Ann Gallagher comments: "This is not nursing's finest hour. The profession has been subjected to an onslaught with criticism coming from all quarters and recommendations for improvement coming from those outside the profession. One newspaper ran a five-day feature on the "crisis in nursing", culminating in a 10-point manifesto for change. The health service ombudsman for England recently said that the NHS should "act more like John Lewis and Marks & Spencer" and learn from complaints."

Dr Margaret Rayman, Professor of Nutritional Medicine, discusses the use of seaweed in diets and the issue of iodine in the food.

Leeland Crane, an undergraduate student at the University of Surrey, offers his opinions on whether mature students like himself would stay in halls or prefer to find private accommodation elsewhere

The University of Surrey has rocketed up the latest survey of best student experience, according to the latest Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey.

The University leapt from 43 among UK universities to 15.

Alexandra Hemingway, professional development & employability tutor at the University of Surrey, comments: "The right time to start applying varies hugely from one job to the next: Any final year student who's trying to break into a graduate scheme really is well advised to apply early (like last October, in some cases). However, in sectors like publishing as well as many others, you're much more likely to be applying for individual, specific job opportunities rather than the large-scale programmes offered by most of the big multinationals."

Men who flirt with female colleagues do so because they are bored of their job and lacking in sensitivity, University of Surrey psychologists claim.  A survey of 200 people found that flirty men had lower levels of job satisfaction, suggesting that rather than being a sign of passion their amorous behaviour could be down to ennui.

Teenagers at a local school have studying their sleep patterns with the help of researchers at the Sleep Research Centre. Their project was reported on BBC News. See link. BBC website video

Richard Hanna has surveyed more than 500 microgeneration installers as part of his doctorate at the Centre for Environmental Strategy at the University of Surrey.  By far the most popular product line was solar photovoltaics. The majority of installers were small and relatively new business

A recent threat, purportedly from the hacker group Anonymous, stated boldly that its members would stop the internet on 31 March. Computing expert Professor Alan Woodward tells the BBC his reaction.

Documentary revealing the vital role that satellites play in the daily life of the modern world and exploring the huge advances they have made possible.

Most research in academia is critical of the league tables that rank investment banks by the value of deals on which they advise.

Physicist Paddy Regan, of the University of Surrey, discusses whether scientists spend too much time looking at issues that will grab the media's attention.

Dr Karen Swales from the University of Surrey has discovered a naturally-occurring protein in the blood which could be harnessed to help protect against heart disease.

Earth braced itself for the worst this evening as the largest solar flare in five years sent charged particles speeding towards us at 600 miles per second.

Students from the University's School of Politics took part in a lively debate about current affairs on Question Time. 

Katy Evans asked the opening question on Afghanistan and Chloe Mead closed the programme with an apt question on gender equality.

Dr Ben Taylor from the University's Surrey Space Centre explains what a solar flare is and what effects it might have on the UK.

Professor Alan Woodward, of the computing department, gives expert commentary on the news that the FBI have arrested members of an international computer hacking group called Lulzsec. The interview is at 40:00 on the timeline in the link.

Selenium supplements may be harmful to people who already have enough of the mineral in their diet, a study has found.
Possible effects of having too much selenium include an increased risk of type-2 diabetes. Surrey's Professor Margaret Rayman describes her findings.

By telling the story of Alf Adams – and his discovery of lasers – Stephen Sweeney shows how groundbreaking technology from universities is being taken for granted. Professor Sweeney, of the Physics department, hails the achievements of Surrey's Professor Alf Adams.

Physics Professor Jim Al-Khalili was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Six O'Clock News about the experiments in Switzerland that last year seemed to point to small subatomic particles called neutrinos travelling faster than the speed of light. Interview is at 28:00 on the time line.

Professor Alan Woodward, of the Department of Computing, discusses why some are thinking the only way to deal with crime on the Internet is to start again with another system. Interview starts at 2:40:00 on the link.

Niall Bailey, Head of Repertoire at the GSA, gives his views on Jesus Christ Superstar's 40th anniversary and the TV show due on the search for the role of Jesus. Interview is at 2:32:51 on the timeline in the link.

There are concerns that new European rules allowing pilots to work longer hours will increase the risk of them falling asleep in the cockpit, if the rules are introduced in the UK.

Professor Alan Woodward, of the Department of Computing, puts forward the case for dismantling the Internet which is riven with crime and fraud so we can all start again.

Dr Malcolm Parry, Director of Surrey Research Park, discusses the advantages of business development at the university and its support for private enterprise. The interview is at 2:14 on the i-Player timeline in the link.

Professor Derk-Jan Dijk, Director of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre, explains aspects of sleep and how important it is for our well-being in the New Scientist.

Surrey has spawned the highest number of successful “recession-era” start-ups according to new figures from Barclays. 

The county benefits from its proximity to London, good infrastructure and access to business support systems. Its success is also attributed to the University of Surrey, which runs the Surrey Research Park.

A leading anti-virus software firm says a flaw in one of its programs has exposed its customers' computers to the risk of being hijacked by spammers. Professor Alan Woodward, of the Computing Department explains.

Professor Steve Schneider, of the Computing Department, contributes to an article about an electronic voting system that is being used on an online currency site called 'Bitcoin'.

The idea of atoms as the ultimate, indivisible particles of matter dates back to the pre-Socratic philosophers of Ancient Greece. It worked amazingly well for many hundreds of years, and was the bedrock on which our burgeoning understanding of the elements - the new science of chemistry - was built from the 18th century onwards, explains Professor Phil Walker.

Lewis Elton's art collection, now donated to the University of Surrey, will go on public display for the first time.  The collection goes on display for the first time at the Lightbox in Woking this week, and has a poignant history. Most of the pictures were bought by his parents using reparation paid to Jews by Germany. Elton continued both the collecting and the family academic tradition, becoming professor of physics and then of higher education at Surrey, while his brother Geoffrey became regius professor of history at Cambridge.

What do men’s magazines and convicted rapists have in common? How they describe women, a British study has found.

Computer hackers plan to take the internet beyond the reach of censors by putting their own communication satellites into orbit.

A study of why the sound of birds singing makes us happy is to be carried out over three years.

Professor Alan Woodward comments on the news that a US patent has been awarded to Google for self-driving cars.

Is it wise to try and reach a deal at big conferences when leaders have had so little sleep? Derk-Jan Dijk is a professor of sleep and physiology at the University of Surrey and explains how the brain works with little rest.

Professor Paddy Regan discusses the latest developments at the CERN experimental centre near Geneva which are getting closer to discovering the missing particle that explain the physics of the cosmos. Interview on link and starts at 2:17 on the timeline.

After the Prime Minister decided to use the veto to stop a new European agreement on the way forward for the EU in a time of crisis for the Euro, Prof Alex Warleigh-Lack gives his own verdict of the controversial decision - defending British interests or a step into the wilderness? Interview starts at 12:15 on the timeline on the link.

Descriptions of women used in men's magazines are indistinguishable from views expressed by convicted rapists, researchers found in a new study.

Professor Alex Warleigh-Lack, Director of CRONEM in the School of Politics, discusses the ramifications of the Prime Minster's European veto this weekend on the BBC Surrey Breakfast show. Starts at 12m15s.

With funding from EADS-Astrium, Stephen Sweeney and his team from the University of Surrey has been studying the best way to beam power from a solar-collecting satellite to the ground. So far, the group favours a narrowly focused laser in infrared wavelengths.

Legal education increasingly takes in other disciplines.  Prof David Allen, dean of the faculty of business, economics and law, comments: "There is a clear interdependency, particularly in areas such as sustainability, regulation, governance, corporate social responsibility and ethics".

N.B.  The online article is behind a firewall but can be found on p2 of the newspaper (28/11/11)

A group of hackers has posted more than 100 email addresses and login details which it claimed to have extracted from the United Nations. Professor Alan Woodward of the Computing Department comments for the BBC.

Dr Roberta Guerrina, of the Politics Department, discuss life for women in Italy after the resignation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Materials expert Professor John Watts discusses the importance of McLaren's investment in engineering and the ties the firm has with the University of Surrey.

The hospitality sector is booming, so there are plenty of jobs for graduates with the right people skills and plenty of drive.  Dr Graham Miller comments: "An education in hospitality allows students to develop a career in hotel management, but also asset management, property development, consultancy, events or, more broadly, tourism."

Tim Jackson writes: "Society is faced with a profound dilemma – one that is sharpened considerably by the twin threats of financial crisis and climate change. The dilemma is this: to resist economic growth is to risk economic and social collapse, but to pursue it is to endanger the ecosystems on which we depend for long-term survival".

The gap between the salaries of workers with postgraduate degrees and those holding only undergraduate degrees has grown significantly, a study has shown.

Could Scandinavian-style “light cafés” help combat the winter blues? With clocks going back (at least for now) and nights drawing in, some specialists are arguing that coffee bars, which provide high-strength lighting along with their lattes, might help the one in five people who suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression triggered by lack of light in winter.

Growing numbers of university students are staying on after their bachelors’ degrees to complete postgraduate masters and doctorate courses. 

Media Law specialist Dr Ursula Smart, of the Law Dept, on changes to the rights of prisoners.

Dr Theofanis Exadaktylos wrote an op-ed piece in the largest Sunday newspaper in Greece regarding the current financial turmoil and the possible solutions to the economic crisis.

Professor Ravi Silva believes we're about to experience a new industrial revolution, driven by nanotechnology and carbon.

The Department of Health said most adults in the UK are eating about 10 percent more calories than necessary. To stop the bulging waistlines, officials said the country needs to collectively trim 5 billion calories from its daily diet.  Professor Jane Ogden, an obesity expert at the University of Surrey, was doubtful whether the government's new strategy would succeed and called for more proactive measures to limit bad food options. "It doesn't work to tell people to eat less," she said. "At the end of the day, people don't make good choices."

The double-whammy of scientific milestones in Surrey this week, those of the University of Surrey’s new medical institute and a satellite company’s latest technological foray, are further evidence of our county’s glowing innovation credentials.  The university’s new Institute of Biosciences and Medicine, which will lead research into new treatments for cancer and serious illnesses, can only help in pushing it further up the higher education league tables.  Checking in at 21st place in the latest Sunday Times’ UK university league table, and now with a new research centre to be established next year, it is heartening to see the institution growing from strength to strength, providing a hub of research that will produce the next generation of innovators.  Likewise, SSTL, one of the county’s leading lights thanks to its pioneering endeavour of making space more affordable, announced its plans to start building radar satellites.  It illustrates why Surrey is one of the best places in the country to be an innovator.  This week, George Osborne announced that the government will invest £195 million in cutting-edge science projects with the intention of using hi-tech discoveries to boost economic growth. Science as a way of stimulating the economy is key, and Surrey is a major player in this arena. The county’s role as a centre of innovation is set to become even more important than it already is.

Professors Jim Al-Khalili and Paddy Regan from the Physics Department have been interviewed about the controversial experiments at CERN that may have discovered sub-particles travelling faster than the speed of light. The story and Jim's threat to "eat his shorts" if the results were true made the Daily Mail., The Times and the Daily Telegraph and went viral worldwide.

Institutions' locale and curricula can help graduates outearn Russell Group peers. Some new universities are better than a number of research-intensive institutions at "adding value" for students by consistently helping them to get well-paid jobs, an analysis has found.

Professor Stephen Goss joins French pianist Emmanuel Despax for Sean Rafferty's BBC Radio 3 show "In Tune", with a live performance from Emmanuel of Stephen's "Portraits and Landscapes" piece ahead of it's world premiere at Wigmore Hall.

Professor Nigel Seaton, senior deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Surrey and a chartered chemical engineer, responds to a report suggesting that nearly a quarter of UK engineering graduates are working in non-graduate or unskilled jobs, suggesting that engineering degrees "equip students for a wide range of jobs".

Alexandra Hemingway, Careers Adviser at the University, comments: "If you don't ask, you don't get....so don't be afraid of speculative letters: Everybody hates cold calls and junk mail.  Knowing how they make us feel probably explains why writing speculative job seeking letters can feel intimidating.  But direct marketing is obviously worthwhile, or else companies wouldn't invest the time and money.  Similarly, contacting employers gives you a good chance to get noticed, so you just have to grin and bear the potential embarrassment of putting yourself forward uninvited.  Planning carefully will make your application more welcome."

Scientists planning to put a smartphone in space in a research project at the University of Surrey have been shortlisted for a national award.

Professor Stephen Sweeney explains the obstacles in the way of sending pioneering solar power stations in space.

The Daily Mail says: "Their richly coloured yolks certainly make them more appealing to the eye and have led some to believe they are more nutritious.

But free-range eggs are no better for us than the battery farmed alternative, scientists have found."

Researchers trying to find a dietary solution to health problems caused by shift work and jet lag are looking for men to take part in their study.  Experts at the University of Surrey are investigating whether eating a main meal at different times of day can alter people's body clocks.  They said their results may prove that dietary interventions could minimise problems with shift work and jet lag.   

Professor Nigel Seaton considers how students' A-Levels qualifications will increasingly impact the size of a university's student body as well as the institution's income.

Applications for physics courses are up by more than 17% since last year, while astronomy is up by a massive 40%. Surrey's Professor Jim Al-Khalili says it is no longer embarrassing to be a particle physicist thanks to "Geek Chic". 

Universities are operating two-tier clearing systems as they make places available for foreign students but not British applicants.

Dr Constance Bantman, of the Department of Languages and Translation Studies, helps Harry Potter author J K Rowling trace her family roots in an episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?". Dr Bantman, an expert on French migrants to the UK in the 19th and early 20th centuries, appears in the show at about 8 mins.

The University of Surrey's Tim Jackson, the first professor of sustainable development in the UK, is leading a project to educate young entrepreneurs in business sustainability and recycling. Jackson will team up with Dame Ellen MacArthur to share important research findings about sustainability in transport, lifestyle, agriculture and the environment with the country's young business academics.

Dr Anna Franklin from Psychology talks a recent study done at the Surrey Baby Lab that shows what categories of colour babies and toddlers recognise, and how this is affected by the learning of colour terms.  

More than half of England's universities expect to be teaching fewer undergraduates next year when tuition fees rise to up to £9,000 per year, a report has revealed.  HEFCE, which distributes money to universities on behalf of the government, requested institutions' financial forecasts for the next three years.  Its analysis shows 56 universities are anticipating a drop in the number of full-time undergraduates they take from the UK or the European Union next year.  Nigel Seaton, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, said his institution and others were concerned that the government should fund higher education sufficiently, particularly at a time of change.  He said that while English universities were good at recruiting overseas students, they would have to do something "very special" to achieve a rise in their income of 100% or more. He said universities were increasingly operating abroad."

Scientists planning to put a smartphone in space have challenged members of the public to develop applications to be run on the device.  Engineers at based at the University of Surrey said the phone was to be launched into space next year.

The AAB plans could limit choice, narrow participation and damage the UK's reputation, Christopher Snowden argues

A panel of career advisers were asked how graduates can ensure they shine during job interviews and convince recruiters they're the one for them.  Alexandra Hemingway, Careers Adviser at the University of Surrey, comments: "Never leave an employer feeling the company is just one of many you are applying to: With competition for jobs at a premium, interviewees should ensure their answers to interview questions stand out. Avoid poorly-targeted and bland replies. Each organisation sees itself as unique and wishes to project its own identity, so never leave an employer feeling it is just one of many companies to which you are applying. Having made it clear what you admire about the company, explain how you meet its requirements and could contribute wholeheartedly to meeting its goals. Tailoring your replies in this way injects a personal touch that is convincing and brings results."

Experts at the University of Surrey have developed a new computer system to analyse and flag-up highly similar content across sets of documents. Interview is at 1:55.

The antiviral was manufactured in GM tobacco with a view to using the same technique to slash the cost of other life-saving drugs in the developing world. The human trial will take place at the clinical research centre of the University of Surrey.

The traditional view of a higher education sector divided along mission group lines may have been "shattered" by the release of data showing where top-achieving students study, it has been suggested. Surrey's Vice -Chancellor comments in the article.

Dr Alf Crossman, Senior Lecturer in Industrial Relations, spoke to the BBC's Toby Foster Bigger Breakfast Show about the issue. It's at 45 mins in the link on i-player.

Former British Olympic athlete Roger Black has been given an honorary degree from the University of Surrey.

Black has a close association with the university, based in Guildford, and did his weight training at the campus gym before his international successes.

When he smiles at you across the office and stops for a chat at the water cooler, it is easy to take it as a compliment.  But it seems men who flirt at work  are not necessarily doing so because they find you attractive – many are in fact just bored.  University of Surrey researchers asked more than two hundred men and women between the ages of 21 and 68 about whether they flirt at work – or engage in ‘ambiguous goal-motivated behaviours that can be, but are not restricted to being, interpreted as sexually motivated’.

Schrödinger’s Cat, a well-known thought experiment in Physics, is used to explain how scientists are working towards creating powerful quantum computers at this year's Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition. Prof Murdin explains at 00:28.

Margaret Rayman, Professor of Nutritional Medicine at Surrey, discusses on Farming Today her research that organic milk may be lacking in iodine - a nutrient crucial in child brain development.

Chris Bridges has plans to put mobile phones in their place. The scientist, based at the Surrey Space Centre, at Guildford, is preparing to put one into orbit round the Earth. Call roaming will never be the same again.

The latest weight-loss craze, the acid/alkaline diet, claims to have the backing of Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Moss. Professor Susan Lanham-New, head of nutritional sciences at Surrey, comments on the side-effects of this restrictive diet.

Surrey's Professor Stephen Sweeney discusses how methods of harvesting solar power in space, for use on Earth, may be closer than we think.

Although the division of knowledge into discrete, and often tightly policed, disciplinary blocks may be effective in creating "academic tribes and territories", it often fails to serve the needs of students and society, a scholar has argued.  Gill Nicholls, deputy vice-chancellor (academic development) at the University of Surrey, discussed "the changing nature of disciplines and scholarship" at the recent International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, in Granada, Spain.  In what she described as "a provocative paper meant to stimulate discussion", she explored the implication of the power that individual disciplines have on teaching, learning and pedagogy.

Whilst alarm clock manufacturers have been creative in bringing us everything from birdsong to dawn simulators, the answer to waking up feeling refreshed could lie in an alarm that recognises the body's sleep pattern and works in sync with it. BBC Click's Lara Lewington finds out.

Professor Hardev Pandha, The Prostate Project Chair of Urological Oncology at the University of Surrey's Postgraduate Medical School, talks about the new EN2 prostate cancer test.

Whisky has a huge carbon footprint. But now a green energy revolution could be changing all that. Tara Garnett, who runs the Food Climate Research Network at the University of Surrey, contributes.

The University of Surrey has signed up to Unitemps, which was set up by the University of Warwick in 1997 and now covers more than 100,000 students at institutions including Birmingham City University and the University of Nottingham. James Newby, Surrey's director of traded services and business support, said: "Our move to link up with other universities through the Unitemps service helps us to offer even greater value to students while improving the overall efficiency of our services."

Philip Ely, head of the business and community school at the University for the Creative Arts, and a doctoral researcher at the University of Surrey's Digital World Research Centre, has even come up with a name for the hours sapped from our daily routines by technology: digital DIY.

Ambitious students at the University of Surrey have launched a car they hope will prove their design skills at the UK leg of an international motor sport competition.

Tim Jackson from the University of Surrey argues that we need to shift our thinking from a blind faith in technology to a deeper understanding of the links between our lifestyles and the environment.

Research into shopping habits in the United Kingdom by Professor Andrew Alexander of the School of Management is featured in The Economist.

Presenters Jason and Ortis use the latest technology as they face each other in a triathlon and they visit the University's Surrey Sports Park to perfect their training.

The future of higher education is being put in jeopardy at a time of unprecedented change because coalition politics and "knee-jerk" reactions to policy proposals are stifling debate, vice-chancellors have warned.

Admissions tutors are the best people to advise students applying to university.  John Wright from the University of Surrey comments: "Aim to devote the majority of the personal statement to academic achievement and motivations, but do include evidence of leadership skills, and situations where you have overcome problems to achieve goals. Avoid bullet-point lists. Admissions tutors tire of reading bland statements like, 'I am fascinated by science'. Give examples of situations where your interest has been aroused."

Surrey County Council has joined forces with the University of Surrey to launch a £4m scheme to improve traffic flow at a busy roundabout outside the Surrey Research Park. Greg Melly, Director of Corporate Services, explained the benefits to Eagle Radio listeners.

A deal is finally on the table to end the long-running dispute between British Airways executives and cabin crew. Dr Alf Crossman, lecturer in industrial relations at Surrey University, comments on the row.

The popular view of a university researcher is probably the 'mad professor', closeted in a laboratory, whose work is punctuated with small explosions and occasional cries of 'Eureka'. While that may have once been the case, university researchers today are more in tune with the needs of industry.  Martyn Buxton-Hoare, Assistant Ddirector of Research and Enterprise Support at the University of Surrey, said things have changed dramatically since the introduction, some 10 years ago, of the Higher Education Innovation Fund, or HEIF; a scheme designed to encourage knowledge transfer in universities.  But he believes the approach was based on a mistaken view of the value of commercialisation in US universities. "Over time, it has become apparent that commercialisation, by itself, is useful, but is not a method of funding. What has also become apparent is the activity has other benefits; including gaining research contracts and improving a university's image."