Congratulations to Chris Booth, Programme Leader for BA/BSc Digital Media Design & BA/BSc Internet Design, for winning the University wide Programme Leader of the Year!

https://www.upsu.com/news/article/upsu/UPSU-SSTAR-Awards-2021/

This year’s Staff SSTAR Award Winners…

The SSTAR Awards stands for Student Staff Teaching and Representation Awards. They are the chance for students and staff to show their appreciation for someone who has made a difference to their University experience this year. This could be a caring personal tutor, an engaged course rep, an inspiring lecturer or an individual who champions equality and diversity.

Why is it important?

This year more than ever it’s important for us to recognise those individuals who went above and beyond in their role to support students. We know that the year has not been easy for anyone, but we want to highlight the people who went out of their way to make it better for others.

These awards are incredibly powerful, whether your nominee wins or not, your words can mean so much to that person. Because knowing you have made a difference for at least one person can really mean the world.

– Emi Dowse – VP Education 2020/21

 

 

Here is what the nominators said:

[testimonial name=”Anon…”]“Chris is the sort of Programme Leader that makes teaching look easy. While it has been no easy year at all, the organisation and communication that Chris has given to the student body and course has been so clear and well structured that you’d almost forget we’re in a pandemic.”[/testimonial] [testimonial name=”Anon…”]”From the get-go, Chris makes it seem like all his attention is solely on our course and year, but having had him over several years, I know he exhibits the same individualism and attention to all years. This makes a huge impact on the student body, his enthusiasm and dedication to the subject and teaching means we (the students) also want to engage and do the best we can within modules our modules and in university life too.”[/testimonial] [testimonial name=”Anon…”]”We have some exceptional lectures on our programme that go out of their way to make sure we are well informed and supported but Chris has used his experience of being an alumni student on our course to tailor teaching to the level and style that he knows excites us and encourages us to do our best.”[/testimonial] [testimonial name=”Anon…”]”This year I became a course rep to be a part of the student feedback process. Chris involves us (the course reps) at every opportunity to help guide the programme and to ensure there is support available for all students in the best way possible. As such, he has leaned on us to gather the student opinion and see where he can help out. Just some results of this that Chris has proactively setup are weekly social sessions and breakfast clubs. Due to the nature of our courses and our personalities, it can be all to easy for us to become our own form of socially isolated and so, offering a platform for simple social interactions makes a huge impact to those of us who need it.”[/testimonial] [testimonial name=”Anon…”]”There is no doubt from the student body that Chris is a great lecturer, but on a personal note, with the enthusiasm and understanding in his teaching style and support, I have personally become a lot more confident and proud in the work I submit. As a result, I am have been successful in landing a role that is a door opener to my dream job. It’s for this reason I am nominating Chris for Programme Leader of the Year. With his enthusiastic, resilient and determined approach, he has made our years of uni, the most valuable they could be, both in terms of educational quality and in personal development.”[/testimonial] [testimonial name=”Anon…”]“Chris has been one of the best lectures I have ever come across in my 4 years at Plymouth, he is patient, kind, always willing to help you and support you. He’s constantly going out of his way for others and everyone that comes across Chris always leaves with a smile on their face. He is the best thing to happen to digital media design and deserves this award.”[/testimonial] [testimonial name=”Anon…”]“Chris has been a brilliant programme leader. He has had to step up to this role and he has really grabbed the bull by the horns. He always has time for students and is always very supportive. I have had some home issues this year and Chris has been so understanding and kind it has been really helpful. I am very grateful for the way Chris has managed the course this year and really feel he deserves this award especially considering the current situation of the World!”[/testimonial]

 

Dr. Helen Pritchard has been awarded a grant of £500,000 together with her collaborator Eric Snodgrass (Linkoping University) by the Swedish Energy Agency as Co-PI for  “Regenerative Energy Communities” a 3 year project employing creative design methods in order to explore novel possibilities of energy provision.

Consisting of a team of researchers, artists and designers working with sustainable technology alternatives, the project will experiment with small-scale, diversified forms of microgeneration prototypes.

https://www.fulldome.org.uk/

TICKETS: https://realideas.org/event/fulldome-uk-at-the-market-hall-conference/

This year we are returning to our roots in Plymouth to bring you the latest edition of our festival – a celebration of fulldome creativity in all its forms.

Over the course of three days and nights, we will present the best works from around the world, featuring short films, feature films, interactive artworks, live performances and more.

The festival takes place at the Devonport Market Hall in Plymouth, a brand-new venue featuring the UK’s first permanent immersive arts dome at its heart.

For 2021, Fulldome UK will take the form of a hybrid festival, extending beyond the physical events taking place in Plymouth into a global event.

We are delighted to announce that FDUK is teaming up with partner fulldome festivals across three continents that will all take place over the same weekend. Uniting these festivals will be a special screening and awards programme entitled #BestOfEarth.

Read on for more details, and we very much look forward to welcoming you to FDUK 2021 in October!

 

Information for Students:

Are you considering applying for a Masters with the University of Plymouth Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business in 2021?

Do you have an interest in exploring how digital fabrication and immersive media technologies could help businesses to innovate, grow or increase productivity?

Are you keen to work collaboratively with a local business to apply your knowledge in a work context, through a research project that contributes to the development of a new product, service or experiential offering?

Overview

As part of the University of Plymouth’s commitment supporting businesses through the economic recovery period and our ongoing drive to connect our students with industry, we are piloting a new initiative to pair highly skilled Masters level students from across our Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business with local businesses in order to undertake a defined R&D challenge.

The scheme is designed to deliver mutual benefits – helping to increase the innovation capacity of the business and deliver an unprecedented learning experience for our students.

Each project will typically last for 9 months, starting in October 2021, and will be a collaboration between a business, a student and the University.

The successful student will receive a scholarship of £3000 towards their course fees. The business (Sponsor) will also receive a stipend of up to £2000 towards agreed costs for materials, travel and accommodation directly associated with the project.

Students will receive joint supervision from the business and University staff, and will be encouraged to spend a minimum of 1 month (over the lifetime of the project) within the business, addressing the challenge as part of their Masters studies.

Roles and Responsibilities

All projects delivered through this scheme are governed by a formal Studentship Agreement which must be signed by all parties prior to commencement. The following sub-sections briefly summarise the main responsibilities of each party:

Student

• Agrees to undertake a Masters R&D Scholarship, leading the project to address the R&D Challenge identified by the Sponsor and working proactively throughout the course of the project to achieve objectives
• Works on the project in the course of completing their Masters
• Endeavours to spend sufficient time within the business to receive professional mentoring from the workplace supervisor and progress the project
• Participates in quarterly local management meetings to monitor and review progress, and address any issues (in collaboration with the University and Sponsor)
• Notifies the University immediately of any significant issues and risks that put the project, or their participation in the project, at risk
• Maintains professional confidentiality, taking into account commercial sensitivities
• Financial commitment: course fees remaining after the £3000 scholarship provided by the University

Business (the Sponsor)

• Identifies and defines a suitable R&D Challenge, including an accurate description of the project being offered, the duties and activities involved, and the skills required
• Participates in the recruitment process to appoint a suitable student (in collaboration with the University)
• Provides the commercial environment for the student and hosts them virtually and in the workplace
• Appoints a workplace supervisor to oversee workplace induction, day-to-day project supervision and to be available for student enquiries
• Ensures the student participates in the project as agreed (in collaboration with the University)
• Ensures that the activities undertaken by the student are sufficient to contribute to the student’s Masters programme (in collaboration with the University Academic Supervisor)
• Participates in quarterly local management meetings to monitor and review progress, and address any issues (in collaboration with the University and student)
• Notifies the University immediately of any significant issues and risks that put the project, or the student’s participation in the project, at risk
• Allows the project to be disseminated (taking into account any commercial sensitivities)
• Undertakes detailed evaluation of the project, giving consideration to human resource required for next stage of development
• Considers delivering guest lectures at the University wherever appropriate
• Financial commitment: agreed costs for any materials, travel and accommodation directly associated with the project, above and beyond the stipend of up to £2000

University

• Provides support to the Sponsor to identify a suitable R&D Challenge and plan the project
• Advertises the R&D Challenge and coordinates the recruitment process to appoint a suitable student (in collaboration with the Sponsor)
• Appoints an Academic Supervisor to provide day-to-day guidance and support to the student and Sponsor
• Ensures that the activities undertaken by the student are sufficient to contribute to the student’s Masters programme (in collaboration with the Sponsor)
• Ensures that the student participates in the project as agreed (in collaboration with the Sponsor)
• Supervises and provides pastoral care to the student
• Provides access, where possible, to university R&D facilities
• Participates in quarterly local management meetings to monitor and review progress, and address any issues (in collaboration with the Sponsor and student)
• Financial commitment: scholarship of £3000 towards the student’s course fees, stipend of up to £2000 towards materials, travel and accommodation directly associated with the project, plus travel and subsistence for University staff

Application Process

Scholarships will be awarded through a staged application process with projects commencing in October 2021.

The application process is detailed below:

International Students:

If you hold a Tier 4 visa, or will need a Tier 4 visa (now Student Route visa) to study at the University of Plymouth, please note that the details of this Studentship scheme have been discussed with our UKVI Compliance and International Student Advice teams.  This Studentship opportunity involves project work delivered as part of the student’s studies, and collaboration with employers to deliver the project, but not employment or any work placement with employers.  Therefore, we are satisfied that this will not be classified as “work” in any capacity by UKVI.

Students and potential students can get involved with the Masters R&D Studentship in the following two ways:

1. To ensure you are kept informed of new studentship opportunities as they go live, please complete the Expression of Interest form at the end of this document and return it, along with your current CV and portfolio, to plymcreative@plymouth.ac.uk copying in holcombe@plymouth.ac.uk. This will ensure you are informed of all new opportunities which go live under the scheme but will not be considered as an application for a specific studentship opportunity.

AND

2. If applying for a specific studentship opportunity, follow the specific application guidance within the opportunity you are applying for.

This form for expressions of interest:

STUDENT EXPRESSION OF INTEREST:

Grant Title	iMayflower Masters R&D Studentship
Applicant name
Contact email address
Contact telephone number
Programme of study (If a current student, please start CURRENT and confirm which Masters you are studying and when you are due to complete your studies.   If you are considering joining a Masters in 2021, please state NEW and confirm which programme you are applying for)
Please detail what area of research you are interested in pursuing and provide outline information about your skill set (Up to 500 words)
Tell us how you will benefit from the proposed studentship (Up to 300 words)

 

* Please note places will be extremely limited

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact:

Sarah Holcombe, iMayflower Knowledge Exchange Specialist

E: sarah.holcombe@plymouth.ac.uk T: 07458 127919

About iMayflower

iMayflower is designed to build Plymouth’s Creative Industries and nurture creative people power across the city.  Delivered by a consortium comprising the University of Plymouth, Plymouth City Council, Destination Plymouth, Mayflower 400, Plymouth College of Art and the Real Ideas Organisation (RIO), the project includes a £3.5million grant from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Cultural Development Fund, which invests in creative, cultural and heritage initiatives that lead economic growth and productivity. 

This activity is part of the iMayflower project and has been supported by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport who fund the Cultural Development Fund which is administered by Arts Council England.