Category: Research

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Researchers call for transparency on social media content moderation to combat Covid-19

There is little doubt over the great potential of melding artificial intelligence with digital epidemiology to combat Covid19 effectively: the study of large amounts of online published data ranging from social media posts to trending hashtags can aid health officials in their task to track outbreaks quickly and target responses. At the same time, large technology companies hold a wealth of unpublished information (private posts, search keywords, location and interaction data with contacts) that could help epidemiologists further. To this end, LETS Lab at the School of Law and Criminology has joined forces with a network of organisations and researchers in an open letter urging social media and content sharing platforms to archive material for research.

According to LETS Director, Dr Argyro Karanasiou, the lockdown policies imposed globally have boosted an unprecedented flow of information via online platforms used for social purposes. At the same time the ever familiar danger of spreading misinformation online is now met with solely automated means of moderating content online, which needs to be transparent and audible as it may well compromise free speech and privacy. The letter urges tech giants to archive such data so that they can be studied further “to evaluate the macro and micro level consequences of relying on automation to moderate content in a complex and evolving information environment. (…) It is essential that platforms preserve this data so that it can be made available to researchers and journalists and included in your transparency reports. The data will be invaluable to those working in public health, human rights, science and academia. It will be crucial to develop safeguards to address the privacy issues raised by new or longer data retention and by the sharing of information with third parties, but the need for immediate preservation is urgent.” 

The open letter has been published by Article19 and can be viewed here.

Congratulations to Dr Argyro Karanasiou for being an active voice and stealing the spotlight!

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Dr Elena Vacchelli represents Greenwich in Research Migration meeting in Senegal

Dr Elena Vacchelli was recently invited to attend an ‘Expert meeting on the cooperation between Africa and Europe‘ in Dakar, Senegal. The event took place earlier this year and was the final meeting of the Horizon 2020 project CrossMigration. Dr Vacchelli delivered a well received talk highlighting methodological aspects of her research. The 2 day meeting focused on the cooperation between Africa and Europe for a strategic research agenda on migration and was attended by over 40 participants including international organisations and NGOs.

Amongst the organising committee was Papa Sakho, Geography Professor at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar and Riccardo Pozzo, History and Philosophy Professor at Tor Vergata University in Rome.

  • The panel of experts
Expert Professor Riccardo Pozzo

Congratulations to Dr Vacchelli for putting Greenwich on the map and stealing the spotlight!

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New documentary films reveals Artistic Research Practices Applied in the Creation of Immersive Hyperreal Soundscapes, by Dr Andrew Knight-Hill

Last summer Dr Andrew Knight-Hill (School of Design) led a HEIF funded research project to investigate the affordances in new multichannel audio technologies. In partnership with international loudspeaker manufacturer L Acoustics, Dr Knight-Hill assembled a team of world leading sound creatives including sound artist Brona Martin and Hollywood sound designer Paula Fairfield (Game of Thrones, LOST), to interrogate the possibilities available in these novel technologies through artistic research. 

“Engineers built them, but do they really understand how these tools can be used?” said Dr Knight-Hill, “often we think of knowledge in-terms of abstract facts, but there are many different ways of understanding the world. By applying creative methodologies to experiment, test possibilities and push their limits, we are able to access deeper understandings of these tools and reveal new possibilities for how they can be used.”

The applied practice methodology engaged world leading artists in the development of immersive sound works which were performed, alongside compositions by undergraduates students on the BA Sound Design programme of the University, to audiences in Highgate at the L Acoustics L-ISA lab.

Potential beneficiaries for this research project include: engineers and developers of multichannel audio systems, post-production sound professionals, student composers engaged in the project and composers and sound artists engaging in multichannel composition. 

A documentary crew was able to capture the unique events and interview the project participants. These films are now available online and provide an insight into the exciting new world of immersive hyperreal sound. Another proud moment for the University of Greenwich.

Congratulations to Dr Andrew Knight-Hill for stealing the spotlight!

Watch the films and get immersed in the project here:

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Mind the Gap – Social vs Physical distancing, a point of view from Professor Ed Galea

COVID-19 may have changed our lives forever. Why? It seems uniquely designed to create segregation, while attempting to nest us, confused? So am I.

Conflicting information on how to stay safe, protect yourself and others, is thrown at us every day; ‘stay home, go out, use a mask, don’t use it, outdoor exercise, no outdoor exercise’… At least, one thing we’re clear – keep your distance!

Luckily for us, Greenwich’s own Professor Ed Galea managed to give a different view on what is being said about social distancing and how to do it responsibly. The Professor writes a series of articles on LinkedIn that may just change our minds and behaviours when out and about.

Stay Home, Stay Safe, Save Lives!

Image credits: Prof Ed Galea
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UOG Sociology student is a panellist at conference hosted by the University of York

From Margins to Centre?: An Undergraduate Conference on Marginalised Histories! was a one day conference attended by Gabriel B. Couto Ribas, a Sociology a BSc Hons Sociology and Psychology at the University of Greenwich, which took place 28th February 2020 at the University of York. The conference had a particular focus on LGBT+ history, women’s history, BME history and history of disability. Aimed specifically at undergraduate students to involve them in the discipline.

Olivia Wyatt, Clare Burgess, Dr Louise Owusu-Kwarteng and Gabriel B. Couto Ribas

Gabriel was an invited panellist and presented the paper ‘Drag and Me’ – Autobiographical reflections on the impact of drag artistry in my life- a very personal approach, shared in the recently published autobiography ‘Livin’ Our Best Lives: Autobiographical Reflections of life in Current Times’ soon available online.

The keynote speech was given by Catherine Hall, Emerita Professor of History at UCL , with panels chaired by Jonathan Saha and Sue Lemos.

Congratulations to Gabriel and the Applied Sociology Group!

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University of Greenwich PhD Student wins Curran Fellowships award

The University of Greenwich is proud to announce that PhD student Beth Gaskell has been awarded the Curran Fellowships. The grants were founded by pioneer researcher Eileen Curran to support primary source and archival research into the periodical press of 19th-century Britain and its empire. The 2020 Curran Fellowships include: Beth Gaskell, The History of Early Regimental Journals 

This grant will enable Beth to pursue her work on C19 military periodicals after her PhD, which is nearly completed.

More detail of the Curran Fellowships can be found at

http://rs4vp.org/awards/curran-fellowship/  

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Creatively Engaging with BAMER communities in Greenwich

Written by Professor Tracey Reynolds, Research Lead of Applied Sociology Research Group  and Rohima  Begum Miah (Sociology Graduate and GWES intern)

The Applied Sociology Research Group is new to University, established in September 2016. This multi-disciplinary group consolidates and brings together social science research across schools/departments located in various Faculties. The research groups’ key thematic priorities are: 

  • Enhancing citizenship and participation for marginalised groups
  • Social inclusion, health and wellbeing
  • Community engagement

Since the group’s inception we have placed particular emphasis on creative, participatory and applied social research for community engagement partnerships with voluntary and community organisations to identify and respond to the needs of the local community using research for social activism. Oftentimes this involves developing research projects in  collaboration with voluntary organisations and social justice agencies. We have organised various activities, events with the aim of promoting and supporting research and engagement activities with marginalised groups in local community settings. For list of recent activities please project website Applied Sociology https://www.gre.ac.uk/ach/research/centres/asrc

Our most recent example, was an event organised in celebration of Black History Month 2019. Entitled ‘United By/Divided By Race, Ethnicity and Gender: Inter-generational legacies  explored’  this event involved collaboration with Caribbean Social forum, a local community organisation for BAME/Caribbean elders and National Maritime Museum, based in Greenwich (26th October 2019). The University’s campus Bathway Theatre in Woolwich, situated in the heart of Woolwich, with an ethnically diverse community, provided the ideal place in which to hold this event. 

The event sought to commemorate the history, achievements and legacies of Black people in the UK, across ethnic, gender  and generation divides. It was important for us to also celebrate the contribution  of Black people to UK society and raise public awareness and knowledge of Black history and culture. In addition to being a day of celebration, we also wanted it to be a learning too and the activities that took place on the day very much spoke to our ethos of the importance of participatory learning!

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ISEC Team from the University of Greenwich attracts H2020 ENSURESEC Project

The Internet of Things and Security (ISEC) research group has attracted a new H2020 project, called ENSURESEC, which has a total budget of 9 Million Euro (UoG share: 489K Euro). The P.I. is Muhammad Taimoor Khan and the team also includes Ivana Tomic, George Loukas and Georgia Sakellari. It will be a sociotechnical solution for safeguarding the Digital Single Market’s e-commerce operations against cyber and physical threats.

It combines an automatic, rigorous, distributed and open-source toolkit for protecting the e-commerce infrastructure, with monitoring of the impact of threats in physical space and a campaign for training SMEs and citizens aimed at creating awareness and trust. It addresses the whole gamut of modern e-commerce, from standard physical products purchased online and delivered via post, to entirely virtual products or services delivered online.

A huge congratulations to the team on the achievement!

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LOUDSPEAKER ORCHESTRA CONCERT SERIES

Tuesday 28th January 2020, 7pm – St Alfege Church, Greenwich

The School of Design and the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences invite you to the next concert in the Loudspeaker Orchestra Concert Series in the historic St Alfege Church. 

Explore Ensemble immerses instruments and audiences among a live 3D loudspeaker orchestra to present the London premiere of Natasha Barrett’s ‘Sagittarius A*’ and rare modernist works reimagined with ambisonic technology .

Explore Ensemble work at the radical frontiers of new music, offering audiences outstanding performances of internationally acclaimed composers, advocating music rarely heard in the UK, and working closely with composers on new works to foster a repertoire for the future. Described as ‘Indefatigably outstanding’, Explore Ensemble have featured at several editions of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival while performing alongside the EXAUDI Vocal Ensemble, as well as feature on BBC Radio 3, at London’s Principal Sound Festival, Cafe OTO, Kings Place, the Royal College of Music, and outside of London in Manchester, Leeds, Oxford, and Germany.

The Loudspeaker Orchestra presents immersive acoustic experiences through programmed concerts of multichannel sound design, sonic art and electroacoustic music. Regular concerts, featuring work by international artists alongside students of Sound Design, take place in and around Greenwich.

The musical programme will be complemented with a free glass of wine in the interval.

Tickets are FREE for University of Greenwich students and staff, and £5 for external guests.

BOOKING ESSENTIAL: https://explore-ensemble-loudspeaker-orchestra-concert.eventbrite.co.uk.

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Media History Study Day 2020

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Study Day is funded by Media History, an interdisciplinary journal that focuses on media and society from the fifteenth century to the present; the Media History Seminar, a London-based interdisciplinary group working on a range of media including print, radio, film, and digital communications technologies from various time periods; Queen Mary University of London; the Birkbeck Centre for Nineteenth-Century Studies; the Institute of English Studies; and the Institute of Historical Research. The Study Day is organised by PhD Researcher Ann Hale from the University of Greenwich, who is able to answer any questions that may arise.

While PGRs/ECRs are encouraged to share work that resonates with the theme, submissions on all media-related subjects are welcome. Participants will give 10-minute presentations on their works-in-progress followed by a 5-minute discussion of a question/problem related to their research. Research posters or presentations in alternative formats will also be considered.

Media History Study Day 2020 is an opportunity for postgraduate students (PGRs) and early career researchers (ECRs) working on any aspect of media studies to share and discuss their work in a collegial, multidisciplinary environment. ECRs/PGRs working on media from any time period, social/cultural context, or perspective are invited
to participate, including, but not limited to, those examining book history, broadcast media, electronic media, ephemera, film, journalism, media theory, newspapers, periodicals, or print culture.

MEDIA HISTORY STUDY DAY 2020: MEDIA LIVES
DATE: Wednesday, March 18, 2020 TIME: TBD–19:30
LOCATION: Birkbeck, University of London, 43 Gordon Square, London
KEYNOTE: Dr. Rebecca Roach, University of Birmingham, 18:00–19:30

ABSTRACT DEADLINE: February 1, 2020

For more information on how to participate and apply, please access

Media History Seminar Website