Pharmacy student Eva Martin tells us about her favourite places for walking, biking and hiking near Brighton.
One of my favourite things about living in Brighton is that we get to have it all – city, coast, and nature all in one place. Brighton is surrounded by beautiful places to go walking, biking and hiking, but I’ve selected my top two for this article so you can visit the same spots I love. Continue reading “My favourite nature spots in Brighton!”
About me
If you’ve found your way to this blog, I can only assume but also hope that you have somewhat of an interest in plants, even if that interest is but a seed for now. To you, I introduce myself as Charlotte Williams, a 2nd year student studying Ecology and Conservation with an unstoppable passion for plants.
Continue reading “Habitat Summer Placement”
Earth: Digging Deep in British Art 1781-2022 is a major exhibition spanning four centuries of artwork, at the Royal West of England Academy’s (RWA) newly refurbished galleries this summer. The final instalment of the RWA’s elements series, Earth tackles the most expansive and urgent of subject matters, bringing together important modern, historical and contemporary artworks. Continue reading “Earth: Digging Deep in British Art 1781 – 2022”
Dr Laura Evenstar specialises in geomorphology, sedimentology and superficial ore deposits from tectonically active arid regions around the world. Laura is the course leader for Geography BSc(Hons).
Within the first year we explore the large-scale interactions of the earth and climate and how it has changes from the formation of the planet, 4.6 billion years ago, up to the modern day. Towards the later part of the courses I teach my main passion, how landscapes form and change as they are sculpted by movement of ice, water and wind.
Within Dynamic Landscapes module my students learn about a range of different landscapes and how they form. At the end of the course they construct their own research project on the landscape element they are most excited by. The chance to choose their own area of interest’s beings out a passion in the students and led to some fascinating projects! In the past we have had students work on understanding desert dune migration in Afghanistan, slumping of landslides off the highest volcano in the Solar System (Olympus Mons), and even mapping out river systems in Martian Meteorite craters. The students love taking ownership of their projects!
Within the first year in the Earth and Ocean System option module we explain how the climate over the last 4.6 billion years has changed in response to development of different life forms. We read science articles on different theories for the origin of Life and debate their findings. And, to finish the course, we visit the Natural History museum where we utilise the fantastic displays to refresh everything we have learnt over the year. The students love the mixture of different learning styles to understand these fascinating topics!
I engage students into a variety of different research activities. For example, at undergraduate our students work together to analyse a series of rivers in the Atacama Desert. This cutting-edge research is being used, combined with my own, to model how the Andean Mountain chain has uplift over the last 10 million years.
Our undergraduate dissertation students have the opportunity to work on and create high profile research data which feeds directly into future published academic papers. For example, previous students have constructed detailed geomorphic maps of the Afar Region, Ethiopia, to unravel East African climate change while other students have mapped out landslides in the Atacama Desert to produce risk maps for the most vulnerable communities in southern Peru. There are also opportunities for students to do a summer internship on these topics funded by Santander!
You can find out more about Dr Evenstar’s research here.
We operate an open-door policy so that, at any time, a student can pop in for a chat about any personal or academic issues they are facing. As a personal tutor, for any of my students that feel they need some extra support, I provide a weekly to monthly catch up sessions, to discuss anything from time management to report writing!
I love watching how our student come out of their shell over the time they study with us. My favourite classes to teach are the final years sessions when the students are comfortable with you as a lecturer and happy to questions what you are teaching them or even mock your jokes!
Cuckmere Valley, it has such a beautiful geological history with amazing walks.
University of Brighton students are playing a key role in encouraging people from minority ethnic backgrounds to consider organ and blood donation.
The University of Brighton’s Donor Research Team has been awarded new funding as part of this year’s Community Investment Scheme led by NHS Blood and Transplant, which will receive £440,000 funding as part of the Government’s effort to tackle health inequalities in minority ethnic communities.
Continue reading “Funding boost for student-led drive on minority ethnic organ donation”Dr Paul Gilchrist teaches across our geography undergraduate courses.
Tell us about the subject area(s) you teach at undergraduate level?
I lead the research methodology aspect of the undergraduate curriculum, convening the second-year Research and Field Skills module which provides training on how to undertake research and design a dissertation project which students will complete in their final year. I am also module leader for Cities and Social Change, an optional first-year module which covers urban geography. I have developed a whole suite of day trips around Brighton and to coastal towns around Sussex to help students put their learning into context. My particular favourite is the trip we make in the spring to Bexhill-on-Sea where we look at the juxtaposition of Oriental and Modernist architecture and investigate its contribution to the town’s heritage tourism strategies. Continue reading “Dr Paul Gilchrist”
Eva who is studying Pharmacy MPharm (with integrated foundation year), tells us about her first year here.
A foundation year prepares you for degree study
If you’ve got your heart set on a subject but don’t think you’ll meet the entry requirements, look into doing a foundation year. It’s very different to sixth form, much more targeted towards the course you want to study, and they do say ‘university days are the best days of your life’, so why not add an extra year?