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REF impact found 42 Case Studies

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Antimatter: From CERN to Hollywood

Summary of the impact

In public perception, antimatter used to be associated with science fiction, but the creation and trapping of antihydrogen at CERN by the ATHENA and ALPHA Collaborations has sparked world-wide media interest in the real science of antimatter. Building on this, we started a campaign of public dissemination and education to promote and explain our work through media interviews, popular articles, and public lectures including a Welsh language component. We developed software simulators that have been used by school pupils in Masterclasses to re- create virtually CERN's antihydrogen production. YouTube clips and webcasts with over 100,000 hits have been produced and we have hosted thousands of visitors per year in CERN. These activities resulted in improved understanding of antimatter among school students and the wider population, and a radical change in the public perception of antimatter, which is now associated with the experiments at CERN rather than with Star Trek.

Submitting Institution

Swansea University

Unit of Assessment

Physics

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Physical Sciences: Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics, Other Physical Sciences

Assisted reproductive technologies and the family - Golombok

Summary of the impact

Professor Susan Golombok's research has made a significant contribution to policy formation and legislation regarding families created by assisted reproductive technologies. Her research has directly informed the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (2008); the policies of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA); and recommendations of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, in relation to assisted reproductive technologies involving the donation of eggs, sperm or embryos and surrogacy, and with respect to families with single and same-sex parents. Moreover, her research has been widely recognised as having made a fundamental contribution to public debate on the social and ethical implications of assisted reproduction for individuals, families and society.

Submitting Institution

University of Cambridge

Unit of Assessment

Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Summary Impact Type

Political

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine, Public Health and Health Services

British art and tradition: exploring an eclectic cultural heritage

Summary of the impact

This study outlines the ways in which Alexandra Harris, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Liverpool, has engaged public interest in modern British art and literature.
Harris has demonstrably encouraged both art-world professionals and members of the public to appreciate more fully the rich variety of modern British art, and to realise its contemporary relevance in exploring British landscapes and identities. Between September 2010 and July 2013, her books, radio programmes, literary festival appearances, and collaborations with art galleries have had a major impact on cultural life. They have helped to raise the profile of British painting, and brought diverse audiences to challenging literature (especially the work of Virginia Woolf). They have heightened public consciousness of the ways in which contemporary debates and indeed the habits of daily life can be informed by cultural history, giving `the long view' on national identity, notions of `home' and tradition, and particularly the potent relationships between art and place.

Submitting Institution

University of Liverpool

Unit of Assessment

English Language and Literature

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Changing preconceptions among the public and healthcare professionals on the meaning of illness and the human body

Summary of the impact

Havi Carel's work on the experience of illness has had wide-ranging and significant impact on health professionals, patients and their families, policy makers and health researchers throughout the world. Her influential book, Illness, sparked a public debate on the importance of the first-person experience of illness. Consequently, through presentations, media coverage, public debates, academic-practitioner networks, educational activities and public workshops, Carel's influence on many people's perceptions of illness has been profound.

Submitting Institution

University of the West of England, Bristol

Unit of Assessment

Philosophy

Summary Impact Type

Health

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Studies In Human Society: Sociology
Philosophy and Religious Studies: History and Philosophy of Specific Fields

Developing optical measurements of muscle physiology

Summary of the impact

Research at Essex underpinned the development and application of near infrared muscle oxygen spectroscopy (NIRS) devices that have had medical and sporting applications in three areas:

1) Research on second derivative spectroscopy underpinned the concept of the Hutchinson Technology InSpectraTM tissue spectrometers, and later Essex publications validated the technology. The current device is used for muscle research worldwide, including in sports and exercise science. It has US Food and Drug Administration approval and has been sold for use in many US hospitals with improved clinical outcomes and economic benefits.

2) Applied research, undertaken at Essex, made first use of the Artinis Inc. PortamonTM portable NIRS device in elite athletes (UK short track speed skaters). Subsequently this technology has been used to assist the training of a number of sports teams including [text removed for publication] and the Team GB hockey team.

3) This work was also used to engage the public in sports science research both nationally (e.g. Edinburgh and Cheltenham Science Festivals 2010-2013) and internationally (Abu Dhabi Science Festival 2011-2013).

Submitting Institution

University of Essex

Unit of Assessment

Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Clinical Sciences, Neurosciences
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

Edgelands: Transforming Contemporary Understandings of Landscape

Summary of the impact

Paul Farley's book Edgelands, co-authored with Michael Symmons Roberts, has changed attitudes to landscape in both cultural and utilitarian senses. Winner of the `Foyles Best Book of Ideas' Prize for 2012, Edgelands was extensively reviewed upon publication and its capacity for changing perceptions was widely remarked upon. Beyond its print and digital dissemination, it became a broadcast topic, both as an adaptation for BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week and also as a news feature on programmes such as BBC Radio 4's The Today Programme. As well as becoming a set text on many academic reading lists, Edgelands has influenced curatorial practice in the visual arts, opinion and policymaking bodies, practical approaches to engagement with landscape and also promoted widespread debate and active awareness at the grass roots level of weblogs and online journals. The book is part of a much wider body of research and writing on cognate subjects by Farley that includes award-winning collections of poetry and high-profile radio broadcasts. However, Edgelands is focused upon here as a concrete example of how a single publication can have a significant and wide-ranging impact.

Submitting Institution

Lancaster University

Unit of Assessment

English Language and Literature

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Stars ‘r’ Us! Engaging the Public with Astrochemical Research

Summary of the impact

Stars `r' Us! (SRU) is a touring exhibition conceived in 2004 by Professor Martin McCoustra to engage the public with astrochemistry. SRU has been updated frequently, most recently in 2010 to include on-going work at Heriot-Watt University (HWU). SRU has contributed regularly to major science festivals, with independently corroborated strong impact on public attitudes. Over its lifetime, active researchers have interacted directly with an estimated 11,000 visitors, most of whom were teenagers. SRU has further indirect reach through a widely distributed teacher's pack. It is also a valuable element of the public engagement programme at HWU which has seen demonstrably improved recruitment to chemistry programmes over recent years. SRU has engaged with the EU Commission through an ESF co-sponsored event: laboratory astrochemistry has recently achieved preferred status in a Horizon 2020 foresighting exercise.

Submitting Institution

Heriot-Watt University

Unit of Assessment

Chemistry

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Physical Sciences: Astronomical and Space Sciences
Chemical Sciences: Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)

Stranger Magic

Summary of the impact

For Professor Marina Warner literature acts as a cultural ambassador to open up dialogue in a globalised world riven by ideological and military conflict. She has used her research, which culminated in her multi-award-winning book Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights, to make a historical and cultural contribution to understanding the Middle East from the point of view of literary and artistic inter-relationships. She has used the extraordinary success of the book to raise public awareness through a series of international engagements. In the process she has addressed millions and contributed to cultural capital and debate worldwide. She has also directed the selection strategy of a major New York publisher, the Library of Arabic Literature.

Submitting Institution

University of Essex

Unit of Assessment

English Language and Literature

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Engaging Britten: The impact of Mervyn Cooke’s Britten research upon public understanding, musical organisations and creative practice

Summary of the impact

This case study describes the impact of Professor Mervyn Cooke's research on the music of Benjamin Britten. A six-volume edition of Britten's correspondence, new performance editions, public talks, and programme notes for concerts and CDs has enhanced the understanding of Britten's music amongst a wide general audience, contributed to the educational and outreach remit of performance organisations, and stimulated creative output in the form of performances, recordings, and popular biographies.

Submitting Institution

University of Nottingham

Unit of Assessment

Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Creative Arts and Writing: Film, Television and Digital Media
Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies

Engaging Citizens with Democratic Politics

Summary of the impact

Award-winning and ESRC-funded research by Professor Matthew Flinders and Professor Colin Hay into political participation and public engagement has led not only to direct and on-going changes within the political system (notably in relation to the operation and governance of parliamentary select committees) but has also delivered wider impact through the promotion of a major public debate — embracing several million people within and beyond the UK — concerning the need to understand and defend the essence of democratic politics. Additional impact has been delivered on parliamentary outreach both in the UK and internationally through the development with the Houses of Parliament of partnership-based teaching of politics. The breadth and depth of this public scholarship has been recognised through a range of awards and prizes (including the Political Studies Association's Political Communicator of the Year prize and an ESRC Impact Prize).

Submitting Institution

University of Sheffield

Unit of Assessment

Politics and International Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Political Science, Sociology
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

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