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In a series of training studies on children between the ages of 5 and 12 years, a research team at the Department of Psychology successfully demonstrated that substantial improvements in roadside decision-making and behaviour can be achieved in children as young as 5 years. Based on their findings, the team developed and evaluated a training intervention (Kerbcraft) aimed at improving children's pedestrian skills through practical roadside activities which was formally adopted by the UK government. Since 2008, the majority of 5-7 year old children in the UK have received formal pedestrian skills training using Kerbcraft either in its full or adapted form. Kerbcraft now plays a key role in the UK Government's road safety strategy and has been cited as an example of best practice by the World Health Organisation and safety agencies across Europe, the US, Australia and in developing countries such as Ethiopia and Bangladesh.
Although Adam Benjamin's research has greatly influenced contemporary dance in the UK and elsewhere through his development and advocacy of inclusive practice, this case study focuses on his impact on contemporary dance and disability culture in Ethiopia. By introducing integrated practice to Adugna Community Dance Company in Addis Ababa (in which able-bodied and disabled dancers perform together), and continuing to foster its development through his choreographic and mentoring work with its current Artistic Directors, he has helped to transform the lives of individual disabled performers as well as strongly contributing to the socially-driven nature, values and aesthetics of contemporary Ethiopian dance.
Dr Rosa Hoekstra engages in research on the biological, cultural and cognitive aspects of autism, and in communicating the findings of these studies to a wider audience. Her involvement in developing a rapid quantitative instrument of autistic traits has aided diagnostic practice. Through The Open University's OpenLearn website and open educational resources associated with the Health Education And Training (HEAT) programme, Hoekstra contributes to raising autism awareness both in the UK and abroad.
Research at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) has developed a successful approach to the rapid scale-up of HIV Testing and Counselling (HTC) services in high prevalence countries, a vital component of the global HIV response. The model combines comprehensive quality assurance with operational research and has led to HTC expansion in mobile, home and facility-based settings. It has also allowed for responsiveness to local needs leading to post rape care services linked to HTC, services for the deaf and HTC for men who have sex with men (MSM) and other hidden populations in Africa. The global impact of this model is reflected in WHO policy, Ministry of Health HTC guidelines in numerous countries in Africa, the on-going work of an indigenous Kenyan NGO and expansion of HTC through community outreach in the UK.
Urban greenspace cools cities and reduces rainfall runoff but these effects have been difficult to quantify. Ennos's research is the first to give realistic figures for the contribution of greenspace and assess its potential to climate-proof cities. Key research findings have furthered the concept of green infrastructure, influenced local and national planning policy [text removed for publication]. Novel mapping tools developed by Ennos have had international impact, including use in the city master plan for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Community forests have altered their planting practises as a result of Ennos's research findings.
UCL researchers and overseas partners have developed a successful community intervention to improve maternal and newborn health, which is now saving lives in India's poorest communities and is being taken up in other low- and middle-income countries. The intervention involves village women's groups working together to identify, prioritise and address common problems during and after pregnancy using local resources. The process was tested successfully in Nepal, led to a 45% reduction in newborn mortality in an award-winning trial in rural India, demonstrated an impact on maternal mortality in a meta-analysis of seven trials across four countries, and has already been scaled up to a population of over 1.5 million in rural India's poorest communities.
Over one quarter of the estimated 886 million undernourished people in the world live in sub-Saharan Africa and their lives and livelihoods depend critically on rain-fed agriculture. However this region has lacked the equipment and the infrastructure to monitor rainfall. Over the past 20 years, the Unit's TAMSAT (Tropical Applications of Meteorology using SATellite Data and Ground-Based Observations) research group has developed a reliable and robust means for monitoring rainfall, appropriate for use in Africa. In addition, the Unit pioneered the use of such data to predict crop yields over large areas. TAMSAT data and methods are now used in food security (to anticipate drought and predict crop and livestock yields); in health planning (to predict outbreaks of rain-promoted diseases such as malaria); in aid (to guide the allocation and distribution of relief food and water); and in economic planning (to plan mitigation activities and investment in infrastructure). The Unit's programme of development and validation has extended the method to all of Africa, at all times of year. Our work with national meteorological services in Africa has helped them to build their own capabilities and to both contribute to TAMSAT and exploit it. The data provided by TAMSAT has had major impact in increasing the resilience of African populations to weather and climate, saving and improving the quality of lives, and strengthening economies in developing nations.
Trachoma, caused by ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, is the leading infectious cause of blindness. Research by Professors David Mabey and Robin Bailey, LSHTM, has shown that a single oral dose of azithromycin is an effective, feasible mass treatment and could eliminate trachoma from affected communities. As a result, the manufacturer Pfizer agreed to donate azithromycin to trachoma control programmes for as long as necessary and WHO established an Alliance for the Global Elimination of Blinding Trachoma by 2020. Since 2008, 205m azithromycin doses have been donated, and WHO elimination targets have been achieved in nine countries.
The impact of research in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) at Ulster is evidenced by the changes it has driven regarding the delivery of language teaching using ICT and multimedia language learning tools in a variety of environments. The production of internationally-recognised research to demonstrate effective motors for change led to the establishment of a key infrastructure, the Centre for Excellence in Multimedia Language Learning (CEMLL), funded by a CETL (Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) grant of £825,000 from Department of Education and Learning (DEL). This has informed developments in language teaching in higher and secondary education and has provided language learning opportunities beyond traditional educational sectors into industrial and community settings.
University of Nottingham researchers have been at the forefront in promoting and establishing Green Chemistry in developing nations. Working with and influencing colleagues and policymakers in both the UK and Africa, they have increased awareness of the importance of introducing sustainable technologies that meet local communities' needs. As a result, they have invigorated the chemistry teaching curriculum in Ethiopia, placing Green Chemistry at its core, and helped shape the approaches of professional bodies, including the Royal Society of Chemistry, for the benefit of the developing world. This has led to what the British Council has described as "a sense of empowerment and confidence" among Ethiopian chemists.