BME in STEM – A Bristol University Report 2019

Posted on May 31, 2019June 27, 2021 by Mya-Rose Craig

BME in STEM – A Bristol University Report 2019

On 6th February 2019, Black2Nature attended a conference at Bristol University, BME in STEM organised by a first-year PhD student, Lara Lalemi

Lara Lalemi opening at BME in STEM Conference Panel
Copyright BME in STEM Report

The report produced is essential reading for anyone who wants to see an increase in diversity in the nature conservation, nature media and environmental sectors.

BME in STEM Report

Primary recommendations (for within 1-5 years implementation) are:

Unconscious bias training for all University staff and students, mandatory for members of committees or interview panels, and for personnel involved in teaching.
Instigate mentoring schemes aimed at supporting BAME accepted applicants, students, and staff.
Provide a diverse curriculum that includes BAME contributions to science and ensures diversity on teaching committees. Where it is not possible to find diversity in professorial staff, the introduction of BAME post-doctorates and postgraduates to the committee should be implemented.
Introduce anonymised applications in the undergraduate recruitment process.
BAME role models are needed at all career stages and can be provided through outreach activities, invited speakers and by ensuring the curriculum includes contributions made by BAME individuals to STEM.

BME in STEM Conference Panel

A detailed action plan summarising all of the recommendations can be found at the very end of this document.

Within a year of submitting this report, a follow-up review will be conducted to assess how far the university has come in implementing these changes.

Panel and Speakers:

BME in STEM Conference Panel

- Cllr. Cleo Lake; the Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Bristol
- Dr Erinma Ochu MBE; Lecturer in Science Communication and Future Media at the University
  of Salford
- Dr Emmanuel Adukwu; Senior Lecturer (Biomedical Science) and Employability Lead –
  Coordinator UWE Africa Network and Africa Week at UWE
- Dr Mark Richards; Senior Teaching Fellow and Head of Physics Outreach at Imperial College
  London
- Professor Fred Manby; Professor of Theoretical Chemistry at University of Bristol
- Professor Christina Hicks; Lecturer in Political Ecology at Lancaster University
- Nasra Ayub; Undergraduate Education Officer at University of Bristol Student Union Doctoral College

Cleo Lake at BME in STEM Conference Panel

Facilitators:

- Mr Sammuel Zubair; University of Bristol
- Ms. Rebecca Scott; University of Bristol
- Mr Robiu Salisu; University of Bristol
- Miss Nuzhat Tabassum; University of Bristol
- Miss Angela Suriyakumaran; University of Bristol
- Mr Khalid Hammad; University of Bristol
- Mrs. Helena Craig; Bristol local
- Dr Mark Richards; Imperial College London
- Ms. Jenny Hawkins; University of Bristol, GW4+

BME in STEM Conference Panel

Helping Members:

- Ms Sally Patterson; University of Bristol
- Miss Tumi Edun; University of Bristol
- Miss Vicky Phung; University of Bristol
- Miss Maggie Kadembo; University of Bristol
- Mr David Nzewi; University of Bristol
- Miss Nana Agyare; University of Bristol
- Miss Mwaka Sipula; University of Bristol
- Mr Jamie Davis; University of Bristol
- Mr Julio Mkok; University of Bristol
- Miss Emma Crossley; University of Bristol
- Miss Mae Masters; University of Bristol
- Miss Joanna Clowes; University of Bristol
- Miss Marla Mbemba; University of Bristol
- Dr Natalie Pridmore; University of BristolREFERENCES

http://www.rsc.org/globalassets/02-about-us/our-strategy/inclusion-diversity/cm-044-17_a4- diversity-landscape-of-the-chemical-sciences-report_web-2.pdf accessed 10/03/2019.
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/inclusion/race-in-the-workplace/ accessed 10/03/2019.
Higher education student and staff records, HESA, 2017, https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-andanalysis.
Dualeh, BME Attainment gap, Bristol SU, 2017, 1-37
https://medium.com/@erinmaochu/connecting-people-place-re-thinking-bme-in-stem-
bce9faf44cbd accessed 03/03/2019.
R. Glover, T.G. Harrison, D.E. Shallcross, Acta Didactica Napocensia, 2016, 9, 79-97.
L Muller, S. Roberts, R. C. Wilson, J. J. Remedios, S. Illingworth, R. Graves, T. Trent, J.
Henderson, J. Wilkinson, M. Wilkinson and A. Desai, Phys. Educ. 2013, 48, 17
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-40497882 accessed 10/03/2019.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/may/05/bristol-university-slave-trade-
history?fbclid=IwAR1vL6MUOdyu6ueTy8Mb6Tn1PuFI07R13mFlMEJ9CWHxeVAjW6Af2Bjb7m4
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alumni/13ristol-alumni/prominent-alumni accessed 10/03/2019.

‘The Lady of the Lakes’ – A conservation story to empower women by Olivia Frost

Posted on February 27, 2017July 27, 2021 by Mya-Rose Craig

‘The Lady of the Lakes’ – A conservation story to empower women by Olivia Frost

‘The Lady of the Lakes’ – A conservation story to empower women

All my life I’ve loved nature; to me, conservation has always seemed like an obvious and necessary route to pursue. However, when thinking about when this love of the outdoors truly began for me, there is one significant and inspirational woman that influenced me from a very young age. That woman is Beatrix Potter.

My name is Olivia Frost and I am a 23 year old student studying on the MA Wildlife Filmmaking course at UWE in Bristol, with an undergraduate degree in Conservation Biology. For me, Wildlife Filmmaking has always felt like the perfect outlet for sharing stories that matter – so now is my opportunity to share a story that I think needs to be told.

Beatrix Potter is a familiar name; most children grow up hearing her stories and admiring her dainty artwork. However, what most people fail to realise is that Beatrix was so much more than an simply an author and artist – she was a forward-thinking, independent and brave conservationist whose innovative land management strategies enabled the protection of an entire UK landscape.

Beatrix Potter defied the rigid and often misogynistic confines of Victorian Society to dedicate her life to preserving the wildlife, landscapes, communities and traditions of the Lake District, shielding them from greedy Victorian developers so that they could be protected for future generations to enjoy. Because of her work, we still have the pristine Lake District landscapes that we cherish today.

As a result, for completion of my degree I will be making a self-funded short film called ‘The Lady of the Lakes’ which will be pitched and shown to the BBC’s Natural History Unit. My film will represent Beatrix as the woman she truly was; feisty, quirky and an inspiration.

Brought to life through re-enactments, the short documentary-drama will showcase British wildlife and landscapes alongside treasured Lake District traditions, such as the maintenance of Herdwick sheep. As a result, I am really hoping that my film will inspire others to follow in Beatrix’s footsteps and become more involved with conservation. I would like to encourage others to appreciate natural beauty particularly that of the Lake District which only exists in all its wild glory today, because of the invaluable conservation work Beatrix carried out.

I also want to tell people about the real Beatrix Potter- she wasn’t a delicate, twee Victorian lady, but a passionate woman who fought to protect the lands she loved. Therefore, I am hoping to use my film as a tool to really empower and inspire young girls to become involved in science and conservation. Beatrix faced many hurdles as a woman trying to enter a man’s world of Victorian science and conservation, but she persisted and prevailed – similarly, I believe the young woman of today should be inspired to be strong and fight for their passions and beliefs.

As a result, I’m currently trying to raise some support for my film. I am hoping to reach as many people as possible with my project and need to raise the funds to make it. I’d really appreciate any support you could offer me and my film, however big or small!

Beatrix’s life story is a tale worth telling and I hope her actions will continue to inspire others to engage with nature and conservation, for many years to come.

To find out more and to support the project, please click here: https://uwe.hubbub.net/p/theladyofthelakes/pitch/

You can also follow the project on
Twitter: @tladyofthelakes
Facebook: @theladyofthelakes
Instagram: @theladyofthelakes
Wordpress: https://theladyofthelakes.wordpress.com/

Letter from the Shadow Education Secretary – Tristram Hunt

Posted on August 31, 2015June 9, 2022 by Mya-Rose Craig

Letter from the Shadow Education Secretary – Tristram Hunt

Those of you who follow me regularly will know how strongly I feel about getting children and young people into birds, wildlife and nature and how important it is for them to understand conservation and protecting the environment. We, young people today are the world’s future and there is no future without us. That’s why I do so many practical workshops with them (like at Scouts, Guides, primary and secondary school children, why I organised Camp Avalon and why I give talks to people including this age group.

I have contacted the four major parties in England (Conservative Party, Labour Party, Lib Dem Party and Green Party) about talking on this topic at their Annual Conferences. . I have not heard from the Conservative party, I am too young for the Labour Party (I need to be 14 years old) and I am hoping to be involved with the Lib Dems and Green Party annual conferences. I plan to contact the Conservative Party again through 10 Downing Street this time and SMP.

I have also been in touch with various teaching unions and hope to also get involved in some of their Annual Conferences. So far I am speaking at the Union for Science Teachers and the Union for Geography Teachers.

I hope that I can get my message across and make a difference.

I have also e-mailed Mr Tristram Hunt, Labour MP and Shadow Education Secretary about these topics being covered in school and got a fantastic response confirming that he agreed these topics were important and that this would be something they would look at when looking at their future policy development. I plan to respond and ask to be involved when they consider the issue. This is the exchange I had with him:

From: HUNT, Tristram
To: Mya-Rose [mailto:birdgirl.uk@gmail.com] Sent: 25 August 2015
Subject: Saving our planet

Dear Mya,

Thank you for your email regarding teaching conservation and environmental issues in schools. I enjoyed reading your blog posts and found them very informative.

I agree with you that educating young people about conservation is certainly important. It is vital that young people understand the environmental issues and their long term impact on our world.

Thank you for raising this issue, it is certainly something we will look at in our future policy development.

Many thanks again for your email and best of luck for the future.

Best wishes,

Tristram

Tristram Hunt

Tristram Hunt MP Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Member of Parliament for Stoke on Trent Central* House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA( 0207 219 1179 )
www.tristramhunt.com
www.laboureducation.org.uk

From: Mya-Rose [mailto:birdgirl.uk@gmail.com] Sent: 08 July 2015 To: HUNT, Tristram
Subject: Saving our planet

My name is Mya-Rose Craig, I am 13 years old and will be in Year 9 at Chew Valley School, a state comprehensive. I am a conservationist, writer and speaker passionate about wildlife and getting children into nature and the environment. I am used to giving talks at places like the Scottish Birdfair.

I attach a link you my blog posts to two open letters that I wrote to BBC Wildlife Magazine on this topic:

Letter to BBC Wildlife Magazine

Second open letter to BBC Wildlife Magazine

As these essential subjects are not in the National Curriculum, it is left to the individual teachers and subject heads to decide what to teach, if anything.

Unlike many people and organisations that are lobbying for these subjects to be added to the National Curriculum, I believe that things are best left as they are. This is because the National Curriculum is already crammed full. I think that these subjects would be better taught, as they are to some extent, in science and geography as well as in English and other broader subjects. This is really important for our future.

I asked to speak at the Labour Party Annual Conference to your members about why I think it is essential that young people are taught about the environment, conservation and nature in their lessons.

Future generations will only care about saving our planet and everything on it if they know about it. You can’t care about something you don’t know about.

I will be 18 on the actual day of the next election but as I am under 14, I can not ask to speak at the conference yet.

Will you commit to children being taught about these important issues in school, so that they care about saving our planet?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely
Mya-Rose Craig
Birdgirl

Tag: environment