A celebration of emerging creative talent — with a rich tradition of showcasing award-winning student work — is set to open at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) for its annual art and design showcase.

Graduate Festival 25 by the Nottingham School of Art & Design, and the Student Showcase from the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, will both open at NTU’s City Campus and a range of external venues in Nottingham.

The exhibitions – which are free to the public – span a wide spectrum of creative disciplines, including fashion, knitwear and textile design; fashion marketing and communication; fine art, photography, film and animation; graphic design and illustration; stage and screen design; product and furniture design; as well as architecture, interior architecture and architectural technology.

NTU students will also present their work at leading national events in London, including Graduate Fashion Week – the world’s largest showcase of new fashion talent – and New Designers, where disciplines such as product design, textiles, illustration, and animation will be represented. Graphic design students will also feature at D&AD New Blood, celebrating the brightest new talent in visual communication.

The university continues to partner with Nottingham’s vibrant creative community, with exhibitions and installations hosted in collaboration with local venues such as Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham Playhouse, Backlit, Surface Gallery and the Carousel, expanding the festival’s citywide presence.

The Graduate Festival 25 begins today (12 May) with Filmmaking and Design for Film and Television student work going on show at the new Design & Digital Arts (D&DA) building. This is then followed by a range of other exhibitions, with full details available via ntu.ac.uk/gradfest.

The Student Showcase begins on 30 May with a public exhibition of product design, furniture design and architecture in the Newton building. Full details are available via ntu.ac.uk/c/adbe-student-showcase.

Michael Marsden, Executive Dean of the Nottingham School of Art & Design, said: “Creativity and design shape our surrounding physical and cultural environments, and the Graduate Festival 25 is an opportunity for the public to get a glimpse of the future.

“These shows represent not only the end of our students’ academic journeys, but the start of their bold and exciting creative careers. We invite the public to engage with our students’ work, hear their stories, and experience what the future of design will look like.”

Dr Andrew Knight, Executive Dean of the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, said: “The annual showcase is always a proud moment for NTU, as it highlights the ingenuity and commitment of our students who apply creative thinking to real-world design challenges.

“These exhibitions offer the chance to see not only fantastically executed designs and prototypes, but also the deep research and problem-solving that goes into every concept. We look forward to welcoming members of the public to see them.”

Exhibitions vary by course area and dates. For full details – and to book for ticketed events – visit: www.ntu.ac.uk/gradfest and ntu.ac.uk/c/adbe-student-showcase

A professor from Cardiff Metropolitan University has been appointed as one of Health and Care Research Wales’ Senior Research Leaders, providing leadership and acting as an ambassador and advocate for health and care research in Wales over the next three years.

Yvonne Wren is a Professor of Speech and Language Therapy at Cardiff Met and has been appointed alongside 20 individuals from academia and the NHS, all of whom demonstrate research leadership, excellence and impact both in Wales and internationally. Over the next three years they will play a vital role in developing the health and care research community in Wales.

Health and Care Research Wales’ Senior Research Leaders are among the most prominent and prestigious health and care researchers in the country. Those selected all have a track record of developing researchers and building Wales’ research capacity and capability, as well as integrating patient and public involvement in research.

Commenting on the appointment, Professor Yvonne Wren said: “It is an honour to be recognised as a Senior Research Leader by Health and Care Research Wales and also to represent Cardiff Metropolitan University amongst this group of prestigious research leaders in health and social care.

“Supporting research in Wales and enabling others to build a research career is a vital part of my role and this appointment will enable me to continue and extend this activity whilst also supporting involvement from those with lived experience of communication disorders, which is key to ensuring our research will lead to impact.”

Managed and supported by the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty, the Senior Research Leaders will continue dedicating time to participate in a range of Faculty’s activities, including funding panels, boards and committees.

Yvonne is also Director of Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit at North Bristol NHS Trust and Professor of Speech and Communication at the University of Bristol and was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist (RCSLT) in 2022.

The impact of Yvonne’s work, together with the teams that she leads, includes the development of a diagnostic pathway and core outcome set for children with speech sound disorder. She has also used data from a large-scale population study to identify risk factors for persistent speech disorder which has been used to guide clinical practice in speech and language therapy in Wales and included in clinical guidance provided by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Yvonne is currently working with Welsh Government to develop a novel bilingual tool for the surveillance of early speech and language development for children growing up in Wales.

Gareth Cross, Deputy Director of Science, Research and Evidence at Welsh Government, said: “The panel was very impressed with the upward trajectory of the Welsh research environment; several of the panel members had sat on previous Senior Research Leader award panels and noted that great strides were being made in this respect. The breadth of applications was outstanding.

“The Senior Research Leaders’ expertise and dedication will be instrumental in fostering innovation, collaboration, and excellence within our research community, and we look forward to seeing the valuable contributions they will make over the next three years.”

Visit the Health and Care Research Wales website to see the full list of Senior Research Leaders.

S4C has announced a new sports journalism bursary which will now be available for Cardiff Metropolitan University students – with the aim of attracting new talent from under-represented backgrounds in to broadcasting.

The S4C Sports Media Bursary offers the successful candidate the opportunity to develop skills on Cardiff Met’s MSc Sport Broadcast course. In addition, the successful person will gain hands-on experience with S4C’s digital sports team and some of Wales’ largest production companies, and the opportunity to gain paid work after the course has ended.

Joe Towns, Course Director of the Sport Broadcast Master’s Degree at Cardiff Metropolitan University, said of the S4C Sports Media Bursary: “This opportunity is perfect for anyone looking to work in sport broadcast production. The combination of university-based training and hands-on work experience is special. With a summer of sport ahead of us, now is the perfect time to apply to be a part of this exciting industry in the future.”

S4C is already offering the T. Glynne Davies Journalism Scholarship with Cardiff University – allowing the opportunity to study on the MA JOMEC Broadcast Journalism course.

It is hoped that the bursaries will appeal to people with minority ethnic heritage, disability and/or who come from a disadvantaged socio-economic background. The Journalism Scholarship is also open to anyone who is the first to speak Welsh fluently within the family.

Llion Iwan, S4C’s Chief Content Officer, said of the two bursaries: “We are delighted to collaborate with Cardiff Metropolitan University and Cardiff University and to invest in this training. S4C is determined to help talented people in Wales develop the skills necessary to become part of our workforce, whatever their backgrounds. We encourage anyone who has a desire to work in the broadcasting world, to really consider applying for these great opportunities.”

Applications for the 2025/26 S4C Sports Media Bursary are now open and students can apply through the S4C webpage.

Find out more about Cardiff Met’s Sport Broadcast master’s media degree.

Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Director of Rugby Systems, Gareth Baber, has been appointed the new Head Coach of French club Nice Rugby. He will take up the full-time position at the end of June 2025, overseeing the senior team and contributing to the development of the club’s Academy and wider performance departments.

The move marks an exciting new chapter in Baber’s distinguished career, following a successful tenure at Cardiff Met where he has played a key role in strengthening the university’s rugby systems, performance teams and student-athlete culture.

Baber joined Cardiff Met in August 2023, bringing with him a remarkable track record of accomplishments as both a coach and a player. Prior to his time in Wales, he was the Assistant Attack and Skills Coach at Edinburgh Rugby and had a globally recognised tenure as Head Coach of Fiji Rugby 7s and Hong Kong Rugby 7s. His leadership of the Fiji 7s team culminated in a historic Olympic Gold Medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

During his tenure, the rugby programme has continued to grow with several exciting developments. Cardiff Met has become host to the WRU Player Development Centre – East, the Men’s Programme has had a successful first season in the WRU Community Premiership alongside BUCS Super Rugby. Marking the end of Gareth’s tenure, saw the Women’s team crowned BUCS Super Rugby Champions for the first time. The programme continues to provide a wide range of experiences for students and connections to the community including over 40 student placements students and delivery of coaching within 11 primary and 3 secondary schools.

During his time at Cardiff Met, Baber was also appointed Consultant National Programme Manager for 7s Rugby by Fiji Rugby – a role in which he oversaw both the men’s and women’s national 7s programmes in the lead-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Speaking about his new role in France, Baber said: “I’m incredibly grateful for my time at Cardiff Met. It’s been a role that’s really pushed me to reflect on how to build high-performing teams and create the kind of environment where people can truly thrive, and that’s something I’ll take with me into this next chapter. I’ve built relationships here that I’ll always value. Nice Rugby is an ambitious and exciting project, and I’m looking forward to playing a part in shaping its future. It’s a fantastic opportunity to put my vision into practice in a professional environment, and I’m proud to take this next step.”

Reflecting on the programme, Baber added: “Cardiff Met Rugby is in a strong position. With over 500 student players involved and performance teams competing at the highest levels, we’ve created an environment that supports excellence on and off the field. That legacy is something I’m really proud of. We continue to plan for next season and beyond. I’m excited to see the continued growth and success of Cardiff Met rugby.”

Ben O’Connell, Director of Sport at Cardiff Metropolitan University, paid tribute to Baber’s contribution: “Gareth has made a lasting impact on our rugby programme, our student-athletes, and the culture we’ve built around performance and development. His leadership and vision have helped shape one of the most successful university rugby systems in the UK. We wish him every success at Nice, he’ll always be part of the Cardiff Met Archer.”

Cardiff Met’s proud rugby tradition spans more than 70 years, producing a long list of international players and coaches, including Sir Gareth Edwards, John Devereux, and more recently numerous Six Nations stars such as Aaron Wainwright, Jade Sheckell, Jasmine Joyce Butchers, Tatyana Heard, Alex Dombrandt, Luke Northmore.

Nottingham Trent University has been recognised as a Policing Academic Centre of Excellence (P-ACE) in a new initiative to ensure that policing is shaped by the latest and best scientific expertise.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPPC) has created nine P-ACEs across the UK to drive collaboration among academia and policing, with NTU receiving £600,000 funding from NPCC, in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The Centres will share and apply key insights and findings from their research in ways that directly support policing. They will also address the evidence needs and challenges raised by police forces, working in partnership to develop new research projects and knowledge-sharing activities.

Led by researchers across the University’s School of Social Sciences, School of Science and Technology, and Nottingham Law School, NTU-PACE brings together 15 policing, industry and community partners to translate research findings into actionable, transferable, and sustainable policy interventions, supporting the Home Office mission of ‘reducing harm, rebuilding confidence’.

NTU’s research combines expertise in safety, security, and sustainability to address key challenges that impact everyday life.

The University works to reduce crime such as burglary, anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls, knife crime, shoplifting, and offences on public transport, by shaping both local and national policy.

NTU also focuses on strengthening public trust and fairness, tackling urgent issues like gender inequality, the impact of COVID-19, modern slavery, hate crime, and the effects of the digital world, with a strong commitment to protecting vulnerable and marginalised groups.

With an embedded scientist for the Climate Security National Foresight Group, its internationally recognised climate research will support NPCC to prepare for adverse weather, addressing climate-related risks, lowering carbon footprints, mitigation and adaptation, and cost-saving sustainability initiatives.

Furthermore, the University has a proven track record in surveillance and sensing, developing advanced tools for crime investigations, including novel sensors, forensic analysis, and intelligence-led policing.

Each Policing Academic Centre of Excellence will be promoted across the policing sector as an accessible source of leading academic experts aligned with Policing’s Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) and evidence needs. The P-ACEs will support policing with adopting new technologies, developing new tools and techniques, improving training and skills, and increasing public safety.

The project will be led at NTU by Andy Newton, Professor of Criminology and Policing at the School of Social Sciences, along with Professor Rowena Hill, School of Social Sciences, Professor Loretta Trickett, Nottingham Law School, and Associate Professor Rachel Bolton-King, School of Science and Technology.

Professor Newton said: “At NTU we are dedicated to research that tackles the real challenges communities face, and we are recognised internationally for having real world impact at the intersection of environmental sustainability and civic security.

“The P-ACE is supported though a seven-year research infrastructure prioritising institutional level interdisciplinary research, encompassing safety, security and sustainability. We will work with partners to translate these research findings into actionable, transferable and sustainable policy interventions.

“Being recognised by the NPCC as a P-ACE ensures our work directly informs policing practices, driving meaningful improvements in public safety and community wellbeing. This partnership strengthens our ability to turn research into real impact where it matters most.”

Professor Paul Taylor, Police Chief Scientific Adviser, said:“Academia and policing have a long history of collaborative working on issues as diverse as forensic science, crime prevention, and analytical technologies. The P-ACEs will fortify this connection, providing a focal point for research and knowledge exchange.

“I’m particularly excited about what the P-ACEs can bring to early career scientists who are interested in tackling the complex challenge of keeping the UK public safe. The P-ACE community will, I hope, provide them more opportunities and greater support as we look to forge deep and lasting partnerships over the next decade.”

Stian Westlake, Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), said: “The Policing Academic Centres of Excellence will forge closer relationships between police forces and researchers, providing the police with data and evidence to make the justice system work better.

“By bringing experts in policing practice together with social scientists and data scientists across the country, the centres will provide knowledge and insights to drive service improvement. These centres of excellence demonstrate our commitment to reducing crime and making Britain a safer place.”

For detailed information about the expertise each P-ACE can offer visit science.police.uk

Three Cardiff Metropolitan University BA (Hons) Ceramics Degree graduates art works are now on show at Wales’ most famous pottery, Nantgarw China Works, near Cardiff.

Home to the famous Nantgarw porcelain, Nantgarw China Works is the last remaining 19th century porcelain factory in the UK. Now a museum and visitor attraction, the heritage site produced porcelain so fine it was bought by royalty.

Thanks to new funding created by the Contemporary Art Society for Wales (CASW), the emerging artists from Cardiff Met have had the chance to produce and show new work, fostering creative talent in Wales.

Each of the Cardiff Met graduates work was inspired by Wales’ heritage. Bringing a range of artistic styles and ceramic techniques from the experimental, to the precise art of Japanese nerikomi.

Toni de Jesus, based in Cardiff, graduated from Cardiff Met in 2018 and is an emerging artist, winner of the FRESH award at the British Ceramics Biennial 2019 and has already had work shown at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea.

Taking inspiration from her hometown in the south Wales valleys, Naomi Palmer, who graduated in 2024, creates striking, translucent artworks., using porcelain and parian clays.

Sophie Jo Edwards, from Llandysul, graduated from Cardiff Met in 2024 and has also brought a unique artistic response to Nantgarw using materials foraged from the heritage site.

Sophie said: “Being invited to create work for Nantgarw has been a privilege which has provided momentum in my transition from student to artist, and it’s been meaningful to contribute to the museum’s rich history.”

Nantgarw is the only surviving early-1800s porcelain works in the UK and the porcelain produced here is still considered some of the finest ever made. Opened in 1813, it continued for a century as a pottery, also making household wares and tobacco pipes.

Now operated by a charitable trust, visitors today receive a guided tour of the original factory buildings, a historic and contemporary ceramics collection, as well as a chance to relax with a cuppa or browse the gift shop, perfect for pottery-lovers.

Duncan Ayscough, Senior Lecturer on the BA (Hons) Ceramics Degree at Cardiff Metropolitan University said: “It is great to hear that three Cardiff Met ceramics degree graduates, Toni, Naomi and Sophie Jo, have been selected for this prestigious award.

“The Nantgarw China Works is renowned for its relentless pursuit of technical excellence and creative innovation. These makers all understand the values of this pottery in their own creative journeys and have developed their own distinctive materials and creative language, creating intriguing and beautiful works that engage with contemporary societies values and challenges.”

New work by each of the artists have been acquired by the museum thanks to support from the Contemporary Art Society for Wales (CASW) creators of the prize funded by the gift of the late Professor Bryan Hibbard and named in memory of Bryan and his late wife, Dr Elizabeth Hibbard, both long-term supporters of CASW.

Rowland Davies, Chair of CASW said, “CASW is delighted that the first Hibbard Prize has been awarded to Nantgarw China Works Museum and has been used to acquire such exciting new ceramic works.”

Cardiff Metropolitan University has been awarded silver for improving sustainability throughout its estate in the AUDE Awards 2025 – an organisation which works with estates and facilities management professionals at universities.

The annual AUDE awards celebrate the exceptional achievements of estates and facilities professionals in the UK higher education sector.

Cardiff Met was awarded silver in the AUDE Sustainability Impact Initiative category – which gives recognition for a specific initiative having a significant impact on the institution, the sector, or profession.

The University received the award for their Smart Estate initiative which addresses systematic challenges in estate management through a scalable, data-driven framework that optimises space utilisation, improves internal environments, and reduces energy waste and emissions.

By integrating sensors and real-time analytics, the University avoided the need for construction works valued at £5.1m that would have emitted 457 tonnes of CO2 for planned works in 2023/24, while evidence-based analysis has mitigated the need for future planned construction works estimated to otherwise cost £53m for growth in general teaching space.

When the awards were submitted, phase two of the initiative, which focuses on energy reductions, had achieved a 483 MWh reduction in gas and electricity over five months compared to the prior year.

Since the original award submission, the University has achieved a 1.6 giga watt hour reduction in energy consumption in an eight month period, comprising a reduction of more than 18% in gas and 7% in electricity compared to the prior year, saving over £500k as a result.

Graham Lewis, Chief Officer University Environments and Property at Cardiff Metropolitan University said: “Receiving an AUDE silver award is a huge achievement for Cardiff Met and we are delighted to have been able to counter some of the false narratives about the cost of net zero. Our initiative has resulted in significant reductions in cost and carbon without the need for major investment or disruption. In celebrating this award I’d like to shine the spotlight on our estates and facilities team who made this possible.

“So often our operational teams are invisible except when things go awry, so it is fabulous that the hard work of our energy manager Lee Davies and the rest of the team has been recognised in this way. We thank them for their ongoing commitment to improving our campus for staff and students, and the work they are doing to put sustainability at the top of the agenda.”

Cardiff Met’s win at the AUDE Awards is further testament of the work the University is doing to transform campus spaces and save money and carbon. The Aude Award builds on earlier industry recognition of our sustainability activities, supported by AI-powered building analytics company SmartViz, with whom we won the ‘best use of technology’ TechFest Award at the Festival of Innovation and Technology.

The AUDE Awards team congratulated this year’s winners, saying: “The AUDE Awards are an annual highlight for the association, giving us a chance to focus on some of the fantastic estates and facilities teams, and their projects, that contribute so significantly to the success of our universities, year-round. 

“Many congratulations to all of our award winners, shortlisted and nominated individuals, projects, organisations and teams.”

Cardiff Met is currently ranked 12^th in the UK and is the most sustainable university in Wales in in the People and Planet University League 2024/25 – the only comprehensive and independent league table of UK universities ranked by environmental and ethical performance.

Find out more about sustainability at Cardiff Met on the University webpage.

Baby monkeys who receive more care from their mothers develop stronger facial expression recognition skills as they grow, which could help them to navigate vital social groups more effectively.

The study by Nottingham Trent University (NTU) involved 83 rhesus macaques from 15 different social groups. Babies were observed with their mothers during their first 14 weeks of life to measure behaviours such as grooming, cradling, and mother approaching the infant

Once the macaques were at least one year old, researchers observed how they responded to images of primate faces displaying different facial expressions, such as threatening faces or submissive bared-teeth expressions.

When shown images with increasing levels of threat, their attention grew as the intensity of the threat increased, showing they were sensitive to the subtle differences in the facial expressions.

Lastly, the research tested their reaction to an unexpected change in facial expressions. The macaques were shown a sequence of five identical facial expressions, followed by one which was unexpectedly different. They spent significantly more time looking at the final, different face, suggesting they recognised the change.

Findings showed that the macaques who experienced higher quality maternal care – more grooming and cradling – during infancy were better at processing the facial expressions.

Researchers also found that facial expression processing skills improved with age until around four years old, suggesting that facial expression processing is not purely instinctive and fixed, but that experience and environmental influences play a role, much like in humans.

Olivia O’Callaghan, PhD researcher at NTU’s School of Social Sciences, said: “Most primates are highly social animals that depend on social relationships to thrive. Having strong social connections within their group can have a positive effect on primates’ health and survival, as it could have benefits such as increased mating opportunities, access to food and protection from threats.

“The ability to interpret facial expressions is believed to help primates navigate complex social systems and hierarchies and could help them to predict future actions of group members.”

Project lead, Professor Bridget Waller, said: “Facial expression has evolved as a key method of communication in primates, including humans, and these findings show how these skills rely on social experience to develop properly.”

The work is part of a European Research Council funded project led by NTU’s Professor Bridget Waller. Individual differences in facial expressivity: Social function, facial anatomy and evolutionary origin(FACEDIFF) is an interdisciplinary project investigating the evolution of facial expression and how this results in benefits or costs in an individual’s social engagement.

Maternal care predicts facial expression processing in macaques by Olivia O’Callaghan, Dr Jamie Whitehouse, Associate Professor Annika Paukner, Dr Claire Witham (Centre for Macaques), and Professor Bridget Waller has been published in the journal iScience.