Research insights and snapshots at 7th Public Uni event

Five academics presented their research in digestible bite-size chunks at the 7th Public Uni event held at Chapter Arts Centre, Thursday 15 October 2015.

The evening’s topics represented a diverse range of disciplines and themes, bringing together academics from the arts, humanities and sciences.

Dr Ben Hannigan, Reader in Mental Health Nursing at Cardiff University’s School of Healthcare Sciences, kicked off proceedings with a look at how the majority of formal mental health care, in the last century, was provided in hospitals but this changed with the emergence of community Care. Dr Hannigan discussed how this came about and the people, policies and practices found within the system now.

Female menstruation remains a largely unspoken topic, simultaneously mundane and taboo. Dr Victoria Leonard, from the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University, explored how entrenched the silence is around monthly bleeding showing how it has been received and represented throughout history.

Dr Dan Read, from the Cardiff University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, highlighted how we have been aware of the existence of magnetic materials since the 4th century BC and asked what have they done for us? His talk illuminated the eventful and fascinating history of magnets.

Cardiff Business School’s Professor Peter Turnbull asked how safe is it to fly, given major cost cutting exercises, and looked at the growing concerns of European regulators that have yet to filter through to the travelling public.

The evening’s final speaker was Dr Emily Garside who explores how plays about AIDS often became first-line of response for activism, awareness raising and fundraising. She explored whether how we use theatre to talk about HIV/AIDS in the UK today.

Speaking about the event, moderator Dr Marco Hauptmeier from Cardiff Business School, said: “The Public Uni series continues to go from strength to strength, generating real buzz, enthusiasm and audience engagement.

“As researchers it is exciting to be able to breakdown your research for an audience, hear their response to it and consider their insights and perspectives. We look forward to continuing to develop the Public Uni series, providing an accessible platform for the diverse and important social, political and cultural research produced across Cardiff.”

The Public Uni series, organised by Dr Marco Hauptmeier from Cardiff Business School and Harriet Lloyd from the School of English, Communication & Philosophy, gives researchers the opportunity to present their ideas and findings to the public in short 10-minute segments. The informal setting and relaxed atmosphere helps to make the research more accessible to audiences outside of the academic arena. Each event highlights the breadth and depth of the exciting research undertaken at Cardiff University.

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