University launches Living Lab to help tackle sustainability issues in the local community

A project which connects researchers to members of the local community in a bid to address and tackle sustainability issues has been launched by the University of Northampton, which will further strengthen its commitment to social impact and being a Changemaker Campus.

The Living Lab is a virtual space in which partnerships of researchers, students, external partners, and communities, collaborate to test new technologies, services, products or systems in real-life contexts, with the aim of improving community or environmental outcomes.

It will focus on sustainability across all four of the University's Changemaker Challenges and will develop new relationships, connections and ways of working. It will also provide a framework in which the University can scale its social impact and ensure that local communities are at the heart of its efforts to overcome particular issues that may arise.

Dr Joanna Wright, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography and Environmental Science, who is leading on the Living Lab, commented "Living Labs have a strong presence in Higher Education and have produced significant opportunities for staff, students and communities, to not only engage in research but to address real issues that affect their lives.

"Linking our Living Lab to the University's strategic Changemaker Challenges provides us with a fantastic opportunity to deliver a Living Lab that is unique in the UK."


Joanna is very keen to involve colleagues from across the University, so if you would like more information, or are interested in getting involved with the Living Lab please email Joanna.Wright@northampton.ac.uk

This article was first published here.

Nuffield Student joins Geography team for summer placement

This summer the Geography department is hosting a Nuffield student. Nuffield studentships give sixth form students the chance to work in a university for several weeks in the summer helping with a research project and learning what conducting university research is really like.

Alexandra Asvestapoulou will be working with Dr Joanna Wright and Dr Janet Jackson on the quality and connectedness of cycling facilities in Northampton.

This pilot study will focus on cycle routes to and from the station, town centre and university campuses, and ties in to other research on cycling commuting being carried out in the department this summer. Alex will be mapping these features using new GPS units the department acquired this year, and drawing a map of the facilities and routes using ArcGIS, the industry standard for mapping software.  This is the same software that Northampton students learn to use in Geography and Environmental science sources, which is part of improving their career opportunities and employability skills.

Sustainable transport is a very important part of planning for the new Waterside campus, and for the future as part of carbon reduction strategies, and this research will compile information to help improve cycling facilities in Northampton and the rest of the UK.

Climate KIC Pioneer Placement in Poland for Dr Joanna Wright

Dr Joanna Wright is heading to Poland in August to work at the Centre for Systems Solutions in Wrocław.

The Centre designs serious games; these are games which work both as games and which also educate people about different issues. They have designed online games, board games and role playing games for businesses, schools and environmental management professionals.

Jo will be working on games about water resources and energy, using her experience as an environmental consultant, and a sustainability advocate and academic.

Gamification is a big current research topic, and elements of gamification are used in many areas including public policy and education. Jo hopes to also learn about their game design process and bring back useful tools for my university teaching, as well as develop research contacts for the future.