The Headlines - Friday 23 October 2015

Every week our staff, students and alumni reach millions of TV watchers, radio listeners, and newspaper readers around the world with their research, activities and expert comment.

From Daily Mail and New Scientist reports on how babies sense touch, to our Head of Fine Art's top tips for students in the Guardian, here's a round-up of the latest headlines.

Psychology

Dr Andy Bremner and former PhD student Dr Jannath Begum Ali’s research into the way babies experience touch on their bodies was published in Current Biology and then made local, national and international headlines.

It appeared in the Daily Mail and Mail Online, IFL Science!, New Scientist, New York Times, Yahoo News, Jersey Evening Post, Irish Independent, Belfast Telegraph, Boots Web MD and more. Andy also wrote an article on his research for The Conversation. Read more on our news pages.

Dr Alice Jones Bartoli’s research on new approaches to discipline in schools appeared in The Telegraph. A growing body of evidence shows punishment is ineffective for students with behavioural problems in particular, she explained.

Alice is also co-author of a pilot study published last week with Professor Pam Heaton and PhD candidate Dawn Rose on the association between music lessons and improved motor and reasoning skills. Read more about it on our news pages.

Professor Chris French spoke to the Daily Mail for a feature on sleep paralysis. He explains that the terrifying condition is not down to evil spirits, and that you should avoid alcohol, coffee, sleeping on your back, and eating late at night. Chris also published an article on The Conversation this week explaining what false memories are.

History

The local news and events blogs Lewisham Card and Ian Visits listed the Goldsmiths History Showoff (Amersham Arms, Thursday 29 October) with Lewisham Card describing it as a “rampant intellectual circus”. Profits from the ‘geek cabaret’ night featuring Dr Ariel Hessayon, Dr Sarah Lambert, Dr John Price and colleagues from Sociology and Psychology will be donated to Refugee Action. Tickets are on sale here.

Art

Speaking to the Guardian, Director of BA Fine Art Professor Michael Archer provided top tips for prospective art students on creating the perfect portfolio. “Satisfying a brief means you’re competent, but it doesn’t show that you’re excited about anything. We want to see that you were so absorbed that you went off on a tangent – that you have your own imagination and drive,” he explained, among other suggestions.

Computing

Hadeel Ayoub, who’s just finished her MA Computational Arts and will soon start her PhD with us, was interviewed by the Guardian for a feature on “creative students blazing their own path to success”. Read more about her MA project on our news site.

STaCS

Professor Adam Dinham appeared on BBC Radio 4 in a programme on growing up in multi-faith Britain, part of the station’s Faith in the World Week.

 

Media and Communications

Professor Tim Crook wrote for The Conversation, asking, as Leveson reforms become law, “has press regulation made victims of us all?”.

East London Lines reported on the Media Democracy Festival which took place at Goldsmiths last weekend. Professor Natalie Fenton told the website that she believes “at a meta level, we need more regulation around concentration of media ownership by putting threshold and limits on how much ownership only one corporation can have.”

East London Lines also celebrated Goldsmiths MA students winning the BBC’s Best Student Magazine award for Scene, an independent cinema publication. Shaken, edited by Jazmin Kopotsha, was a runner-up. Read more on our news pages.

Educational Studies

Professor Michael Rosen chose some of his recent “cultural highlights” for a Guardian On My Radar feature. They include the films Everest and Wolf of Wall Street, the Leopold Museum in Vienna, and Latitude Festival.

Alumni News

Fashion designer, alumna and Honorary Fellow Margaret Howell was the latest Goldsmiths alumni to be interviewed by the Guardian while the survey Panic! – a social mobility and the arts survey – is open. Read more about Panic!, led by ICCE’s Dr Dave O’Brien, on our news pages.