Aston facts

Monday’s (13 June) Universities Week theme revolves around the celebration of universities as the heart of the UK education system by highlighting the extensive knowledge that universities hold and how it influences UK society.

Did you know that?:

• The stress associated with dieting without group support leads to impairments in memory and the ability to concentrate.
  (Dr Michael Green, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• Part of the supposed beneficial effects of glucose and caffeine on mental performance is an expectancy effect of whether people actually believe they are ingesting them.
  (Dr Michael Green, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• The eye and brain are so intimately connected that your optometrist can determine the approximate location of a life-threatening brain tumour with tests that are no more sophisticated than those that s/he would normally use during a routine eye examination.
  (Dr Mark Dunne, Optometry, Life and Health Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• If capital markets (banks) were able to improve their ability to allocate and monitor debt by 10% then UK productivity would rise by 6%.
  (Professor Nigel Driffield, Aston Business School, Aston University)
  
  
• An increase of 10% in measured globalization (trade and FDI) would lead to an increase in the wage gap between skilled and unskilled workers by 6% i.e. globalisation increases significantly the returns to education.
  (Professor Nigel Driffield, Aston Business School, Aston University)
  
  
• It takes 2,000 litres of water to make a litre of milk.
  (Professor Tony Bridgwater, School of Engineering & Applied Science, Aston University)
  
  
• It takes 24,000 litres of water to make 1 kg steak.
  (Professor Tony Bridgwater, School of Engineering & Applied Science, Aston University)
  
  
• Approximately two-thirds of technology-based small and medium-sized firms in the UK access knowledge from overseas sources.
  (Dr Hiro Izushi, Aston Business School, Aston University)
  
  
• Family firms are not just the dominant form of organisation in emerging markets, their presence is also significant in developed economies. In the UK family businesses account for about 75% of all businesses.
  (Dr Sumon Bhaumik, Aston Business School, Aston University)
  
  
• In France and its overseas territories, beside the official language, the French still speak 75 regional languages or dialects (and produce around 400 sorts of cheese!).
  (Dr Nathalie Mrgudovic, School of Languages & Social Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• There are more microbial cells in our bodies than there are human cells! In fact 95% of all the cells in the body are bacteria - there are more bacteria in the colon than the total number of people who have ever lived.
  (Dr Anthony Hilton, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• Everyone has about 1 kg in weight of bacteria in their gut, each gram of faeces contains 100,000,000,000 microbes, and human adults excrete their own weight in faecal bacteria every year.
  (Dr Anthony Hilton, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• Asymmetrical people are better leaders.
  (Dr Carl Senior, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• Scam emails purportedly from African presidents etc. asking for assistance in a money transfer originated in Nigeria are known as '419s', the paragraph of the penal code that covers fraud.
  (Dr Stephanie Decker, Economics & Strategy Group, Aston Business School, Aston University)
  
  
• Studying a language or working or studying abroad strongly increases your ability to operate in intercultural groups.
  (Professor Helen Higson, Aston University)
  
  
• Undertaking an integrated placement year as part of your degree increases your chances if getting a graduate job and improves your class if degree.
  (Professor Helen Higson, Aston University)
  
  
• There are more non native speakers of English across the world than native speakers of English.
  (Dr Fiona Copland, School of Languages & Social Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• Every year, more and more countries are introducing English learning from the time children first begin school.
  (Dr Fiona Copland, School of Languages & Social Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• There is a crater on the moon called Birmingham.
  (Dr Muna Morris-Adams, School of Languages & Social Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• Birmingham has 6 million trees and more parks than any other European city.
  (Dr Muna Morris-Adams, School of Languages & Social Sciences, Aston University)
  
  
• Birmingham has the largest public library in Europe, lending a staggering 8 million books a year.
  (Dr Muna Morris-Adams, School of Languages & Social Sciences, Aston University)

Some facts about Aston University:

• Aston University is using Radio-Frequency Identification technology (RFID) to improve the efficiency of data collation across manufacturing, logistics and health care industries
  
  
• Scientists at Aston University have helped to develop a new type 2 diabetes drug, dapagliflozin. It acts independently of insulin, improves blood sugar control, and lowers bodyweight
  
  
• Surfaces containing copper kill a wide range of potentially harmful micro-organisms, including the superbug, MRSA, Aston University laboratory tests have shown
  
  
• The world’s longest laser, measuring 270km, was created at Aston University in the Photonics Research Group
  
  
• The capabilities of ‘cloud’ computing technologies for next generation, large scale IT systems, are being investigated in a £1.2m research project at Aston University
  
  
• Aston University researchers are developing and evaluating intraocular lenses which can be implanted in the ageing eye to restore its focusing range
  
  
• Aston University was involved in the UK’s largest electric and ultra low carbon vehicle study, using satellite mapping to collate journey data
  
  
• Aston University’s optical fibre sensors are providing monitoring systems across industry, from assessing individual health through to structural stresses and strains
  
  
• Chemical engineers at Aston University are developing a renewable biofuel to reduce reliance on fossil diesel imports in Europe and South America
  
  
• A ‘mini power plant’, fuelled by heat and electricity from renewable energy sources is being developed on Aston’s campus
  
  
• Activity mapping by Aston University’s MEG scanner is helping to further understand the way in which the brain functions
  
  
• Leading brain cancer drug, Temozolomide, was invented at Aston University and now has annual sales of over $1bn per annum
  
  
• Aston University is leading research into drug treatments, such as Metformin, for diabetic patients who suffer inadequate blood sugar control
  
  
• The University’s forensic linguistics unit works closely with the Police to advance the understanding of the language of crime
  
  
• The impaired motor function of individuals with Parkinson’s disease and stroke is being improved by research at Aston University into novel applications of Zolpidem
  
  
• Aston University was involved in a major staff satisfaction survey for the NHS, one of the largest of its kind ever undertaken
  
  
• GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor), based at Aston, is the largest and most comprehensive research study, globally, of entrepreneurial attitudes, activities and aspirations
  
  
• A novel methodology for minimising avoidable hazardous waste has been established for the nuclear industry by the CRISIS team at Aston University
  
  
• Aston University is leading research into the development of new vaccinations against tuberculosis
  
  
• Myopia, or short-sightedness, affects many of us. Aston University prides itself as a leader on research into this condition
  
  
• Aston University continues to lead the way on the design and synthesis of transglutaminase inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative disease
  
  
• Aston University’s ongoing research on plagiarism, patch-writing and the problems of overseas students in British universities is continuing to raise awareness
  
  
• It was Aston University’s Professor Mike Tisdale who found that a fish oil chemical may lead to early cancer diagnosis
  
  
• Discovering the unknown - using infrared light, a collaborative network of researchers at Aston University has developed advanced methods of detecting proteins in crystals
  
  
• Ground breaking research at Aston proves that water itself triggers how water transport is regulated in our cells
  
  
• An Aston University alumna is Senior Vice President of Eli Lilly, the 10th largest pharmaceutical company, employing over 38,000 staff worldwide
  
  
• An Aston alumnus is Director of the basmati rice company Tilda, which supplies 51% of the global rice market
  
  
• One of Aston’s alumni is the former Chief Executive Officer of the global company OSI Pharmaceuticals which was sold for $4 billion in 2010
  
  
• An Aston University alumnus is Director of the Aditya Birla Group, a $12 billion conglomerate and one of India’s largest international corporations
  
  
• One of Aston University’s alumni is the inventor of Ropinirole, a drug widely used to treat Parkinson’s disease