Southampton alumni and supporters recognised in the New Year’s Honours
Several talented and passionate alumni and supporters of the University were recognised in the 2024 King’s New Year’s Honours list for work across a huge range of sectors.
Major healthcare initiative to target Southampton’s most deprived areas
Southampton residents will benefit from a £5 million scheme, tackling health inequalities. This investment will bring under-served groups and areas to the forefront, tackling the root causes of poor health and wellbeing. As well as easing the burden on the local NHS, the project plans on regenerating deprived areas of the city.
Using UV light in the fight against disease
Researchers from the University of Southampton have discovered how UV light can kill viruses, such as COVID-19. The ultraviolet light degrades the genetic code of the virus, as well as its protein coat, effectively ‘killing’ the viruses. This research allows for more versatile disinfection of public spaces, offering more applications than conventional liquid-based sanitation.
Archaeologists discover long lost monastery
A team of archaeologists, led by a researcher at the University of Southampton, believe they have located the lost Monastery of Deer in Scotland. Some of the earliest written Scottish Gaelic can be traced back to this monastery, dating as far back as the late 11th century. These early texts were placed around the margins of the Book of Deer, a small gospel. These investigations help inform the overall academic understanding, as material records of monasteries from this time period are so poor.
The exhibition, titled “The Duke presents his compliments”, will be located in the Special Collections Gallery, Level 4, of the Hartley Library. It will run from the 16 October through 15 December, then for a second spell from the 8 January to 16 February.
In 1983 the government allocated the papers of Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington, to the University of Southampton under national heritage legislation. This brought the first major manuscript collection to the University, leading to the creation of the Archives Department and the development of a major strand of activity within the University Library.
This exhibition is a celebration of forty years of collecting at Southampton, illustrating the variety and range of material now held in the Special Collections.
The Wellington Lecture will take place on the 17 October.
The University of Southampton would like to invite you, as an alumnus, to take part in a short online survey about university reputation. This is a project managed by The World 100 Reputation Network, a group of leading global universities, to which we belong.
The survey will take around five minutes to complete. All those completing the survey will be eligible to enter a prize draw to win one of two £100 Amazon gift cards or 16 £50 Amazon gift cards. The feedback you provide will be extremely valuable to us, so we would be very grateful if you could take the time to complete this survey.
Researchers at the University of Southampton have secured funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to embark on two major areas of research which harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the health of patients.
The AGENDA (AI methods applied to GENomic Data) project has been awarded a £744k government grant to analyse the vast amounts of genome data available. The hope is that this data can be turned into real-life applications helping patients.
At the same time, RELOAD (REspiratory disease progression through LOngitudinal Audio Data machine learning) will use AI to identify patients at risk of developing severe respiratory tract infections. The project has received funding of £590k.
Earlier this year the University published the summer issue of its research and enterprise magazine, Re:action, focusing on all things AI. Explore the latest edition for a deep dive into the nature of AI and interviews with the University’s AI experts. Read on if you want to know more about the way AI will impact on our lives, particularly in the fields of criminal justice, cybersecurity, the arts, and the ways AI is impacting our aims for a fairer, more representative society.
October is Black History Month, and there are many opportunities to learn more and get involved at the University.
The 360 Degrees podcast has released a special episode with alumna Marcia Ore, discussing her experiences as a black woman in the police force. Listen to the episode here.
You can also join us online on Monday 30 October at 18:00 to hear from our 2023 Rising Star award winner, Tolúlọpẹ́ Ògúnrẹ̀mí, in conversation with Associate Vice-President EDI and Social Justice, Pascal Matthias.
With a first in Mathematics and Computer Science from Southampton, Tolúlọpẹ́ Ògúnrẹ̀mí is the founder of Coders with Colour – an organisation aimed at empowering and enabling young underrepresented people of colour to pursue a career in tech. Pascal will speak to Tolúlọpẹ́ about her motivations, successes and ambitions with Coders with Colour, and you will also have the opportunity to ask both Tolúlọpẹ́ and Pascal questions direct. Register now.
Join us for this year’s hybrid WADE lecture, In Conversation with Sir Peng Tee Khaw and his talk: The Eyes are windows to our future: Research shaping the future of health
Sir Khaw, alumnus of University of Southampton, is the Director of the National Institute of Health’s Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields, and University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology.
Vision is our most precious sense. However our visual system is complex and consumes huge amounts of energy (2% body weight up to 10+% of blood glucose.) The structure and metabolic demands give rise to increasingly common age related diseases such as macular degeneration or glaucoma. Research advances in cellular and molecular biology together with our ability to image the eye at cellular resolution is providing huge insights into both eye and systemic disorders such as diabetes and neurodegeneration. Coupled with advances in technologies from artificial intelligence to micro-surgical technique to cell and gene therapy, the tantalising prospect of regenerative therapies to prevent and even reverse sight loss is here.
Having recently faced the heart-breaking loss of his sister to cancer, alumnus Keith Walker wanted to channel his grief into something remarkable. Keith had read about the incredible work taking place at the Centre for Cancer Immunology (CCI) in a recent edition of Hartley News; he was excited to hear about the development of personalized cancer vaccines and their potential to spare patients from the harsh side effects of traditional treatments such as chemotherapy.
Keith said: “It was as if the stars aligned. I was angry about my sister passing, and I thought if I’m angry I might as well do something about it.”
Keith embarked on an ‘jailbreak’ bike ride using a £10 bike, which he had found on Facebook Marketplace. Starting in Norwich, Keith’s 2-week journey led him to Harwich, where he caught a ferry to Holland. From there, he then travelled across Germany, finishing in the Czech Republic, and flying back to the UK.
Keith cycled over 830 miles and raised over £1,200 for the CCI.
Keith hopes that his fundraising story will inspire others to plan their own adventures and raise money for the Centre. If you would like to do your own fundraising challenge, please contact commfr@soton.ac.uk or fill out our fundraising form.