People taking part in water sampling training on the quay at Chichester Harbour

Research into marine littering from abandoned fibreglass boats

Steady progress is being made on a collaborative community project steered by the University of Brighton. The research – titled Protecting inland coastal waters through innovative citizen science: participatory action-research on end-of-life fibreglass boats – is evidencing end of life and abandoned boats in and around the Chichester Harbour environs.  Led by aquatic ecotoxicologist Dr Corina Ciocan and community water resources practitioner Dr Mary Gearey the aim of the research is to document marine littering from fibreglass boats in poor repair.

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Close up of young people in white lab coats using a pipette and test tube

A taste of student life at our Applied Science and Engineering residential summer school

Our on campus residential summer school is open for applications from year 12 students who are thinking about applying to science and engineering courses at university. Apply now.

The summer is school is a real opportunity to try out what it’s like to study at university, learn and use the facilities on our Moulsecoomb campus and stay on site in student halls.

During the day participants take part in a programme of science and engineering taster lectures and practical sessions run by academics and student ambassadors which could include sessions such as blood typing or a session on fungi in the labs. There are also sessions about applying to university, a student life Q&A, a session from the library team and a talk from Brighton Students Union.

In the evenings there are social activities which could be a trip to the beach, a BBQ or bowling before heading back to the halls of residence. Participants share a student flat in our Moulsecoomb halls, with their own bedroom in a flat with 6-8 students and shared living room/kitchen.

In the evenings there are social activities which could be a trip to the beach, a BBQ or bowling before heading back to the halls of residence. Summer school participants share a student flat in our halls, with their own bedroom in a flat with 6-8 students and shared living room/kitchen.

By the end of the week everyone will have tried out lots different science and engineering sessions, made new friends and have a much idea of what it’s like to move to university!

Applications are open until 31 May. We would love to see you there!

City Nature Challenge 2023 advert

City Nature Challenge 2023

Attention all budding naturalists! Get involved with the City Nature Challenge, an international campaign to discover and record as much wildlife as possible over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. Just download and use the iNaturalist app.

What is the City Nature Challenge?

The City Nature Challenge is an exciting global citizen science event to discover and record as much wildlife as possible, using the free iNaturalist app, whilst helping people connect with the nature on their doorstep. Locally, City Nature Challenge is organised by University of Brighton, University of Sussex, The Living Coast and the South Downs National Park. The UK event is co-ordinated by The Natural History Consortium, and the global event is co-ordinated by the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles and California Academy of Sciences.

This year, the Brighton & Eastern Downs region will be taking part in the global City Nature Challenge alongside over 450 city regions worldwide, including 22 across the UK.

Anyone can take part between 28 April and 1 May – young and old, experienced naturalists and curious beginners.

Where and how to get involved

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Title Belong at Brighton with images of students on campus in the background

Get ready for uni – live event 28 April

Our 2023 online get ready events will help you prepare for university and to meet other students that’ll also be joining this year.

Join us for our get ready for your course event to hear about how you can prepare for your subject, and ask any questions, to get your studies off to the best start. For students studying: biological sciences, biomedical science, geography and environment, or pharmacy.

Friday 28 April 2023 at 2-3pm

Click here for details on how to join the session

In this live one-hour MS Teams session one of our senior lecturers will start by delivering a presentation, followed by time for you to answer any questions you might have. The session will highlight what you can expect from studying here, how we will support you to build your skills, what kinds of learning you can expect to benefit from, what a typical week looks like, and how we will support you.

Find out more about all of our upcoming events here

Student ambassador and attendees in white coats using lab equipment

Saturday science club gets up close to nature

Students from years 8, 9 and 10 at local schools took part in our Saturday Science clubs, giving a taster of what it’s like to study science-based subjects at university.

The club ran over four Saturdays, with experiments, talks, hands-on practical work in the lab and the opportunity to chat to our students and staff. The theme, Enchanted Earth – a study of nature up close, introduced the students to subjects including biological sciences, biomedical science, ecology and conservation, geography and environment.

Our ambassadors play an important role in the club, supporting lecturers and making sure the students have fun learning and discover more about what it’s like to be a science student.

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bournemouth pier

Our first science conference experience

We attended  the UK Young Coastal Scientists and Engineers Conference, our first-ever conference, and it was a great yet somewhat scary experience!

After our abstract applications were accepted in February, we started the daunting task of preparing our posters, learning the best way to display the data, and making summaries with enough information but without being overwhelming. This was a learning curve, but the outcome of our posters was great, and we were all very proud of what we produced.

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Brighton’s LGBTQ Spaces – Then, Now, Next: Walking tour with Dr Nicholas McGlynn and Dr Rebecca Searle

23 Feb 14.00 – 15.30 

Nicholas McglynnRebecca SearleStart location: Old Steine Gardens fountain.

Click here to register.

This 90-minute guided walk around central Brighton will introduce you to the oldest and the newest LGBTQ spaces in the city. Continue reading “Brighton’s LGBTQ Spaces – Then, Now, Next: Walking tour with Dr Nicholas McGlynn and Dr Rebecca Searle”