Reading in the news - Wed 13 Oct

COVID-19: expert comment on the pandemic

• Dr Simon Clarke (Biological Sciences) was quoted by the  and  on his reaction to George Freeman's comment that obesity and cardiovascular disease is to blame for the UK's Covid-19 experience; and  (and in print) on how the UK’s infection rates compare with Europe. Clips from his Radio 5 Live interview on the report criticising the UK’s early handling of the pandemic were played on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 1Xtra, BBC Radio Asia, BBC Radio Berkshire, BBC Radio Cornwall, BBC Radio Devon, BBC Radio Norfolk, BBC Radio Gloucester, BBC Radio Jersey, BBC Radio Norfolk, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Highlands & Islands, BBC Radio Shetland, BBC Radio Orkney, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Foyle, BBC Radio Wiltshire and BBC Radio Oxford; and he answered listeners’ questions on BBC Radio Berkshire over the weekend about the UK’s travel list.
• Jon Foster-Pedley (Dean and Director of Henley Business School Africa) discussed mandatory vaccinations in the workplace with John Maytham on his podcast, . 
• Dr Al Edwards (Pharmacy) answered listeners' Covid-19 questions on BBC Radio Berkshire.

#PlanetPartners: working with global partners to protect the environment 

• Dr Ella Gilbert (Meteorology) was quoted by the , ,  and  on the importance of limiting global warming.
• Dr Alex Arnall (Agriculture, Policy, and Development) was quoted by , and  on sea-level rise and catastrophic flooding in places around the world, including the UK.
• Professor Mathew Owens (Meteorology) was quoted by , , , , and  on a solar storm that may cause power cuts in the UK.
• The University's climate stripes and high-ranked teaching on climate science were mentioned by  as an example of climate leadership as it laid out Reading’s credentials for city status.
• Professor Ed Hawkins (Meteorology) was mentioned by  and  on his part in designing a shirt featuring the warming stripes to inspire climate action.
• Professor Paul Williams (Meteorology) spoke to BBC Radio Orkney and BBC Radio Shetland on slowing wind speeds which may cause renewable energy shortages.

#UniForReading: reaffirming our role as a civic university

• Sarah Gardner (Community Relations Manager) was quoted by  on last week’s community walkabout event to support students and residents in the community. The initiative was also mentioned by Heart Berkshire. Read our news story.

Other coverage:

• The University was mentioned by  on the Flying Start Program - a course the University is part of which allows students to study and gain paid work experience at the same time.
• Henley Business School was mentioned by  on their upcoming induction of alumni of its AdCademy Masterclass programmes..
• The University was mentioned by , , and  on the record low score achieved by the É«¹·µ¼º½â€™s celebrity team in the 2017 University Challenge final.