As we step into 2016, we look back at the achievements of our staff and students over the past year…
January: Scientists sequenced the genome of the bowhead whale, estimated to live for more than 200 years with low incidence of disease.
February: Vice-Chancellor Professor Janet Beer took the helm of the University, after seven years leading Oxford Brookes University.
March: Writer, Neil Gaiman, officially launched the University’s Centre for New and International Writing in front of a thousand strong audience at his sold-out lecture.
April: The University’s Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a special event to showcase their research in tackling the pet obesity epidemic.
May: The University’s Department of Politics teamed up with the Guild of Students to host an all-night General Election results event.
June: David Weatherall Chair in Medicine, Professor Munir Pirmohamed, received a Knights Bachelor in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
July: The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, was one of four esteemed figures to receive honorary degrees from the University over the summer.
August: Merseyside actress, Patricia Routledge, best known for her portrayal of Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC comedy series, Keeping Up Appearances, supported up to three University bursaries for students studying English Literature.
September: A team of engineering students broke the human powered British Land Speed Record three times whilst competing against an international field in Battle Mountain, Nevada.
October: Anatomists at the University spent two years working with a television production company to create a documentary series that, for the first time, depicts the experience of body donation from the perspective of donors, anatomy students and surgeons.
November: Being Supernatural and Being Posthuman were two of the public events organised by the University, as part of the eleven day nationwide ‘Being Human’ programme of big ideas, big debates and engaging activities aimed at all ages.
December: The University has launched its first podcast series. The five-part series focuses on the Envisioning the Indian City (ETIC) project, led by researchers at the Department of English, the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, and the School of Architecture.
