From 9am on Thursday, 4 July to 9pm on Friday, 5 July, join us in raising crucial funds for the Open Futures Fund scholarships.

This edition of OpenMinds e-News includes best-selling author Kate Mosse CBE and our Chancellor, Baroness Martha Lane Fox, two incredible women, reflecting on their challenges and outlook. From research involving training dogs to detect bowel cancer to research into mapping weather on a distant exoplanet, our academics and community continue to change lives and break through new frontiers. I hope you enjoy the read.

Have a wonderful summer.

Jhumar Johnson

Chief of Staff to the Vice-Chancellor
The Open University

Save the date in your diary: Please join us to transform lives this July

We are delighted to announce that this year's Giving Day will be held from 9am on Thursday 4 July to 9pm on Friday 5 July, and will raise vital financial support for scholarships through the Open Futures Fund.

This year, we will be launching the first OU Big Quiz which will take place in July and will be a fantastic opportunity to test your knowledge whilst raising money.

Please mark the date in your calendars and join us for an inspiring 36 hours where you can be assured that your participation will help change lives. We look forward to sharing more with you in the coming weeks.

Best-selling author Kate Mosse speaks movingly about being a carer at OpenMinds Live

Best-selling author and founder/director of the Women’s Prizes for Fiction and Non-Fiction, Kate Mosse CBE, has shared her experiences of being a carer at OpenMinds Live 2024, an annual event brought to you by the OU Aumni Association.

Kate was talking in her capacity as an ambassador for The Open University’s Carers’ scholarship, which offers unpaid carers the opportunity to study with the OU for free.

Watch OpenMinds Live 2024 by clicking on the video below.

OU Chancellor’s Three Peaks Challenge

The Open University Chancellor, Baroness Martha Lane Fox, is taking on a momentous physically enduring test: tackling Britain’s Three Peaks Challenge in aid of four charities.

And it’s an epic adventure for the 51-year old since she has endured 47 operations after breaking 28 bones in her body twenty years ago in a car crash in Morocco that nearly killed her.

New OU / BBC series to uncover the UK’s fascinating wildlife

In a brand-new series co-produced by The Open University and BBC for BBC One and iPlayer, wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin will reveal wildlife gems from across the four countries of the UK.

In Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles, Hamza will find and film incredible species and spectacles hidden amongst both our urban and wilder landscapes. From hidden nocturnal encounters, to perfectly camouflaged creatures hiding in plain sight, he will reveal that wildlife is everywhere; you just need to know where to look for it.

© Ellie Hilton/Silverback Films/BBC

Researchers use NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to map weather on a planet 280 light-years away

An international team of researchers, including The Open University’s Dr Joanna Barstow, have successfully used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to map the weather on the hot gas-giant exoplanet WASP-43 b.

Precise brightness measurements over a broad spectrum of mid-infrared light, combined with 3D climate models and previous observations from other telescopes, suggest the presence of thick, high clouds covering the nightside, clear skies on the dayside, and equatorial winds upwards of 5,000 miles per hour mixing atmospheric gases around the planet.

New project launched to train dogs in early diagnosis of bowel cancer

A new project, supported by academics from The Open University, is to train dogs in the detection of colorectal (bowel) cancer in urine samples, using the power of their noses.

The charity, Medical Detection Dogs, is looking into whether man’s best friend could help deliver an accurate, non-invasive and more sensitive method of early stage bowel cancer detection that could both increase uptake of the screening and improve health outcomes.

This project is led by OU Professor Clara Mancini. You are invited to join her Inaugural Lecture on 20 June. See further down for more information.

Pictured: Mango the medical detection dog. Image credit: Megan Williams

The Open University, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Greater Manchester Police unite to launch perinatal mental health toolkit

A toolkit has been designed to enhance support for maternal mental health in the workplace as a result of a research study conducted by The Open University, Manchester Metropolitan University and Greater Manchester Police Association of Women in Policing.

The study, a collaboration between Dr Sarah-Jane Lennie and Dr Keely Duddin from The Open University and Dr Krystal Wilkinson from Manchester Metropolitan University, sheds light on the challenges faced by those experiencing perinatal mental illness within the context of policing employment.

Five books to read if you loved the Agatha Christie whodunnits

If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie, Dr Anthony Howell, Senior Lecturer in English at The Open University, and the author of the free OpenLearn short course on the Queen of Crime, has picked out five brilliant detective-fiction novels by other authors you may enjoy.

BBC Ideas: Do you have what it takes to be a spy?

What qualities are the UK security services looking for when they recruit? Do you think you could be a spy? Watch our short video above and take the quiz below to find out!

OU space researchers awarded £1.3M grant to develop world-leading imaging instrument for the Moon and Mars

The Open University Atmospheric Research and Surface Exploration group, led by Professor Manish Patel, have been awarded a £1.3 million grant from the UK Space Agency for developing new UK detector technology to realise next-generation planetary imaging through an international partnership with the US. This contribution to the world-leading imager instrument, called HiRISE2, will eventually replace older imagers currently orbiting the Moon and Mars.

Historian who challenged the view of Black British history is honoured

A pioneering Black historian whose research has transformed the nation’s understanding of our Black British history has been awarded an honorary degree from The Open University. Michael Ohajuru, who also completed an Art History degree with the OU in 2008, accepted his Doctor of the University award at an Open University degree ceremony in London’s Barbican in March.

OU Alum Sir David Harrison, one of Universities UK’s 100 faces campaign

Sir David Harrison, OU MBA alumnus and Honorary Graduate of The Open University, has been named as part of a new campaign led by Universities UK (UUK), that promotes 100 faces who were the first in their family to attend higher education.

UUK’s ‘100 Faces campaign’ aims to champion and celebrate the positive impact of ‘first-in-the-family’ graduates on the UK – including England footballer Beth Mead, Lord David Blunkett, Nobel Prize winner Sir Chris Pissarides and actor Amit Shah.

Introducing Chloe, one of the OU's youngest students ever

After completing her GCSEs, Chloe had a big decision to make – go on to achieve A-Levels as expected or follow her heart by choosing another path.

Craving a more enriching learning experience away from the “incessant emphasis” on exam practice she’d experienced at school, Chloe chose to fast-track her university journey and career by starting an Arts and Humanities degree at The Open University at just 16 years old!

Chloe shares how she’s using the skills she learned in her rewarding role at a busy NHS hospital, while pursuing her dreams as a writer.

We recently met with some of our alumni in Wales to hear about their experiences of studying with the OU. Chloe shares her study journey below, the hurdles she overcame along the way and the doors that have opened for her.

If you'd like to share your OU story with us, we would love to hear from you.

Introducing Althea

The Care Experienced Scholarship was launched in 2023 in collaboration with the John Lewis Partnership. The Fund offers full undergraduate scholarships to young people aged 25 and under, who have spent time in care and face significant barriers to entering and succeeding in higher education. The University works closely with the John Lewis Partnership and their ‘Building Happier Futures’ programme, which looks to support, harness the talent, and improve the lives of young people who have grown up in care. You can read how it has changed the life of Althea (pictured) below.

The window for applying for a Care Experienced Scholarship is currently open until 24 July, and this year we aim to offer at least six scholarships. 

Please do spread the word on these life-changing scholarships.

Voices from the Global South

24 June 2024, 14.30 - 16.30 (BST)

Online or at the Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR

We are delighted to bring you an exclusive offer as we invite you to join the launch of 'Voices from the Global South' at The Royal Geographical Society on 24 June, 14.30 - 16.30 (BST) for free. In collaboration with The Royal Geographical Society and The International Geographical Union, the project amplifies voices across the global South, fostering a balanced perspective on the climate crisis. With a keynote by Farhana Sultana, the event will reference video content on OpenLearn covering multiple global South contexts. 

Use code 'VOICESOU' when registering for your exclusive OU alumni ticket.

Why we need to design technology for and with animals

Thursday, 20 June 2024, 17:00 - 18:00 (BST)

Online and Berrill Theatre, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA

In her inaugural lecture, Clara Mancini, Professor of Animal-Computer Interaction in the OU’s Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, will talk about her research journey in the field of Animal-Computer Interaction, shared with colleagues from across the world, to develop the art and science of designing technology for and with animals.

She will call for a radical rethink of how technology could support a sustainable development by encouraging us to start thinking ‘outside the (human) box’.

PhD Opportunities in the Faculty of Business and Law

The Open University Business and Law Schools invite applications to join their PhD programme beginning 1 February 2025. Your application should be based on one of their advertised projects.

If you are interested, you are welcome to attend an application webinar: Preparing your PhD application workshop, on Wednesday 5 June at 13.30. This online workshop with Faculty academics will address questions on whether studying a PhD is right for you, what to consider when applying, what it’s like to do a PhD at The Open University, and how to best craft a research proposal that aligns with advertised project calls.

Business and Management short courses

There’s still time to register for an OU microcredential, starting in June or July.

Whether you’re looking to boost your own CV or develop your workforce, microcredentials offer a great way to develop in-demand skills quickly and gain specialist knowledge to get ahead. They take just 10-12 weeks to complete, and you’ll be able to apply the skills you learn immediately.  

Designed by world-class OU academics, with many endorsed by leading industry partners, you can choose to upskill in project management, people management, agile leadership, finance, marketing, organisational sustainability and more.

Registration closes 23 June for our postgraduate courses and 7 July for undergraduate courses.

Careers and Employability Services at The Open University

If you're a new member of the OU's Alumni Association, did you know the OU Careers and Employability Services are here to help you explore your options, plan and work towards your career or personal goals and support you with searching and applying for opportunities? Support is available for up to three years after you graduate.

If you completed your studies with us over three years ago, we still have lots of information that can be accessed without an OU student login. You can get help with your CV and preparing for job interviews, find out the range of careers your degree can lead you to or even increase your career confidence.

If you don’t follow us on social media, please do! Just click on the icons below and join our online conversations. Your contributions help inspire the next generation of OU students and spur current students on to get to that well-deserved graduation day.

Have you visited your alumni website recently? If not, why not have a look today? Here you will find information on events, downloadable versions of all of our fantastic magazines and ways to keep in touch.

Here's a reminder of your PI number if you would like to register: 

We would love to know what inspired you to become a student. Did you have any extraordinary moments while studying? Has completing your qualification changed your life or helped you discover a new self-confidence?

We want to hear from all OU alumni of different ages and experiences, identities and backgrounds, diverse ethnicities and cultures, abilities and disabilities, mental and physical health conditions and intersectionalities.

Please get in touch and share your story with the rest of the OU community.

Time to treat yourself?

Our OU Students Association Shop has a range of OU merchandise for you to enjoy and proudly own as one of our alumni, from clothing, accessories, home and leisure, to stationery and jewellery. Why not have a look for yourself?