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Press Releases Few really want to be millionaires Now you see it, now you don’t: ‘Change blindness’ isn’t magic Price discrimination can boost competition Younger siblings fare worse in educational attainment Boosting poor families' income increases child achievement Informal childcare has negative effects on child development Economists find money is more precious than time What Europeans really think of immigrants' impact on the economy Unskilled immigrants generate few benefits for the economy Introduction of the Euro boosts integration in the eurozone Model predicts how to get ahead in the research stakes Legalising abortion increases a woman's economic power Britain's greatest economist is commemorated Press invite: 2005 Econometric Society World Congress Paralysed individuals gear up to compete using their own leg power Conference alert: Creative Opportunity-seeking in European Research UCL creates new Pro-Provost positions to expand its global horizon UCL study shows beans beat cancer Bicycles meet biology in the evolutionary stakes UCL granted degree awarding powers Anti-money laundering regime comes under scrutiny Scientists take their first virtual stroll using mind control Václav Klaus visit UCL conference to launch global health institute Scientists unravel how the Brits may have struck gold in Olympic sailing Heat dangers forgotten in the battle against air pollution Shrinking speeds up tissue engineering Interactive websites can help manage chronic diseases Schizophrenia: Delusion without illusion Bees solve complex colour puzzles Could plain soap and probiotics beat hospital bugs? ‘Creationism is not science’ – making the case for Darwin at UCL Feeling fat in the festive season? It’s all in your mind Russell Group announces UCL Provost Malcolm Grant as next Chairman Why the Amazon rainforest is so rich in species University speed dating may help opposites attract Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Education and Skills, visits UCL Real-time damage forecasting service for winter storms is launched UCL joins League of European Research Universities Change in travel behaviour required to help achieve global warming targets Extinct giant deer’s descendant found in UK Smoking bans increase kids’ exposure UCL President and Provost's statement on terrorist activity in London Climate change and extreme events conference Lawless World? International Law after 9/11 and Iraq Pattern and Process in Cultural Evolution Scientists weather a space storm to find its origin TB vaccines will fail in developing countries Extravagant but worthless gifts help a guy get the girl Tracking the stream of consciousness How the brain rearranges the body to make sense of the world Blink and you miss it! ATP could bring your breath back Press Invite: Dick Whittington summer school show Friday 8 July UCL raises the neuroscience stakes in a link with French universities Possible IMF/World Bank link to spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa Publishing for the RAE and beyond New report calls for recovery units to boost surgery survival rates Adults can be retrained to learn second languages more easily UCL to celebrate legacy of 'the father' of British science journalism Crafty students to travel the world in 80 ways Changes to law admissions test - issued on behalf of LNAT Calorie restriction not the only way to increase longevity Heavy masonry, old-fashioned radiators, no air-conditioning - modern architecture at UCL Snap up your very own 50 million year-old shark’s tooth Booze is blighting our nation, says George Best’s surgeon These cells recognise faces and only faces Tailor-printed fashion sizes up to the stitch How and why does fairness matter? Two UCL professors elected as Fellows of the Royal Society The role of hash functions in securing information security UCL announces this year's admission to Fellowship UCL establishes committee of enquiry into provenance of incantation bowls UCL's Petrie Museum wins Classic Award at Museums & Heritage Show Brain patterns reveal what is on the unconscious mind UCL Provost reacts to boycott of Israeli universities by AUT Lessons to be learnt from life at the very limit Breakthrough in forecasting US hurricane activity by UCL scientists Testing new manic depression drugs in slime mould: an alternative to the current serendipitous approach Adis Kulo Happy and healthy: the more moments of happiness you experience in life, the healthier you’ll be The impact of its environment on a quantum computer UK and German cities working together to combat climate change You will remember this New thrust needed to tackle health inequalities globally Mountaineering doctors hike medicine to new heights with Xtreme Everest Tracing your family history made easier with old handwriting online guide HIV-1 spread through six transmission lines in the UK Viagra could help Crohn’s disease UCL Centre for Evolution of Cultural Diversity receives £1.25 million five-year grant from Arts and Humanities Research Board US Chief Judge Douglas Ginsburg and European Court of First Instance President Bo Vesterdorf to address UCL Antitrust and Regulation Forum Protein structure could unlock the secret to better TB treatment The Virtuous Scholar: Cleopatra seduced through intellectual prowess not physical beauty, says new book SOAS and UCL combine strengths to win Centre of Excellence for Languages grant National Institute for Medical Research to relocate to University College London Queen Mary and UCL launch largest UK study of suicide in black and ethnic minority groups Abandoned bones suggest TB wiped out leprosy in battle of killer diseases Retrovirus marker identified in motor neuron disease Two minutes of magnetic stimulation can change your brain for an hour Provost Malcolm Grant launches Campaign for UCL in the USA Spinal repair pioneer Professor Geoffrey Raisman speaks on the next steps in spinal repair science A site for sore eyes: New target for allergies found under the eyelid Sudden death from stress linked to wonky signals in the brain Human see, human do: Ballet dancers' brains reveal the art of imitation Mental health check for Lord of the Rings character New device spots potentially fatal heart problems during epileptic seizures Accessing the lunar archive: why humans must return to the Moon Balloon bursts for Noble gases as they come of age Surgeons pinch more than an inch from the arm to rebuild a micropenis Iris Murdoch’s last novel reveals first signs of Alzheimer’s disease How to distinguish Blair from Bond and Maggie from Marilyn Human see, human do: Ballet dancers' brains reveal the art of imitation Davina McCall thanks Camden and Islington mothers involved in new infant feeding study Hidden climactic surprises could make global warming worse UCL is set to audit the ancestral remains in its collections How the battle of Waterloo could help doctors fight death from multiple organ failure Map of Medicine to bring better health to people across southern England UCL to award second Provost's Prize UCL academic wins Entente Cordiale cancer prize Mission to find origins of biggest blast in space is set for launch Shape the future of Clerkenwell Researchers identify a protein that could banish allergies Knowledge may be hazardous to web consumers' health My favourite aunt is purple: Why some people see 'auras' around their loved ones Big Brother in reverse would be Bentham’s ideal state Top economics conference hits London in 2005 Old bones unearth new date for giant deer's last stand UCL Provost Malcolm Grant launches biggest ever fundraising campaign by a UK university UCL helps paraplegics get back on their bikes New UCL Unit holds out hope of repair of spinal cord injuries Launch of new copyright licences aims to help artists share work and boost creativity Hieroglyphics cracked 1,000 years earlier than thought Prickly health meets fine art at the first UCL Arts in Health Awards Martian exploration: life but not as we know it Training for the publishing world needs to be research-led, says UCL academic UCL opens new Thermodynamics and Fluids Laboratories Scientists find brain function most important to maths ability Economists deliver the optimal strategy in the war against drugs 'London Declaration' to rescue cultural heritage Inspiring visual language: the science of art and the art of chemistry Scientists formulate intelligent glass that blocks heat not light Pain in the brain: It's not what you imagine Hearing where it's at: How humans and gerbils learn to locate sound Tickle your thalamus with a touch of TMS Tickle your thalamus with a touch of TMS Stranglehold on science is choking human ingenuity, says UCL professor Pay or go untreated - NHS plc warns of 'privatisation' of NHS Exploring Archaeology day: hands on activities for all the family UCL art historians turn detective to verify a Vermeer That's not my hand! How the brain can be fooled into feeling a fake limb Centenary birthday bash for the birth of electronics Long trip from Surrey to Saturn almost over Lord Woolf announced as next Chair of UCL Council Long term relief from arthritis could evolve from B-cell targeted treatments Survival of the fastest: scientists ‘selectively breed’ winning Formula One cars Fat cells could provide the key to a longer life Astronomers go planet hunting as Venus lines up with the sun Status Syndrome: how your social standing directly affects your health and life expectancy UK and Ireland study shows lower risk of heart disease and stroke in people with Type 2 diabetes taking atorvastatin Read My Lips: UCL Launches Centre for Human Communication Four UCL professors elected as Fellows of the Royal Society Remembrance of smells past: how the brain stores those meaningful memories Writes, Books and Wins: Lynne Truss among this year's winners of UCL Fellowship awards Motion that powers sperm provides key to unravelling rare genetic disorder Crime sleuths crack down on home break-ins using predictive maps Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of Poland, to unveil foundation stone of UCL's School of Slavonic and East European Studies EU enlargement 1st May - School of Slavonic and East European Studies experts available for media comment How the legacy of TV presenter Jill Dando lives on five years after her murder Unravelling the secrets of the brain's smallest cells Lord Woolf, the Lord Chief Justice, to deliver Mishcon Lecture at UCL New hereditary gene linked to Parkinson's disease ‘Too posh for us’ - assessing pupils’ perceptions towards medical training. “Using patients to teach students” - a new project to change the way doctors treat back pain. 'Do they let you out?' - school pupils' views on university presented at UCL conference Professor Ian Jacobs moves to UCL and UCLH 'His is lighter than mine' - why we often think other people's jobs are easier than our own How the ear senses damage caused by noise UCL President and Provost Malcolm Grant to visit Japan Music on the brain UCL spin-out company Ark Therapeutics floated on Stock Exchange UCL welcomes Government’s long-term strategy for science Lord Woolf launches UK’s first human rights library collection at University College London UCL study questions basis for treatment of diseases including cancer and arthritis Comet-chasing spacecraft to launch February 27th Feeling empathy for a loved-one: empathy for pain activates pain-sensitive regions of the brain, says UCL study UCL study establishes common biological ground for maternal and romantic love in humans Bartlett Works – Celebrating the achievements of the Bartlett School of Architecture Princess Royal to open new student accommodation at UCL UK law schools announce new admissions test UCL reaffirms its commitment to widening participation with £2000 student award 3D images of surface of Mars available from Mars Express London Centre for Nanotechnology Showcase Event Unwrapping pictures from Mars for Christmas Clinical trial of Alzheimer’s disease drug shows clear reductions in AD development Initial findings of first comprehensive study into ageing process published Millions of men stand to benefit from new method of treatment for enlarged prostate UCL calls for environmental justice reform SITS - the perfect fit for UCL UCL celebrates Internet pioneers Gel that halves wound healing times wins Medical Futures award Polar bears’ habitat threatened by thinning of Arctic sea ice New bio-active gel cuts wound healing time in half “The Sari” – a unique insight into the lives of contemporary Indian women Egyptology flies into the virtual age New film project to improve doctor-patient relationship launched in UK by UCL UCL expert to present children’s travel findings at safe routes to school conference UCL at the BA Festival of Science Dr Anna Tibaijuka, UN Under Secretary-General, to be awarded UCL honorary degree UCL researchers show new route to quantum computers Molecule in male sperm suppresses female sex drive (in fruit flies) Playground fights “are wired in the brain” say UCL scientists Finnish wife-carrying race among UCL EuroDay events on Thursday 3rd July Environmental Tribunal – a major step forward for environmental justice UCL calls for better Environmental Justice UCL expedition to examine climate change in snowfields of the equator UCL spin-out and top pharmaceutical company to develop anti-cancer agent New Director of GIS at UCL Scientists identify gene for Motor Neurone Disease UCL researcher exposes damaging impact of relationship advice books UCL celebrates 100 years of somatosensory neuroscience Firefly light helps destroy cancer cells UCL welcomes new Provost Real-life "Minority Reports" to help police reduce crime UCL offers police high-tech help to reduce crime New £9m London research centre to reverse deafness UCL awarded UK’s largest award from Science Research Investment Fund Margaret Muller Quantum Computing and Predicting Polymorphs - UCL celebrates £5.4 million grant for Basic Technology Projects Water calculations provide vital data on greenhouse effect Heart disease in women worse than previously thought Heart size proven to be ‘dead cert’ indicator for race performance in horses UCL scientists create first earthquakes in the laboratory Genetics in heart disease and breast cancer UCL launches the UK's first Crime Science Laboratory Arthritis cure 'firmly on the agenda', successful drug trial reveals UCL and MIT team up for first human internet touch Stronger 'buckle up' laws change attitudes among young drivers Report explodes myth of English holiday homes in Wales Londoners facing imminent risk of tidal flooding London's risk management plans 'not moved beyond great plague and fire of London' Art meets science in a novel prototype that will put the scents into architectural design New cancer drug possible from compound found in common food Dust threatens Kyoto protocol Rhyme and rhythm offers new approach on dyslexia Londoners to take centre stage in capital's first environment summit Molecular switch the key to breakthrough cures on many fronts UCL scientists develop urine test to detect bladder cancer Dust mite research to provide relief for asthma sufferers Virtual web buddy to spearhead UCL aim to widen access UCL announces 2002 honorary degrees New space telescope aims to seek out and record explosive gamma ray bursts UCL art and architecture first to show this summer Knock out blood protein drug signals possible new treatment for Alzheimer's and diabetes Minister launches new initiative to ensure that local talent meets university challenge Future of university learning on display at conference this week Capital to host first Euro Youth Summit this week Learning from HOME, can the Internet change our behaviour? 'Hybrid' Science Library to open at University College London UCL art school to set up first 'businessman in residence' Treasury power 'threatens academic freedom', keynote speech at UCL will claim Lessons for the Underground - how technology can improve public transport in London Jill Dando Institute conference to spotlight new technology role in fight against crime September the 11th and after: reflections on the war against terrorism Volcano disaster highlights need for geohazard research and mitigation UCL marks a place in British intellectual history for John Stuart Mill Sally MacDonald appointed Director of UCL Museums and Collections CONFERENCE: ‘Immigration: Impacts, Integration and Intergenerational Issues’ ‘Immigration: Impacts, Integration and Intergenerational Issues’ Latest science requires better policies to address impact of climate change Test UCL scientists gauge pain in premature babies Brain shape predicts language learning success Test 2 test3 test4 Autism explained by weaker brain links Scientists reveal how a novel ceramic achieves directional conduction Discovery of Antarctic subglacial rivers may challenge excavation plans New drug could reduce tissue damage after heart attack UCL Press Invite: An Ear to the Future Middle-aged English people are healthier than their American counterparts UCL press invite: ‘El Nino: can predictions reduce hazard risk?’ Wasps queue for top job Sir Hugh Laddie appointed to Chair in Intellectual Property Law at UCL Fabled equatorial icecaps to disappear UCL project will aim to build sustainable communities UCL Press Invite: Life at the Limits Press invite: UN Environment Programme launches State of the World's Deserts report First custom-designed pedestrian accessibility lab launched UCL conference: HOLIVAR 2006 – Natural Climate Variability and Global Warming Massive-star supernovae found to be major space dust factories To profit or explore – it seems that is the question UCL launch: MSc in Environmental Systems Engineering Climate change is often only the trigger not the culprit in the collapse of civilisations Intimate encounters with desirable objects at UCL Our grip on reality is slim, says UCL scientist Earliest known ‘bling’ revealed Earliest known ‘bling’ revealed Royal Institution Friday Evening Discourses 2006 to be held at UCL UCL Provost expresses concern at Israel academic boycott vote What do language, frogs and savants have in common? UCL marks centenary of unique Jewish collection Press invite: Launch of new findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing Heat halts pain inside the body Looking at the body in a whole new light Clinical research boosted at UCL and UCLH Full 3-D image of nanocrystals’ interior created by shining X-rays through them Longitudinal study of ageing reveals health and wealth relationship Germans set up an apartheid-like society in Britain Novelty aids learning Solo living is a potential environmental time bomb Irrational decisions driven by emotions Contagious canine cancer Too many men could destabilise society Science says Kandinsky was right – paintings can be heard Egyptian Fantasia: Leading artists supporting a new home for the Petrie Museum of Egyptology at unique event Feelings matter less to teenagers Boat paint to blame for Norfolk Broads’ desolation UCL appoints new Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Saving historical buildings from ravages of climate change New gene linked to bipolar disorder Humble shoelace tag carried more currency than gold on Columbus’s travels Black tea soothes away stress Student successes celebrated at London event UCL Lunch Hour Lectures Autumn 2006 Diary Notice - Launch of UCL Laws "Current Legal Problems" Lecture Series Royal Institution Friday Evening Discourses kick off at UCL on 20th October Diary Notice - UCL and University of East London (UEL) team up to launch “Building Sustainable Communities” programme Diabetes gene carries similar risk to obesity Ethnic immigrants miss out in UK job market despite higher educational qualifications A royal guide to Mars: UCL scientists add another dimension to Buckingham Palace Science Day The next small thing: Pioneering nanotech centre is launched Making global learning a reality at UCL Cunningham Report: Government can’t stop onward march of Lords’ powers IT systems designed to protect kids will put them at risk instead UK's largest uni space research group secures €6 million industry contracts Leading materials scientist appointed to new nanotech Chair Study reveals the public’s willingness to use specific nanoproducts Rogue odour theory could be right Cyberspace may overcome ethical constraints in experiments A Future for the Past: Petrie’s Palestinian Collection exhibition at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS Trusting your instincts leads you to the right answer New evidence: cancer is a stem cell disease Scientists develop first test to predict onset of preeclampsia in pregnant women UCL to host UK premiere of first intelligent design documentary film UCL diary notice: Future Fossils Unexpected cooling effect in Saturn’s atmosphere found The lost Coleridge Dig deeper to find Martian life Advance in understanding of blood pressure gene could lead to new treatments Male-killing bacteria makes female butterflies more promiscuous Lords reform plans provide opportunity for “a real clean-up” says constitutional thinktank UCL signs agreement with Sewon Cellontech to deliver orthopaedic treatments using stem cell therapies Sandy Shandro appointed new Dean of the UCL Faculty of Laws UCL Professor speaks at South Bank Centre on technology surveillance, 27th February 2007 Early Europeans unable to stomach milk New medical finding: treatment for gum disease could also help the heart UCL and Abbey sign cooperation agreement New centre could ‘lead the world’ in neuromuscular research UCL Constitution Unit comments on Lords reform ahead of Commons vote Artwork auction to aid cervical screening project in Nigeria The impact of immigration on UK wages Subliminal advertising leaves its mark on the brain UCL scientist receives Max Planck Research Award 2007 Zinc link to leading cause of blindness has echoes of Alzheimer’s disease Was Shakespeare lame? New survey evidence on the health and wellbeing of England’s older generation The root of dyscalculia found Incantation Bowls and UCL Man behind clothing industry revolution to speak in Singapore Napoleon duped the British over Copenhagen Setting the research agenda in Eastern Europe Journalists find Freedom of Information Act 'useful but frustrating' First clinical trial of gene therapy for childhood blindness X-ray holograms expose secret magnetism Childhood environment influences reproductive function UCL scientist develops a measure of distraction UK scientists set their sights on cure for AMD Dr Kian Tajbakhsh Scientists discover brain area that helps to suppress unconscious actions Investment banks magnet for PhD students Autistic children could learn through stereotypes Aramaic Incantation Bowls - joint statement from UCL and the Schoyen Collection Making waves: how UCL research could minimise the impact of future tsunami Search for the water of life - UCL astronomers find water on extra-solar planet Hidden order found in a quantum spin liquid Last minute rethink First out-of-body experience induced in laboratory setting Fishermen give their views on protection of marine fish stocks and ecosystems Britain’s longest serving space science department celebrates 40th birthday Event marks opening of new UCL Cancer Institute UCL and Dell join forces to create Legion university supercomputer Individuals with high fear of crime twice as likely to suffer from depression Virtual robots duped by illusions help to explain human vision UCL launches Carbon Capture and Storage legal initiative A longer-living, healthier mouse that could hold clues to human ageing ‘Twinkle’ eye test could improve AMD diagnosis SolarFox hits the halfway stage Photo opportunity with a unique display of 30 classic Lotus cars, including four Fomula One championship-winning designs from 1965, 1968, 1973 and 1978. Photo opportunity with a unique display of 30 classic Lotus cars, including four Fomula One championship-winning designs from 1965, 1968, 1973 and 1978. A unique experiment with chlorine - and a new way of teaching Unique database mapping ‘expression’ of genes in the brain could lead to new, targeted treatments Going for Gold - UCL helps athletes in medal quest UCL enters top ten of THES-QS World University Rankings UCL selected for national public engagement scheme UCL a Beacon for Public Engagement UCL virtual trading floor to train financial services professionals of the future Don't judge a brook by its colour - brown waters are more natural Organic ‘building blocks’ discovered in Titan’s atmosphere How our relatives were like gorillas - fossils illustrate sex differences in growth and the costs of being a male Prime Minister Gordon Brown backs future world class medical research centre in St Pancras land sale Prime Minister Gordon Brown backs future world class medical research centre in St Pancras land sale The fine line between stability and instability - when do gas giants reach the point of no return? Unsupervised children are more sociable and more active BERT tells ERNI it’s time to grow a brain Differences in cognitive abilities between the sexes Press reports referring to Dr Luke Freeman UCL Diary Notice: The Return of Syphilis Virtual human in HIV drug simulation Government housing programme set to be ‘environmental disaster’, says UCL academic Increased hurricane activity linked to sea surface warming Study shows increase in survival rates of extremely premature infants at London hospital Exhibition of busy, buzzing bumblebees unites science and art Drive for fun, not for need How believing can be seeing: study shows how context dictates what we believe we see Giant frog jumps continents Imitating monkey’s ‘jumping genes’ could lead to new treatments for HIV UCL Business concludes £10 million sale of Stanmore Implants Worldwide UCL application to sponsor Academy school successful Biomagnetics developed for use in new breast cancer tests Tighter tummies: a new way to combat weight gain The Talking Brain Public Inconvenience: The Politics of Toilets in India Establishment of the UCL Wiley Scholarship in Publishing Grappling with grammar: How the brain copes in language impaired kids Sir Stephen Wall announced as next Chair of UCL Council Interculturality, Politics and Society – Lessons from the Nordic Countries Mind the Gap: Gender equality event at UCL, 18th March 2008 UCL appoints two professors of Property Law Hyperactive girls face problems as adults Heart failure treated ‘in the brain’ New horizons in modelling surface processes The Eastman celebrates 60 years of excellence in treatment, training and research UCL and The Lancet join forces to address forgotten cost of climate change – human health Top researchers and doctors gather to tackle women’s health issues Scientific Freedom: The Elixir of Civilisation Low-carbon living takes off in the US New rocky planet found in constellation Leo Hepatitis B virus triggers cell ‘suicide’ in patients with chronic infection The London Debate Results of world’s first gene therapy for inherited blindness show sight improvement Results of world's first gene therapy for inherited blindness show sight improvement UCL Enterprise Awards to recognise business successes of academics and students ‘Emotional inflation’ leads to stock market meltdown Professor Quentin Pankhurst to head the new Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory at the Royal Institution ‘Deaf by God’ tried in Old Bailey records UCL researchers publish Summary Care Record (SCR) evaluation Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust helps fund the ship designers of tomorrow UCL signs landmark agreement with South Australia to establish School in Adelaide UCL launches 'UCL on iTunes U' in the iTunes Store UCL launches Institute of Brand and Innovation Law UCL–China Research Festival, Friday 13 June, UCL Successful first test of high speed ‘penetrator’ China’s excess males: government must do more 150 years after the Great Stink: StinkFest Architectural jelly banquet Bring back big windows 300 papers presented at major London economics conference 300 papers to be presented at major London economics conference 300 papers to be presented at major London economics conference Britain’s last Neanderthals were more sophisticated than we thought UCL neuroscientist receives international prize for ‘pioneering work’ How pain scores in babies From football to flocks to fighting – how mathematicians model it all Sound of jelly wobbling Scientists generally happy with their media interaction Hyperactive immune system offers window to the brain in degenerative disease Evolving Buildings and Cities Symposium Genetic variation increases HIV risk in Africans Duo double award ‘Obesity gene’ works by influencing appetite Genetic losses and duplications may cause schizophrenia Choose and Book failing to deliver choice for patients Three-day drawing festival launches The Big Draw 2008 Europe’s largest academic health science partnership created in London 125th anniversary of extinction of quagga – now rarest skeleton in world 'Stereotype threat' could affect exam performance of ethnic minority medical students Aboriginal kids can count without numbers Creating unconventional metals - International team discovers quantum halfway house between magnet and semiconductor UCL academics awarded prestigious prizes for work on the heart Striking new ‘Beacon’ lights up Old Street Universities develop a more sustainable future Is human evolution over? Professor Steve Jones kicks off autumn UCL Lunch Hour Lectures Unlocking the secret of the Kondo Effect Professor Dame Hazel Genn new Dean of UCL Laws UCL Provost appointed Business Ambassador by Prime Minister Human evolution is over, says UCL academic UCL climbs to 7th in the THE-QS World University Rankings UCL’s entrepreneurs to attend venture capital ‘boot camp’ Nanotechnology boosts war on superbugs Earliest known human TB found in 9000 year-old skeletons UCL academics to undertake study of tribunal decision-making Charles Darwin of Gower Street The Zen of Running – or, why jogging is not completely stupid… Seeing red – in the number seven Students unite to tackle global health issues UCL Festival of the Moving Image, 4-7 November Are you phonagnosic? The great cosmic challenge Brain’s ‘hate circuit’ identified Light drinking in pregnancy not bad for children, says UCL study Medical benefits being delayed by slow uptake of new medical technologies Professor Sir Cyril Chantler appointed Chair of UCL Partners Putting a new spin on current research Astronomers catch binary star explosion inside nebula New test for depression One ml of alcohol hand rub reduces MRSA by one percent UCL/UEL Conference: De-Medicalising Misery UCL Diary Notice: HM the Queen of the Netherlands to visit UCL New Venture Research Prize for ambitious thinkers Antisocial, invasive cells are the basis of cancer UCL to establish an Asia-Pacific base from 2009 UCL to establish an Asia-Pacific base from 2009 How healthy are our children? New evidence from the latest Health Survey for England RAE 2008 confirms UCL’s multidisciplinary research strength Premature babies have altered sensory responses in later life Mountaineers measure lowest human blood oxygen levels on record UCL Lunch Hour Lecture Spring Series 2009 First baby tested for BRCA1 before conception born in UK People are more suggestible under laughing gas Why you can’t hurry love UCL Diary Notice: 2009 Global Citizenship Lectures Language driven by culture, not biology Reptile fossil reignites debate over New Zealand submergence ‘Abusive behaviour’ towards people with dementia by family carers is common New tactics to tackle bystander’s role in bullying Philippe Sands to assess likely shifts in US policy under President Obama Internal choices are weaker than those dictated by the outside world UCL to fill national funding gap for overseas research students with £1 million annual scheme Camden Academy decision-making process approved UCL Diary Notice: Lecture with Dr Shan Jixiang Consultation on Adastral Park activity UCL Diary Notice: Lecture with Professor Allen Guelzo Influence of ‘obesity gene’ can be offset by healthy diet Actress Anna Chancellor opens new rheumatology facilities at UCL New equipment donated by ‘Bottoms Up’ bowel cancer charity Lecture: Captain Jerry Roberts on codebreaking, Hitler and the dawn of the Computer Age UCL Partners becomes one of UK’s first Academic Health Science Centres Professor Tony Owen appointed first Director of UCL SERAus UCL cuts fees for returning graduates Hollow mask illusion fails to fool schizophrenia patients UCL tackles credit crunch with free training and consultancy Angels and Demons: The Real Physics Climate change is the biggest health threat of the 21st Century UCL Carbon Capture Legal Programme receives £675,000 cash boost £675,000 for UCL Carbon Capture Legal Programme 20 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, is it time to re-shape politics once more? UCL to implement Open Access policy to all research High population density triggers cultural explosions The Ancient World in Silent Cinema Was Britain “built on the blood of slaves”? Funding for built environment initiatives UCL Partners: new managing director and six programme directors appointed New leadership team for UCL Life and Medical Sciences Teens struggle with others’ perspectives UCL Sustainable Cities Launch Spread your sperm the smart way UCL Bloomsbury and 'Israel 61' UCL signs agreement with Arup Seeing the light: Rediscovering the historic River Fleet The Benefit of Migration: new evidence of the fiscal costs and benefits of migration to the UK from Central and Eastern Europe London’s lost warships rediscovered UCL Exhibition: Your Universe London’s earliest timber structure found during Belmarsh prison dig Nano-magnets guide stem cells to damaged tissue UCL Conference: Motherhood in the 21st Century Milk drinking started around 7,500 years ago in central Europe Poor money saving linked to general impulsiveness Europe's first farmers replaced their Stone Age hunter-gatherer forerunners New clues in Easter Island hat mystery Event: Cultural Property: an ethical resource for study and enjoyment Climate forcing of geological and geomorphological hazards, UCL conference, 15-17 September UCL Lunch Hour Lecture Autumn Series 2009 Virtual trading floor open to media, 24 September UCL Event: Object Retrieval: You are the Routemaster Mystery of ‘Dr Granville’s Mummy’ finally resolved UCL Event: Disposal? UCL climbs to 4th in the 2009 THE-QS World University Rankings UCL to establish new centre for ethics and law Scientist seeks answers on complex life and origin of species thanks to UCL award ‘Magnetricity’ observed and measured for the first time Transatlantic Research and Healthcare Alliance Announced Between Yale University, UCL and Yale-New Haven Hospital UCL events to explore capital’s portrayal in writing from eastern Europe Launch of UCL Laws Centre for Criminal Law Angels, putti, dragons and fairies: believing the impossible Call us: +44 (0)20 7679 9041 The UCL Media Relations team is the university’s central press office. We connect journalists to expert academics and promote UCL research and teaching throughout the global media. More contact information AAA Services Find an Expert Press Releases CONTACT US Journalists find Freedom of Information Act 'useful but frustrating' Publication date: Apr 24, 2007 12:01:55 PM In the latest edition of Open Government Journal, researchers from the UCL Constitution Unit report that journalists in the UK, though happy to have freedom of information, find the response and appeal process under the FOIA 2000 frustrating. The researchers looked at why journalists use the FOIA 2000, how they find the response and appeals processes, and whether they think the FOIA 2000 is ‘succeeding’ against the objectives set out for it. By analysing articles based on FOI-obtained information in 2005 and by conducting nine interviews with newspaper journalists (both broadsheet and tabloid) during the autumn of 2006, the researchers found that there was significant disappointment with the operation of the Act. Frustrations centred on delays, liberal use of exemptions and long periods of waiting during the internal review and ICO appeal processes. However, there is also an upside - journalists used the Act to good effect when writing investigative stories, particularly articles of a historical nature, articles based on statistical or performance data, and articles for which access to original documents or papers was required. “The media is the conduit through which most of the public learn about FOI,” said Robert Hazell, director of the Constitution Unit. “Therefore, what they choose to publish is important. Predictably, most information is related to government’s use of taxpayers’ money and policies implemented by government. The problems journalists experience with the administration of the act is not necessarily unique to them – the act is fairly new and still bedding down. It remains to be seen, if and when the proposed new fee regulations are implemented, whether journalists feel the brunt more than others.” The paper is a preliminary part of the ESRC-funded FOI evaluation study being carried out by the Unit since January 2007. The study will focus on central government implementation of the FOIA 2000. The main objectives of the study are to clarify the aims of FOI, and evaluate whether those have been met through empirical testing of the effects of the act. In addition to media content analysis, methods will include surveys of FOI requesters and of senior managers and officials in central government, analysis of departments’ publication schemes and FOI request disclosure logs. NOTES TO EDITORS · The Constitution Unit is a specialist think tank working on the implementation of constitutional reform. It is independent and non-partisan, based in the School of Public Policy at University College London. · The Unit’s Director can be contacted on 020 7679 4971 ([email protected]). Press Officer Brian Walker can be contacted on 07802 176347 ([email protected]). The Unit’s Administrator Victoria Spence can be contacted on 020 7679 4977 ([email protected]). The main UCL Press Office can be contacted on 020 7679 7678. · Featured Publication: Open Government Journal · For further information on our FOI research, please see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitutionunit/foidp/ About UCL Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender, and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine. In the government’s most recent Research Assessment Exercise, 59 UCL departments achieved top ratings of 5* and 5, indicating research quality of international excellence. UCL is the fourth-ranked UK university in the 2006 league table of the top 500 world universities produced by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. UCL alumni include Mahatma Gandhi (Laws 1889, Indian political and spiritual leader); Jonathan Dimbleby (Philosophy 1969, writer and television presenter); Junichiro Koizumi (Economics 1969, Prime Minister of Japan); Lord Woolf (Laws 1954, Lord Chief Justice of England & Wales); Alexander Graham Bell (Phonetics 1860s, inventor of the telephone), and members of the band Coldplay. Disclaimer Freedom of Information Accessibility Privacy Cookies Contact Us University College London - Gower Street - London - WC1E 6BT Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 2000 © UCL 1999–2016