Welcome to issue 11 of Met Magazine. The latest edition includes an interview with alumnus Paul Harfleet who introduces us to his peculiar world of birds. There's much more to discover inside with all the latest news, ground-breaking research, alumni stories and features.

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Spring/Summer 2023

Mallard

Come fly with me

Visual artist and alumnus Paul Harfleet chats about his influences - and how lockdown launched his latest project

Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Press CBE

Foreword

A message from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Malcolm Press CBE

The Apprenticeships Team

Met News

The latest University news

While CO2 emissions are on the decline in every other sector, in aviation, they’re soaring

Blue skies ahead?

University researchers are shaping Net Zero policy and helping to reduce the cost of aviation

Former England and Manchester City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley

Between the sticks

Former England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley talks about the growth of women’s football and her University studies

Test

A foundation for success

Met Magazine spoke with alumna Lady Debbie Buffini

The KTNA performing at Art School Live

Creativity unleashed

Innovative live music project is boosting job prospects and hosting must-see gigs

Healing broken hearts

Healing broken hearts

Manchester Met researchers working to beat the risks of heart attacks and strokes

NHS

Showing we care

Met Magazine looks at the links the University has with the NHS as it celebrates its 75th anniversary

Untold Stories of the NHS sees award winning poet Dr Kim Moore based as a writer-in-residence at Trafford General Hospital to support health workers in telling their NHS stories

Untold Stories

Health workers tell their stories through creative writing to mark the NHS's 75th anniversary

Manchester Met has a wide range of initiatives to widen participation

Changing lives, shaping futures

How the life-changing support of scholarships is helping our students

Bridget Lea

A road less travelled

Managing Director and University governor Bridget Lea on her journey to boardroom success from humble beginnings

100 women

A lot more to give

The moving personal stories of older women highlight the inequalities they face around work

Peatland

Letting nature back in

In the fight against climate change, research reveals the importance of forgotten natural resources

The HALT study has already impacted domestic homicide reviews

Putting the pieces together

How research is shaping the future of domestic homicide reviews

Better ways to work

Better ways to work

From mental health to equal opportunities, research is improving employment standards for all

Lee Chambers

Empowering the next generation

Psychologist and wellbeing consultant Lee Chambers shares how his adversity has helped with his success

All three Rugby League World Cup champions teams at Old Trafford

Leaving a lasting legacy

Analysing the sporting and non-sporting legacies of some of 2022’s biggest events

Running in our genes

Running in our genes

Is sport in our DNA? The genetic factors behind why you might be better at certain sports and exercise

Architecture postgraduate Selasi Setufe MBE

A Design For Life

Architecture alumna Selasi Setufe MBE on creating communities to serve people and increasing diversity in her profession

Experts reveal the impact of the cost of living crisis on households, wages and the benefit system

Feeling the squeeze

Experts at Manchester Met reveal the true impact of the cost of living crisis

President of The Union, Letitia Jones

Voice of the union

President of The Union Letitia Jones discusses supporting students - with the University - through the cost of living crisis

Spring/Summer 2022

Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport.

A new sporting champion

Manchester Met has developed a world-class institute to champion everything that sport can do

A message from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Malcolm Press CBE

Foreword

A message from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Malcolm Press CBE

SODA

Met News

The latest University news

President of the Students’ Union, Letitia Jones

Voice of the union

President of the Students’ Union, Letitia Jones, talks about the issues which have the greatest influence on our students’ experiences

Adele Nicol, Lauren Hemp and Dan Clark (image of Lauren Hemp supplied by Manchester City FC)

Supporting the elite

Met Magazine speaks with three successful athletes who have benefitted from our sport scholarships

Live longer, live healthier

Live longer, live healthier

How much of our longer lives are we living in good health?

Manchester Voices

Vocal pride

Accents and dialects are much more than whether it’s a ‘bun’ or a ‘barm’

Firzah Ali (left) and Euan Case (right) celebrating their graduation

A bright future

Two graduates from the First Generation Scholarship Programme reflect on their time at Manchester Met and what’s next for them

Connor

The long road to justice

Prof Sara Ryan's campaign for justice following the death of her son Connor Sparrowhawk  

Bev Craig

Under new leadership

Councillor Bev Craig is just the fourth leader of Manchester City Council since 1982

Dangerous Associations

Dangerous Associations

Shining a light on racial injustice

Manchester Met is helping businesses build for a brighter future

Building future skills

Helping businesses build for a brighter future

Lysbeth Fox

Fantastic Ms Fox

Alumna Lysbeth Fox on running her international PR business

Fasha Mahjoor

An architect of innovation

Manchester Met alumnus Fasha Mahjoor’s fascinating journey from Persia to the west coast of the USA

Manchester Fashion Institute is helping to make positive changes in the industry

Style and sustainability

Manchester Fashion Institute is working with industry to promote a more sustainable future

Manchester School of Theatre is helping to shape the recovery of the performing arts sector and supporting the next generation of acting talent

The show must go on

Supporting recovery of the performing arts sector and future acting talent

Manchester Met Mag

Fire and Floods: Adapting to our Changing Climate

How can we prepare to cope with the mounting risks associated with climate change?

Steve Martin

Taking life's chances

Steve Martin talks about the moment at the University that led to his dream career

Philippa Anderson

Doing the right thing

Alumna and University governor Philippa Anderson talks about how her life and career has shaped her passion

Mark Chester

Are you sitting comfortably?

How one postgraduate student landed a career of the future

Spring/Summer 2021

Steve Coogan

An act in two parts

Acting alumnus Steve Coogan tells Met Magazine about a call in the University canteen that changed his life on the path to stardom

Degree Apprentices

MetNews

The latest University news

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Malcolm Press

Foreword

A message from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Malcolm Press

The catering team at Manchester Metropolitan donated a selection of food supplies to support vulnerable people in the community through the COVID-19 crisis.

Playing our part

The University’s pandemic priority has been the welfare of staff and students – but it also supported the NHS and local communities

Evelyn Sweeney, SU President

Learning and Listening

SU president Evelyn Sweeney discusses how students set The Union’s priorities for 2021

Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics 2020 logo. Image: Shutterstock

Entering the global arena

How mega sporting events have become a key battleground in a changing world order

SODA

Made in Manchester

A sneak preview of The School of Digital Arts, opening in September

Experts at Manchester Met’s Centre for Enterprise are helping small and medium sized businesses to overcome COVID-19, innovate and grow

Building back Stronger

Experts at Manchester Met’s Centre for Enterprise are helping small businesses to overcome COVID-19, innovate and grow

Playing the long game

Playing the long game

A spotlight on physiotherapy's role in fighting 'long COVID'

Across Manchester Met, academics, students and researchers are engaged in making the circular economy thrive

A world without waste

Can the concept of a circular economy help us towards a more sustainable future?

Eliud Kipchoge

Leaps and bounds

Equipment and technology are impacting sport - but not without controversy, as Manchester Met Institute of Sport experts explain

A mental battle

A mental battle

Met Magazine caught up with a student Paralympic athlete and sports psychologist on the pressures of athletic life under COVID-19

Patrick Vernon

Inspiring change

Alumnus Patrick Vernon on his inspirational journey into campaigning and activism, fighting for change and equality

Entrepreneur and scientist Anne-Marie Corner

An American Tale

Entrepreneur and scientist Anne-Marie Corner talks about HIV, COVID-19 and her trip to the White House

Jane Robson

The fabric of sustainability

One Manchester Met alumna is fighting to make positive changes in the fashion industry

concert

Equal opportunities

How one business is supporting the University's ambition to give everyone an equal chance to succeed

Manchester Poetry Library opens its doors later this year, in the new Grosvenor Building

Poetry for the people

The University's award-winning poets share their excitement on the launch of the Manchester Poetry Library

Anthony Hucker

The people business

Supermarkets CEO Anthony Hucker has been served well by his retail marketing degree in his consumer-focused business philosophy

The Manchester Writing Competition has for the last 12 years, encouraged new work and sought out the best creative writing from emerging talent across the world

Finding creative talent

The 2020 winning entries for the Manchester Writing Competition

Autumn/Winter 2019

Danny Boyle

The art of storytelling

Director Danny Boyle on what’s driving the film industry – and why he’s not the future

Degree Apprentices

MetNews

The latest news in issue 8

Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Press

Foreword

A message from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Malcolm Press

The Q&A industry panel at HOME

PODCAST: Danny Boyle and industry panel

Special double MetCast episode featuring Danny Boyle’s talk at HOME and industry panel Q&A

One of the skeleton warriors from Jason And The Argonauts

Back To Life

Stop-motion animation – what happens to the models and memories after filming?

Students’ Union President Anna Welsh

Tackling Isolation

Students’ Union President Anna Welsh on navigating a turbulent world

Dr W John Hewitt's illustration

The daily sketch

Dr W John Hewitt’s daily drawings chronicle nature, society and history of the North West

Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre's Dr Justyna Kulczyk-Malecka, post-doctoral research associate; Dr Ian Madley, reader, and director Amer Gaffar

Fuel's gold

Experts from our Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre discuss renewable energy

Juergen Maier

Taking the long view

Met Magazine sits down with the CEO for Siemens in the UK, Juergen Maier

Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies

A light in the darkness

Gothic culture is found in the very foundations of Manchester

Rugby League

A sporting legacy

New partnerships and research in Rugby League are putting the University on a global stage

Olive Ridley Project

Small Steps, Big Impact

Meet the alumni tackling the effects of climate change around the world

Simon Stephens

The storyteller's return

Tony and Olivier Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens leads a new scriptwriting course

Manchester Met students are reaching out to shape the sporting world

Changing the game

Manchester Met students are shaping the sporting landscape

One Manchester Metropolitan alumna has developed a business as an antidote to ‘fast fashion’

Sustainable fashion

A young Manchester designer and entrepreneur is helping refugees through her luxury fashion brand

It's never too late to start exercising

Fitness for life

Research from the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences is helping people stay healthy for longer

First Generation

A helping hand

The University’s First Generation programme is making a difference

All schools are required to teach British values

Becoming young citizens

How one Manchester school is teaching British values

Gav Brown

Talking Currency

New policy thinking and teaching in the world of financial technology and cryptocurrencies

Ron Watson and Robert McCann proudly hold their standard in front of a mural of Kiritimati

The hydrogen bomb legacy

Dr Becky Alexis-Martin on the human impact of the British H-bomb tests

Speech and language researchers are making a difference around the globe

Channels of communication

Speech and language researchers are making a difference around the globe

Industry 4.0

A whole new world

From personalised products to smart energy, digitalisation will change the way we live, work and play

Spring/Summer 2019

Professor Carol Ann Duffy has spent ten years as Poet Laureate, and over 20 as the driving force behind Manchester Writing School

The music of being human

Manchester Met's Carol Ann Duffy reflects on her decade as Poet Laureate

Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Press

Foreword

A message from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Malcolm Press

Manchester Metropolitan is leading on widening access to university

MetNews

The latest news in issue 7

Podcast: New York's Hippest Rabbi

Podcast: New York's Hippest Rabbi

MetCast speaks to alumnus Simcha Weinstein, film graduate and campus rabbi in Brooklyn

Young Voices Study

Hearing and listening

The Young Voices study shows that auditory hallucinations are not always bad

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, a Film History graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University

Voyage of discovery

How film studies graduate Simcha Weinstein became New York's Hippest Rabbi

A global literary celebration

A global literary celebration

10th anniversary of the Manchester Writing Competition

Shuab Gamote, First Generation student

Opportunity knocks

First Generation students are making their mark on life at Manchester Metropolitan

Winchester's High Street

Hope for the High Street

How the University is providing the tools to tackle high street decline

Silver screen dreams

Silver screen dreams

Alumnus Adam Rubins on his journey to the heart of Hollywood

©SCC EVENTS/camera4

Cracking the marathon code

Using crowd science to predict the movement of every runner

Director of BBC Children’s and BBC North, Alice Webb

Shaping the future

As Director of BBC Children’s and BBC North, Alice Webb has a huge role to play in the digital landscape

Brazil nut secondary forest

Protecting the planet

Researchers are working around the globe to protect the planet’s future

Manchester School of Architecture is making Greater Manchester a great place to grow older

Creating communities

Manchester School of Architecture is making Greater Manchester a great place to grow older

Manchester Metropolitan is involved in the 200th anniversary commemorations of the Peterloo Massacre ((image: People's History Museum)

Remembering Peterloo: 200 years on

August marks the bicentenary of a pivotal moment in British political history

Manchester Metropolitan is now home to a National Performance Centre for swimming

Making Waves

Manchester Metropolitan is now home to a National Performance Centre for swimming

The lapsed clubber

The lapsed clubber

A research project tracked down ravers that packed Manchester's dancefloors

Students’ Union President Amie Atkinson

Views

Thoughts and opinions from student and academic leaders

Some of the Degree Apprentices at Manchester Metropolitan

Unlocking potential, driving performance

Manchester Metropolitan’s pioneering degree apprenticeships

School of Art students from 1969 reunited for a special 50th anniversary exhibition

Friends reunited

A Manchester School of Art class of 1969 returned for a special anniversary exhibition

Ready for school?

Ready for school?

Are we thinking about school readiness in the right way?

One of the illustrations for the Loneliness Connects Us report

‘Loneliness does not discriminate’

Understanding how loneliness can affect the young and old alike

AUTUMN/WINTER 2018

Guy Garvey

Songwriting is my playground

Elbow frontman Guy Garvey on writing, his new University role – and the strange smell that makes him miss Manchester

MetNews

MetNews

The latest news in issue 6

Professor Malcolm Press

Foreword

A message from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Malcolm Press

Podcast: All MetCast episodes from issue 6

Featuring a fascinating interview with singer-songwriter Guy Garvey

Architecture pic

Global Mancunians

Manchester School of Architecture's international influence

Views

Views

Thoughts and opinions from city and student leaders

The joy of parenting

The joy of parenting

Manchester Metropolitan carries on the city's rich tradition in IVF science

Samuel Rowley-Neale

Achieving their dreams

How the University is a springboard to success

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the Office for Students

Standing up for students

Speaking with Nicola Dandridge, CEO of the Office for Students

Lord Scriven, a former President of Manchester Metropolitan University Students' Union

Meet the Presidents

Past and present: Students' Union presidents

A decade of writing talent

A decade of writing talent

The Manchester Writing Competition celebrates its 10th anniversary

A game of cat and mouse

A game of cat and mouse

The GM Cyber Foundry is ready to protect against cyber threats

Theatrical masks

All the world's a stage

Manchester School of Theatre graduates who've made their mark

The Future has arrived

The future has arrived

An old competition was a vision of the modern day student experience

Worker bees

Worker bees

Student volunteers make an invaluable contribution to the city

Psychology student Firzah Ali is one of our First Generation participants

A warm welcome

First Generation scheme students have now started

Special Collections

The special one

A look at the University's inspiring museum and archive

Tim Heatley, co-Founder of Manchester based regeneration specialist CAPITAL&CENTRIC and alumnus

Words of wisdom

Graduation ceremonies speakers' best advice

Read the previous editions