Tag: Edinburgh University

University supported companies celebrate EDGE Awards success

Innovators to share in £150K prize fund and other business growth support measures

A host of University of Edinburgh students and alumni who have founded their own startup companies are celebrating after taking honours at this year’s Scottish EDGE Awards.

Xiaoyan Ma, founder of Danu Robotics, an innovative business focused on developing sustainable technological solutions for the benefit of the environment, was named among this year’s main award winners. The company secures £75K in grant funding to accompany its award.

Three other company founders, which have also been supported by Edinburgh Innovations (EI), the University’s commercialisation service, were named as Young EDGE winners. They include Alex Hodson of Podspectrix; Niall McGrath of Robocean; and Elena Höge of Yaldi Games.

Meanwhile Ioannis Stasinopoulos of Prozymi Biolabs, a further EI-supported startup, was named as a Wildcard EDGE award winner. Between them, the four companies will share a further £45K in grant funding along with their awards.

The annual Scottish EDGE Awards, aimed at identifying and supporting Scotland’s up-and-coming, innovative, high-growth entrepreneurial talent, recognises and supports entrepreneurs and startup businesses.

Funded by the Hunter Foundation, the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and private donors, the competition is delivered twice annually and has to date supported 395 early-stage Scottish businesses with over £15m in award funding.

The winners from this year’s Scottish EDGE Awards will share in more than £150K ingrants and benefit from other forms of support and mentoring to help them maximise their growth aspirations.

John Lonsdale, Head of Enterprise Services from Edinburgh Innovations said: “We congratulate all the University of Edinburgh students and alumni in their success at this year’s Scottish EDGE Awards.

“We are delighted to have supported these emerging companies, all of which are focused on developing innovative solutions to some of the key challenges facing society.

“As an organisation committed to helping University of Edinburgh startups reach their full potential, Edinburgh Innovations is proud of its role in supporting entrepreneurs who are driving economic growth in Scotland and beyond.”

Edinburgh coach Hannah is UK Coaching Awards finalist

An athletics coach from Edinburgh has been nominated for a UK Coaching Award, following their incredible community work using sport to educate young people and support their wellbeing throughout the pandemic.

Following a remarkable year of ingenuity and dedication from coaches across the UK, during one of the most challenging periods for sport and activity in recent memory – Hannah Campbell is one of 25 finalists announced ahead of the UK Coaching Awards 2021.

As soon as the pandemic began, Hannah took it upon herself to ensure she was able to keep people engaged within the sport as best she could, even under the difficult circumstances. She proposed to Stirling Triathlon club that she ran live zoom classes for the children, which she ran herself on an entirely voluntary basis. 

In the second lockdown, Hannah went even further. She continued to run online sessions again, but also started up a podcast called Sporting Routes which talked to inspirational athletes, such as Hannah Miley and Fraser Cartmell, in which she discussed candidly discussed their routes to sporting performance and opened a channel in which to discuss the mental health in sports simultaneously.

This was instrumental in continuing to educate young members, but also in perpetuating a culture in which mental health and wellbeing is central to sport.

Proud to see their exceptional coaching contribution recognised, Hannah reflected: “Being selected as a finalist is incredible. To know that you are being recognised by your community is amazing on its own but to then be recognised by UK coaching is really quite surprising given the number of coaches in the UK – I really am honoured. I’m hugely grateful for the opportunity to be involved and cannot wait to hear everyone’s stories.  

“The last two years of coaching has been an incredible opportunity for developing, diversifying and stepping outside of my comfort zone. At first, it was quite challenging trying to come up with ideas of how we were going to continue to engage our athletes and try and support them through everything that was going on, but once we figured out the technical hurdles, it was a fabulous way to explore new coaching styles. 

“Over the past 2 years I have also branched out my coaching from mainly participation level coaching and begun to include some more performance-focused groups – I started working with the Scottish Academy squad and started doing a bit of coaching with our university performance squad which was quite different to the participation coaching I have mainly been doing since I became a coach. This has been a wonderful way to better link my experience as an athlete with my coaching and try out some different sessions.  

“I love helping people progress along their own sporting journey and see the personal development that comes along with that. There’s nothing more rewarding that watching an athlete gain confidence and tick off goals that they have been working towards.”

UK Coaching’s CEO Mark Gannon praised Hannah and each of the exceptional finalists – citing a year of standout coaching talent responding admirably to a host of challenges as we transition out of the pandemic: “Congratulations to Hannah and to each of our finalists.

“This year the bar has been raised once again, and whilst we are fully aware of the power of coaching across the UK, our brilliant coaching workforce continues to surprise us and push the boundaries to support people and their communities. 

“The complications and anxieties caused by the pandemic have affected so many, but coaches have been there every step of the way ready and willing to adapt – not just persevering but excelling. Out of the nation’s darkest moments, coaches have stepped up to be leaders and mentors to their participants, when they need it most – and that is what great coaching is all about. 

“Nearly three million people regularly coach across the UK and joining us in December will be the very best of what is a remarkable workforce, who have responded to the call of a nation who for so long were deprived of ‘normal’ physical activity and sport. 

“Thank you to all our coaches across the UK, and to our finalists. We are all looking forward to celebrating your achievements in December.”

Find out more about UK Coaching and the impact coaches make in communities across the country by heading to ukcoaching.org

Edinburgh University and Wimbledon umpire are among Tennis Scotland award winners

The winners of the Tennis Scotland Awards 2021 have been announced, recognising the exceptional contribution of individuals, clubs, programmes and competitions that helped tennis to thrive in 2020 as participation soared across the country.  

As a result of record-breaking year, the University of Edinburgh secured the Education Award which recognises establishments that displayed innovative attempts at ensuring students could continue to develop throughout lockdown in 2020.

Prior to welcoming a safe return of tennis activity, the university kept students engaged in the sport through online fitness challenges, coaching and virtual social events.

As tennis emerged as one of the first sports to return from lockdown, the university capitalised by training volunteers to ensure that they could run additional sessions to cope with growing demand.

The efforts of coaches and volunteers resulted in all-time high participation figures for the university, with around 360-400 individuals signing up for sessions each week.

Meanwhile, John Frame from Penicuik has been rewarded with a Special Recognition honour in acknowledgement of his many years of dedication to the sport.

Across a glistening career in tennis, John officiated more than 75 matches on Centre Court and Court 1 at Wimbledon between 1975 and 2007; including the mens’ singles final between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in 1999 when he became the first person to chair 3 mens’ finals at the Grand Slam.

As one of a select group of people to have held Gold Badge status as chair umpire, chief umpire and referee, John’s career highlights include officiating in 47 countries at events ranging from the Olympics to Davis Cup ties.

The former school teacher at Penicuik High School has also operated on Tennis Scotland’s board as Tennis Operations Director since 2014.

In total, 13 category winners have been selected to receive awards, in addition to three Special Recognition awards which have been handed to John Stevenson, Rick Gardner and John Frame as an honour for serving the tennis community over a prolonged period.

The award winners were announced yesterday (Friday 23rd April), with an awards ceremony to be held at a later date.

Blane Dodds, Tennis Scotland chief executive, said: “The Tennis Scotland Awards provide the opportune platform to celebrate the hard work and commitment which was the driving force behind our sport’s progression in 2020, in face of the challenges posed by lockdown.

“We were privileged to witness such an outstanding standard of nominations and we are extremely proud of the contributions of the winners and nominees, alongside each individual who played a role in providing a safe and welcoming environment to play our sport last year.

“Following the barriers we faced, it feels more important than ever to acknowledge the drive and passion within our community which resulted in the continued growth of tennis in Scotland.”

Tennis Scotland Awards 2021 winners

Lifetime Achievement – Jan Collins

Volunteer of the Year – Amanda Barclay (West End LTC)

Young Person of the Year – Katie McKay (Wormit & Newport TC)

Coach of the Year: Development – Steven Birrell (Wormit & Newport TC)

Coach of the Year: Performance – Mark Openshaw (Giffnock Tennis Squash and Hockey Club)

Club of the Year – Giffnock Tennis Squash and Hockey Club

Education Award: University – The University of Edinburgh

Disability Award – Chrysalis Tennis

Official of the Year – Olwyn Roy

Competition of the Year – Western Health and Racquets Club: Club Championships 2020

Junior Player of the Year – Ben Hudson

Senior Player of the Year – Hamish Stewart

International Player of the Year – Gordon Reid

Special Recognition – John Frame

Special Recognition – John Stevenson

Special Recognition – Rick Gardner

To learn more about the Tennis Scotland Awards, please visit www.tennisscotland.org or follow @TennisScotland on Twitter and Instagram.

Sunlight linked with lower Coronavirus deaths

Sunnier areas associated with fewer Covid-19 deaths, Edinburgh University study suggests

The top of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh basking in sunshine

Increased exposure to the sun’s rays – specifically UVA – could act as a simple public health intervention if further research establishes it causes a reduction in mortality rates, experts say.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh compared all recorded deaths from Covid-19 in the continental US from January to April 2020 with UV levels for 2,474 US counties for the same time period.

UVA exposure

The study found that people living in areas with the highest level of exposure to UVA rays – which makes up 95 per cent of the sun’s UV light – had a lower risk of dying from Covid-19 compared with those with lower levels. The analysis was repeated in England and Italy with the same results.

The researchers took into account factors known to be associated with increased exposure to the virus and risk of death such as age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, population density, air pollution, temperature and levels of infection in local areas.

The observed reduction in risk of death from Covid-19 could not be explained by higher levels of vitamin D, the experts said. Only areas, with insufficient levels of UVB to produce significant vitamin D in the body, were included in the study.

Nitric oxide

One explanation for the lower number of deaths, which the researchers are following up, is that sunlight exposure causes the skin to release nitric oxide. This may reduce the ability of SARS Coronavirus2 – the cause of Covid-19 – to replicate, as has been found in some lab studies.

Previous research from the same group has shown that increased sunlight exposure is linked to improved cardiovascular health, with lower blood pressure and fewer heart attacks.  As heart disease is a known risk factor in dying from Covid-19, this could also explain the latest findings.

The team say due to the observational nature of the study it is not possible to establish cause and effect. However, it may lead to interventions that could be tested as potential treatments.

The paper has been published in the British Journal of Dermatology, an official publication of the British Association of Dermatologists.

Dr Richard Weller, Consultant dermatologist and Reader at the University of Edinburgh, said: “There is still so much we don’t understand about Covid-19, which has resulted in so many deaths worldwide.

“These early results open up sunlight exposure as one way of potentially reducing the risk of death.”

Professor Chris Dibben, Chair in Health Geography at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The relationship between Covid-19 mortality, season and latitude has been quite striking; here we offer an alternative explanation for this phenomenon.“

Paper published in British Journal of Dermatology 

Edinburgh students in line to win global startup competition with Seagrass planting robot

Seagrass meadows are responsible for 11% of the World’s saltwater CO2 storage – critical to marine biodiversity. However, in the last century 92% of the UK’s seagrass has disappeared. 

In just five months during lockdown, Edinburgh University student Niall McGrath and a team of six others have developed a robot that crawls along the ocean floor re-seeding this vital plant and reducing the need for divers – who traditionally plant it. 

With a lifelong interest in environmental issues. Niall and his team are now the UK’s finalist in Red Bull Basement, which is taking place this weekend – a global event enabling the next generation of entrepreneurs to innovate with purpose. 

Selected from over 3,500 entrants, Niall’s team includes a mechanical engineer who has helped to create the invention, and their dream of sharing ROBOCEAN with David Attenbrough. 

If they win the event this weekend, they’ll have the chance to turn this business into a reality, which could save as much as 2 football fields of seagrass globally every hour.

https://youtu.be/xNN3T1RZVlo

Niall’s video pitch for the business can be seen above, and you can read more about ROBOCEAN here.

Covid Life: How’s It Been For You?

Hi folks

Hope everyone coping with the present situation – it looks like it is going to be a long haul. It would be good if we come out of this with lessons learned … citizens standing up for the NHS and Social Care and the vulnerable in our communities.

Edinburgh University’s Generation Scotland team and network are urgently researching the effect the Covid-19 situation – and the government’s policies regarding it – are having on the lives of people in the U.K, and, importantly, who is being affected.

It is a major survey of which interim results are already beginning to have an impact at national policy level in Scotland.

Its important that with all the work ongoing across NW Edinburgh and the issues we know local people are facing daily, that we feed into this.

It would be great if you would complete the survey through the link below and also share it around youre networks:

https://edinburgh.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Fc6S8ttNkyDHNP
Thanks
 
Linda
on behalf of the MAKING CONNECTIONS GROUP

John McIntyre Conference Centre celebrates ten years of hospitality

A DEDICATED conference centre in the heart of Edinburgh is celebrating 10 years of hospitality – in which time it has transformed the University of Edinburgh into the best campus conference setting in the UK.

Exactly 10 years ago, Edinburgh First opened the University of Edinburgh’s John McIntyre Conference Centre (JMCC) in response to growing demand for a year-round venue devoted to conferencing. Continue reading John McIntyre Conference Centre celebrates ten years of hospitality

Visions for Change: climate crisis

Tuesday 8th October: 5.30 – 7.30pm

Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation

High School Yards, Edinburgh

This past year has seen climate change hit the headlines and awareness of the issue has increased. In this event, we showcase the stories of staff, students and alumni who are on the front-lines of climate change highlighted through our #VoicesofthePlanet campaign and discuss the responses and solutions to the climate crisis.

We’ll hear from policy experts, activists and some of our international students whose home countries are suffering due to inaction on the environment.

Open to all; please get in contact with Rachel.Chisholm@ed.ac.uk with any questions.