.

For years, the University has attempted to meet this challenge by working with local schools in the South West to raise aspirations among pupils in medicine and other health-related subjects. And in 2019, it took a new step to widen participation in the subject, launching the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery with Foundation degree, specifically designed as a route into medicine for those who might not choose higher education. The course offers students an introductory year to build practical and academic skills, as well as their confidence, before they transfer onto the traditional five-year medical degree.

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This is Tim’s story:

I was good at science from an early age. I did OK in my GCSEs and chose A-level subjects that would help me pursue my dream to be a doctor. But the college I attended was not particularly supportive of my desire to apply for medicine. They thought the grades required would be too high. I knew it would be difficult – from an academic and social perspective – but I knew it was what I wanted to do.

I did my own research into medical degrees and learned about Plymouth’s foundation year course. I really liked the sound of the interactive learning model – one based around enquiry, discussion and research – because I thought that would really suit the way I like to learn. So, I took the decision to redo a year of my A levels in order to get the grades I needed, and that extra year also provided me with more time to mature.

I was not someone who could simply pay for extra tuition to get the A grades I needed in maths and science. That’s why the ‘Year 0’ option was so appealing, and why it’s so important to people in my position – it offers us a chance for equal access.

I’m excited, and truly glad to be at the stage I am right now. My dream is to go into cardiology or neurology, so I know the years ahead will be demanding.

But I can do it.

Tim’s bursary has been funded in part through the donations of alumni and friends of the University to the Plymouth Fund.

To support care leavers bursaries or learn more about our scholarships and other bursaries, visit: plymouth.ac.uk/donate

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When lectures moved online in the pandemic, I really missed the human interaction. It made it much harder to meet people, especially as social gatherings were non-existent at times. And life is more challenging when you have to be self-reliant for the first time, from planning and balancing finances, to cooking and maintaining your health.

It’s hard for foundation students to supplement their income with a part-time job when the degree is so challenging. I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a Care Leavers Bursary – which I will receive for each year of my degree – and that means I can focus more on my studies.

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That’s where this all begins for me. Much of my inspiration for joining the medical degree comes back to this, and to my family and their history of illnesses. Many of them have struggled with different issues, such as autonomic nervous system conditions that affect the regulation of heart rate and blood pressure. It’s been so severe that I have had periods in care while they’ve been treated.

I really enjoyed the course. We learned about topics in great scientific detail and discussed meaningful medical and societal issues such as discrimination.

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I want to help people.

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CONNECTING THE DOTS – CAMPAIGNING FOR THE EARTH I had no idea that campaigning had been professionalised to this extent,” says Tom Gammage, the marine biologist – and campaigner – who’s currently riding a wave of global support for his report on plastic pollution, Connecting the Dots.

“I thought campaigners just did publicity stunts. I didn’t realise how much influence you can have as a civil society organisation with the right resources, skills and expertise.”

It’s fair to say that, from graduating from Plymouth with a first-class honours degree in Marine Biology in 2014, to attending the United Nations Environment Assembly with a mission to secure a treaty on plastics earlier this year, Tom has made quite the journey of discovery. Whether it’s working on small-scale fisheries projects in Costa Rica and Madagascar or learning and implementing the ‘art of advocacy’ with his colleagues at the Environmental Investigation Agency, the 28-year-old’s career has been defined by his relentless search for ways in which he can help conserve the natural world.

“This is why i’m on this earth,” he says. “And that foundational knowledge I gained at Plymouth has been absolutely instrumental in everything I’ve done so far.”

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He says: “The project tasked me with looking at the effect of a certain type of fishing on the population structure of reef fish in a UNESCO world heritage site. It involved lots of focus groups with local fishermen, doing catch estimates, learning Indonesian and talking to them about ancient systems of resource governance that their grandparents used.

I started thinking, ‘Maybe we can reinvent, reignite and reimplement them in the modern context with modern management methods?’.

This ‘clear view’ of what he wanted to do, and a love of reef biology, motivated Tom to find work with small-scale fisheries in the Global South following his graduation. He started in Costa Rica, before joining Blue Ventures in Madagascar. He would later move to a similar NGO in the country, where his work focused on localising governance structures, introducing community-based management systems and monitoring the implementation of both.

It amounted to a remarkable five years overseas – but Tom knew there was something missing from his skill set: advocacy.

Tom is effusive in his praise for his time at Plymouth. The academics, he says, were “inspirational” in their passion for marine biology.

He cites Professor John Spicer as “one of his favourite people on the planet” and reminisces how Dr Andy Foggo would take hours out of his busy diary to help him with complex data analysis.

His contemporaries on that degree were also transformative for him, as he found himself suddenly surrounded by “100 like-minded people”. To this day, he says, his closest friends are his fellow marine biology graduates. And then there is the impact that the degree itself had upon his career path, and in particular a placement he undertook in Indonesia as part of his dissertation project.

“It’s a whole different discipline!” he says.

“Being able to convince people is an art form, and what I found was that it doesn’t matter how much research you do or how much information you gather, if you can’t communicate that in an effective way, it’s very difficult to have a lasting impact. And then I saw this position come up as a campaigner.”

That position was with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), the international NGO founded in 1984 to investigate and campaign against environmental crime and abuse. From the ivory trade to deforestation, the EIA has become renowned for its expert intelligence gathering through undercover agents in the field and using that as evidence to shape and influence policy.

“I joined EIA in November 2019, with a remit that would see me travelling to events and conferences around the world,” Tom says. “I would be acting as a trusted advisor to certain countries, particularly those that have limited capacity. It’s all really up my street, but then, COVID …”

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“And then I realised, ‘This is me, 100%’. There’s nothing else I could do in this world other than this.”

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“I’ve always been a ‘nature boy’ – it’s defined everything I’ve ever done,” Tom says. “So, by the time I was applying to university, I had a very solid idea of what I wanted to do.

I knew the South West well from camping trips to Cornwall, and so getting into Plymouth became my ‘North Star’ during my A levels. I worked hard, and I got in.”

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Like so many people who dedicate their lives to the oceans, Tom was born nowhere near it. Growing up in Hertfordshire, however, proved to be no barrier to his burgeoning interest in both nature and the blue environment, and his childhood years were filled with insects, leaves and pond life. Family trips to visit an uncle in the Cayman Islands also introduced him to diving, and by the age of ten he was well on his way to becoming thoroughly at home in tropical waters.

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The global pandemic has meant that Tom’s role has erred towards the “keyboard warrior” end of the spectrum, with a strong focus on open-source intelligence gathering from his base in London. And he’s put the past two years to good use by learning about the “broader context” and “which levers to pull to get you to where you want to go”. As a result, he says, he’s begun to fully understand just how much influence an organisation like EIA, with just 60 people, can have. Furthermore, he knows just how much of a contribution he can make to their cause.

“We may be a relatively small organisation, but we pack a massive punch,” Tom says. “And while we are not necessarily well-known in a broad context, in the fields that we work in, we’re very well respected. All of our work across our four programmes of wildlife, oceans, climate and forests is pioneering.”

“And what I bring are the skills I learned at Plymouth: my analytical skills, my critical thinking, my ability to read a myriad of publications, digest them and present that information to decision-makers. People like Professor Richard Thompson taught me how to do that – to read, internalise and challenge your assumptions.”

The influence of Richard – globally renowned for his research on marine litter and plastic pollution – is also felt in Connecting the Dots: Plastic pollution and the planetary emergency, a major new report written by Tom. Released in January, the report draws together recent scientific data on the broad impact of plastics on climate, biodiversity, human health and the environment, and concludes that the predicted rise in plastic pollution constitutes a planetary emergency.

Tom says: “I initially wanted to put something into peer-reviewed literature, but Richard advised that I had the opportunity to do something ‘loud’, something that scientists traditionally cannot. So that helped to shape the theme of the report.

“And since its launch, it’s been crazy,” he adds, shaking his head as if in disbelief, and a broad smile breaking out across his face. “The BBC took up the story and since then it’s exploded. We’ve had requests from Singapore, Iran, Canada … it’s amazing to watch your idea spread around the world.”

That idea is now being developed into a ‘Scientists’ Declaration’, with Tom working with a team of academics to draft a form of words that scientists can sign up to and voice their demand for a global treaty on plastics.

And then the focus will shift to Nairobi and UNEA-5.2, where Tom will at last have the chance to travel, to advocate, to influence, and to experience the ‘network of dependencies’ that exist at that level.

“I can’t wait,” he confides.

“It’ll be two weeks of intense work, following leads, being responsive to developments, disseminating materials and networking. And we will get that treaty.”

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“I AM A SCIENTIST AND I LOVE WHAT I AM DOING – BUT I DO MISS THAT PRIMARY RESEARCH,” HE SAYS, FINALLY. “WHAT WAS MISSING FROM MY REPERTOIRE But there’s one thing he can BEFORE WAS THE be sure about: he’s not ABILITY TO TAKE THAT finished with the IndoPacific region and those KNOWLEDGE AND communities that DO SOMETHING depend upon their artisanal fisheries.

WITH IT, RATHER THAN JUST PUBLISHING IT. IT’S NOT MISSING ANYMORE.”

The future, beyond Nairobi, is yet to be written for Tom. He knows that there is a decade of work ahead for EIA on that treaty – the preparation, the negotiation and the implementation; it’s what he was hired to do, and he’s immensely proud of their achievements so far. And he’s very aware that whatever comes next – whether it’s a related area such as agricultural plastics in supermarkets and the supply chain, or something very different – there are no guarantees with campaigning.

The stars do not always align.

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Formed in 1970 by some of Plymouth’s earliest graduates in Nautical Studies, PYNDA – the Plymouth Nautical Degree Association – is a network of graduates spanning all levels of the maritime sector. From new entrants to influential business leaders, its membership has grown to around 400 individuals who are in regular contact with the University, and each other, through events and advice networks.

Invenite met with some members to find out more.

Ian Palacio studied the BSc (Hons) in Nautical Studies in 1986–89 and joined PYNDA upon graduating. His career has consisted of several roles in the shipping and port sectors, and he is currently Business Development Manager for Portsmouth International Port.

David Viner gained his degree at Plymouth. His working life has been as a Marine Loss Adjuster and Surveyor, involving travel from Honduras to Zanzibar, with some less interesting places in between.

Dr Katerina Konsta is a three-time graduate of the University: BSc (Hons) Maritime Business with Maritime Law, in 1992–96, a General Teaching Associates course, 2015 and a PhD in Logistics, Supply Chain and Shipping Management, 2017. She is CEO of the World Maritime Academy and has been a member of PYNDA since 1997.

Erik Hylseng Bø studied for an MSc International Shipping in 2018–19 and has been a member of PYNDA since 2019. He now works as a dry-bulk Ship Operator for Wilson Eurocarriers.

Mathias Sørlie Dyngeland is a fellow cohort member of the MSc International Shipping programme, and currently works as a Ship Operator Trainee in one of the world’s biggest chemical tanker shipping companies.

Simon Helland is a very recent member of PYNDA, joining in 2020 after he graduated from MSc International Shipping. He is currently 2nd Officer/DPO on an offshore vessel working in offshore wind farms.

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WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO PLYMOUTH?

Erik: I was studying a nautical degree in Haugesund together with both Mathias and Simon. I chose Plymouth because it had a long background within maritime studies. I wanted to learn much more especially about commercial shipping, and the masters programme and the University are recognised in the shipping environment in Norway.

Mathias: I was living in Bergen at the time, and I chose Plymouth because I got a good impression of the University and its maritime reputation. I was also eager to study in a foreign country, get to know a new culture and build new relationships.

Simon: Plymouth offered an interesting programme compared to other universities.

It’s also a city with an old and impressive shipping heritage, and I saw it as a privilege to study International Shipping in such a maritime environment and at the same time learn the English culture and language.

David: The BSc Nautical Studies course was in its infancy when I was a student and was only offered by about four colleges nationwide. At that time, Plymouth was about to evolve from a college of further education to a polytechnic with student numbers of only 3,000. I chose Plymouth because of its long history of teaching nautical subjects and the city and surrounds appeared to be a good environment in which to study. Also, Plymouth City Council offered a full education and maintenance grant, the latter of which was sufficient to make it possible to maintain a frugal way of life.

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Katerina: I come from Chios Island – the land of captains and shipowners! My family is into shipping and trading, but at that time there were no shipping studies available in Greece. So, I had two options: Plymouth and Cardiff. I did my first year at the University of Cardiff, but the course didn't interest me and I asked to be transferred to the second year of the BSc in Maritime Business with Maritime Law at Plymouth.

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Ian: I was living in East Devon and went to A-level college at Tiverton. I was 18 when I came to what was then Plymouth Polytechnic and was (and still am) obsessed with sailing (dinghies and sailboards) and that was the main driver. Oh yes, and I thought the course looked interesting!

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WHAT ARE YOUR ABIDING MEMORIES OF YOUR TIME HERE? David: The principal students were serving Merchant Navy Deck Officers in their twenties, and all of us had a desire to further our education beyond the seagoing Certificates of Competency, which were necessarily ship operating specific. As a group we all had the same working experience of living at sea and the on-board operation of ships. The lectures were given by lecturers, the majority of whom had served in the Merchant Navy or marinerelated industry. I think that as we were, in the main, all seafarers, a stronger sense of

camaraderie was formed within our own group for social events such as hiring a boat with a bar and jazz band to cruise up the Tamar on a Friday evening in early summer.

Ian: The Sea Anglers on a Friday night, Bigbury Bay, and sailing in Plymouth Sound! Also, Sid Harley, Craig Rich (yes, the weatherman) and Brian Yolland, three inspirational lecturers that helped shape my future.

Mathias: I only have good memories from my time in Plymouth. Ever since the first few weeks there I felt like it was the right choice

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for me. The lecturers, fellow students and the city itself proved to be perfect and inspiring.

Katerina: Oh my! I could write a book on my memories!!! Let us rewind to my days at Plymouth. The first time I came to Plymouth was in September 1993. We decided with my brother, who was studying in the UK as well, to come to Plymouth from Athens by car. I had never seen the place before. It was love at the first sight! I do not want to forget my friends, the houses I lived, barbeques we had, the Uni, the professors, the parties, Mutley Plain, the Hoe and Barbican, the city

centre, the coffee shops. I will never forget how proud I was to set up the University of Plymouth Hellenic Society; Professor Michael Roe and his yellow Mini Cooper; Sydney Harley, pretending that he was the ship in his Maritime Law lectures!

David: I particularly enjoyed the college being within the city centre and being able to walk up to the Hoe during the lunchtime break.

Excursions out to the moors were memorable, in particular the Royal Oak at Meavy and the Prince of Wales pubs at Princetown. I recall driving out to Burrator Reservoir to sit in the car and revise in peace and quiet!

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Tectona was the sail training ketch between 1964 and 1980 for the then School of Navigation (which later evolved into the University). She was used to give seagoing experience to students, under the guidance of (by today's standards very highly qualified) senior staff.

maritime career. Building a solid network is very important David: PYNDA was founded when in this business and I think PYNDA is a solid tool for this.

I was a student at Plymouth! I went to the inaugural meeting Ian: I wanted to keep in touch at which it was agreed to set it with my course mates and was up, in 1971 or 1972, I think. There also well aware that it helped was a strong feeling that our from a career perspective. careers would benefit if we And it has (but not maybe in were able to keep in touch as the way I thought it would!). most of us were intending to enter the maritime field. A few HOW DOES PYNDA HELP YOU? people had some grandiose OR ARE YOU MORE STRONGLY ideas that it might become a learned body, a bit like the newly MOTIVATED TO HELP OTHERS? formed Nautical Institute. I just Ian: PYNDA works as a great wanted it to be an effective network of really useful club that enabled us to keep in contacts who are all prepared touch and share experiences. to help each other. It really does work both ways.

Simon: Quite simply, I joined PYNDA to maintain my Katerina: Yes – though for me, it connections and to connect really is about helping others. with other Plymouth alumni.

WHY DID YOU JOIN PYNDA?

Katerina: Shipping is an international business. The world is a maritime village and we know each other. I wanted to meet with my professors and classmates.

I wanted to create for Plymouth the culture it deserved – the ‘HE/ SHE IS ONE OF US’ culture.

Erik: I joined it because I want to get the most out of my

Mathias: It’s all about the networking and being able to build new relations for me.

SO, ON THAT NOTE, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE SECRET IS TO ITS LONGEVITY? Ian: Its members! It has essentially created its own ‘culture’ whereby more

experienced (and longer in the tooth) members feel a responsibility to help the younger ones, and they in turn feel that they are part of something ‘important and helpful’ and as such are prepared to reach out for help and listen to advice.

David: I think that the original concept was that students from all years could have a centre of contact of a larger group of students/graduates, as opposed to only their own year group. I think that appeals to the students attending maritime courses each year. Credit must also be given to the lecturers over the years who have also encouraged students to join. Going forward, I believe that the organisation will continue to flourish.

Katerina: I think it’s connected to the specialist nature of the shipping courses. First of all, not many universities teach them, and most importantly not many have the tradition, the knowledge and the ability to deliver them successfully. In this case, we have great graduates serving in top positions all over the world.

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WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF THE UNIVERSITY NOW? IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU THAT ITS MARINE AND MARITIME REPUTATION HAS CONTINUED TO GROW?

Ian: I have to be honest here and admit that I am quite disappointed with the way higher education has gone (generally, not just at Plymouth).

Although the resources and facilities at what is now the University of Plymouth are fantastic in comparison to my days at Plymouth Polytechnic, it has come at a cost to some of its identity.

Katerina: Plymouth has had a huge impact on who I am now. Indeed, it is of the highest importance that the University’s maritime reputation has and will continue to grow. And when I revisited Plymouth during my PhD, it was such an experience!

I walked again in the footsteps of my youth. The city and the University have changed much but not beyond recognition. Every place hides a memory. I am so proud to say that I am part of the University's shipping heritage.

For the opportunity to keep in contact with PYNDA and its members please visit:

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Erik: Absolutely. I have a very positive impression of the University and I could easily recommend it to future students.

And yes, it is absolutely important for me working in the sector.

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Simon: Yes – it’s important to me that the University is contributing to research, providing expert knowledge in articles, and commenting on occurrences in the news as they happen. All of this strengthens its reputation.

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It’s January 2021 and like millions of us, Evelyn Truter is trying to get through lockdown in the best way possible: on her feet – and moving forward.

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But within a few weeks, that daily walk had become a daily run. Three kilometres at first, then five.

Professor of Clinical Neurology at the University, Jeremy Hobart, said of the challenge: “It was very humbling. We were totally overwhelmed by Evelyn’s support and amazing feat of fitness, endurance and resilience. Fundraisers like her enable us to progress our work.

We are sure her mum would have been very proud.”

“As I built up my distance I started to wonder – what could I really achieve with this?” she adds. Eight months later, and the answer was clear. Evelyn had completed a 52km run, raising £12,000 in the process for multiple sclerosis research at the University.

The idea for such a fundraising challenge came to Evelyn after she turned 52, the age at which her mum had sadly passed away with MS. “I realised I could do a fundraiser, and Mum naturally came into my head,” Evelyn says. “So, I looked at MS causes, and saw that the University conducts research into the condition. My Mum came from a nursing background and lived for many years in the South West, so it seemed like the perfect fit.

“There were people who I’d known for years whose lives had been touched by MS, and I only found out by talking about the challenge and sponsorship. It’s a much more widespread condition than I realised and there’s currently no cure, so it’s important to raise awareness and help as much as possible.”

Looking back at her achievement last summer, Evelyn ‘doesn’t quite know how she did it.’ “Running 52km aged 52 sounds mad. But I was amazed by the generosity of family, friends and my colleagues. My strong connection, love and respect for my Mum ensured that I never thought of giving up, just as she never did.”

And is Evelyn still running?

“Yes – but not the long distances I reached while training. I have missed the meditation that comes with those long runs. In fact – now you mention it – perhaps it’s time for a new challenge!”

If you’ve been inspired by Evelyn’s efforts and want to take on your own challenge to raise funds for medical research, get in touch with the team at giving@plymouth.ac.uk or visit plymouth.ac.uk/campaign/fundraisefor-us

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“I didn’t realise how much I’d enjoy being up at dawn, hearing nature wake up and clearing my head before work,” Evelyn says, recalling the daily walks she took to stay active.

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“There were people who I’d known for years whose lives had been touched

by MS, and I only found out by talking about the challenge and sponsorship.”

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SUCCESSFUL MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH REQUIRES TWO THINGS ABOVE ALL ELSE: GREAT PEOPLE AND TOP-OFTHE-RANGE EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION.

MEDICAL RESEARCH

For that, institutions – whether universities, specialised institutions or laboratories – need funding from bodies such as research councils, commercial partners, or philanthropic foundations and donors. The University of Plymouth is no exception and receives significant funding across its faculties and research institutes to help conduct its work – from microplastics to mantle cell lymphoma; cybersecurity to clinical psychology. Here are two recent examples of how two very different types of funding can make a significant difference to medical research.

GREAT PEOPLE

The University’s Peninsula Medical School is home to one of just three Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence in the country. With world-leading expertise in low-grade brain tumours, the centre has attracted talented researchers from other institutions. Among them is Dr Juri Na, who recently joined the team after five years at Oxford’s oncology centre.

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“I knew the University had a fantastic medical school,” Juri says, “and that its Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence was one of just three in the country. But I’ve been really impressed with the work that’s being undertaken and the facilities we have in the Derriford Research Facility.

And it helps that I’ve also fallen in love with life in the beautiful South West!”

Since joining, Juri has started work on a project that could ultimately lead to significant improvements in brain tumour treatment. Currently, there are just three techniques used to treat brain tumours – surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy – all of which have drawbacks and potentially negative side effects.

Juri’s work is focused on radiotherapy, a treatment that involves targeting the tumour site with high doses of radiation to kill cancerous cells. But it’s something of a blunt instrument as the radiation does not discriminate between cancerous and healthy cells, destroying them both equally. So, Juri is investigating whether radiotherapy can be improved using a radio sensitiser – an agent that can make cancerous cells more sensitive to radiation. This would enable doctors to both reduce the level of radiation used and to target more precisely the tumour site, limiting the damage to healthy cells. For this, she needs support, and thanks to the generosity of the Plymouth community, a new research PhD post has been funded to work alongside her. The candidate is being recruited and will join Juri in the laboratory on the front line in the fight against cancer.

“Developing new treatments can take many years,” she says. “But if the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that research can deliver progress much faster. It just needs funding, and for people to work together towards a common goal. I know many people who support our work have a personal connection – people they love have been affected by brain tumours, and you can’t help but be touched by that. As a researcher and as a human, you want to succeed as quickly as possible so that it might improve the outcomes for people in the future.”

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"… IF THE PANDEMIC HAS SHOWN US ANYTHING, IT’S THAT RESEARCH CAN DELIVER PROGRESS MUCH FASTER."

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The University excels in many areas of biomedical research, including antimicrobial resistance and vaccine development. Much of this work involves the study of proteins – referred to as proteomics – such as identifying new antibiotic candidates, or the validation of new drug targets and biomarkers for brain tumours.

THANKS TO YOU When you donate to the University, we make your money go as far as possible. Donations from graduates and friends raised £50,000 towards this vital new mass spectrometer and 50% of the money needed for the new PhD post. Your support was then used to attract the remaining funding.

We now aim to fund another PhD post – starting our fundraising again from scratch. If you’d like to help brain tumour research move ahead, and give a new researcher the opportunity to dedicate their working life to finding new cures and treatments, we’d be extremely grateful for your support.

Do get in touch with the team to find out more.

 plymouth.ac.uk/campaign/brain  giving@plymouth.ac.uk  +44 (0)1752 588000

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One piece of equipment commonly used across proteomics is the mass spectrometer, which enables researchers to measure the weights and chemical structures of proteins. And now, thanks to a capital grant from the Wolfson Foundation, scientists at the University are benefiting from a state-of-the-art mass spectrometer that enables them to analyse samples ten times faster than their pre-existing machines.

“Proteomics investigates how different proteins interact with each other and the roles they play within the organism,” said Professor Sube Banerjee MBE, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health.

“The advanced technology of the new mass spectrometer will substantially improve our ability to craft a global view of the processes underlying healthy and diseased cellular activity at the protein level. The work that we do in this area already has huge real-world implications and this new investment will speed translation of research into action.”

The Wolfson Foundation is an independent, grant-making charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts across the UK. The University was awarded a six-figure sum to help fund the procurement of the device. The versatility of the new model will also facilitate a wider range of research applications, increasing the potential for local, national and international collaboration.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for their funding and recognising how much impact this piece of equipment will have on the work taking place here,” added Sube. “What’s great about this project too is that £50,000 was funded by small donations – from people’s kindness and personal fundraising endeavours. It’s brilliant that they can see their funding being put to use in such an impactful way.”

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Back to the future: historic Devonport Market Hall transformed into stunning space for digital innovation From a Grade II listed historic fruit and veg hall to an immersive tech hub that Apple itself would feel at home in – that’s the headline story for the remarkable regeneration and repurposing of the former derelict Market Hall in Devonport , Plymouth. The £7.6 million, two-year project, led by Real Ideas Organisation, was unveiled to the public last summer to huge acclaim and has quickly become a creative and collaborative workspace for digital businesses, a gallery for artwork from students in the city, and a social hub for the community.

At its heart is an immersive dome, the first of its kind in Europe. Covering a floor space 15m in diameter, it can project head-spinning immersive films, wrapping you in 360° content.

The University’s i-DAT research team, led by Professor Mike Phillips, has been a key partner since the inception of the project, and provided technical expertise during the installation.

“Our vision for Market Hall was to make immersive technology more accessible – for business, learning, wellbeing and entertainment – and to create progression routes for our graduates,” said Jenny Bishop, Head of Marketing and Communications at Real Ideas, and a University alumna. “But it’s also about regeneration. By placing this incredible dome in the heart of Devonport, one of the city’s most deprived communities, we’re challenging misconceptions, building new opportunities for people living here and growing positive associations for the future.”

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It’s not just the styles that have changed.

“When I studied at Plymouth, my course was paid for, and the grant cheque covered my expenses. It’s very different for young people nowadays.”

With tuition fees and debt, today’s students show incredible commitment to their learning.

The University of Plymouth is equally committed – to making education available to all who seek it – irrespective of their financial background.

You can help by leaving a gift in your will to our student hardship fund. This will help continue our proud tradition of education for all.

Some things may change over time, but by leaving a gift in your will you ensure that talent and ambition can always thrive.

Learn more about leaving a gift in your will:  plymouth.ac.uk/campaign/your-legacy  +44 (0)1752 588000  giving@plymouth.ac.uk