Staff Newsletter 16 May 2024
- Annabel Jackson (Deactivated)
Created by Annabel Jackson (Deactivated)
Important Information
It's Mental Health Awareness Week!
We all have a responsibility to look after our physical and mental health. This year's #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek runs from 13th to 19th May.
This year’s theme is movement: moving more for our mental health. Get involved by finding and sharing your moments for movement this Mental Health Awareness Week with family, friends and/or colleagues.
Everyone can get the mental health benefits of moving more, it’s all about finding what works for you.
Find out more: Mental Health Awareness Week
#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #MomentsForMovement
Printing costs
In the last few months, we have had some increasingly high amounts of printing costs hitting the department.
Please consider whether printing is essential, or if you can provide resources digitally instead.
This is also in line with our core value "We strive for sustainability."
Departmental Events
Reminder: Next Professorial Inaugural Lecture Series on Thursday 30th May!
A reminder that the next and final installment of the 23/24 Professorial Inaugural Lecture series will be held on Thursday 30th May, 15:00-16:00 in ENV/005, followed by refreshments in the Foyer. There we will hear from Profs. Lindsay Stringer and Claire Hughes.
If you need the Google calendar invite to be resent, do let Chloe know (environment-pa@york.ac.uk).
We hope to see you there
Seminar: The Ecosystem Services of Lahore's Urban Parks
Date / Time: Tuesday 21st May, 13.00 - 14.00
Location: Room ENV/105A & ENV/105B (Environment Building)
Dr Aysha Hanif (Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Lahore College for Women University and YESI International Fellow) will share findings from her research on the ecosystems services of Lahore's parks, as perceived by the city's park users. Park users at 15 parks located across Lahore were surveyed. Questions explored motivations to visit parks, satisfaction with park facilities, and perspectives on the benefits that parks can provide. The role of socio-demographic factors in the use of parks, and attitudes towards parks, was also investigated. The findings are relevant to policymakers, park managers and others who are interested in addressing park users' needs and preferences in the design and management of urban parks.
This seminar will explore Lahore's parks, with insights on user perceptions, socio-demographic influences, and the vital role these urban sanctuaries play in shaping community well-being.
Register here
Other Events
York Pride 2024
York Pride 2024 will take place on 1st June and will consist of a parade followed by a festival at the Knavesmire. I'll be organising the university stall in advance of the festival, and hope to have some interactive activities run by staff and students from across the university. In the past, we have had activities contributed by biology, chemistry, engineering, english and related literature, physics, and psychology several of whom have indicated an interest in contributing again this year.
We are looking for people from these, and any other departments, schools or individuals who would like to contribute or volunteer. This is not just an invitation to those who identify as LGBTQIA+ individuals, but is also an open invitation to all friends and allies who like a fun afternoon celebrating diversity and inclusion.
If you are interested please fill in the below short form by 4pm on Friday 17th May to collect details about your name and role in the university (student, academic staff, support staff, vice chancellor etc...), your department, school, office, or section, and whether you would like to coordinate an activity, or volunteer to help out as an individual.
Activities for York Pride 2024
Chris Murphy will contact those who wish to coordinate a new activity to provide advice and help with logistics. (Please note: Offers of contributions are welcomed, but cannot be guaranteed space in the stall which may have to be lightly curated if space is limited. Last year, all offers were accepted.)
NOTE: The stall will only go ahead this year if there are sufficient volunteers to run a broad stall, so please do offer contributions.
Good News and Media Engagement
Congratulations to Alison Dyke et al., whose latest paper developed a methodology for quantifying social and cultural values of treescapes into a functional composite measure to be used by decision-makers.
Research Opportunities and Updates
Invitation To Participate In Decolonising The Curriculum Research
Sukhi Bath is a doctoral candidate at SOAS investigating the extent to which UK higher education institutions are decolonising the curriculum and whether this is resulting in transformative change. You can participate in the survey here.
The survey is open to staff working in UK higher education institutions. Sukhi would be grateful if you could circulate this invitation to colleagues in your networks.
Your participation in the survey is completely voluntary and all responses are anonymous. The survey should take you no more than 15-20 minutes
If you would like more information about this project, please contact Sukhi at 252578@soas.ac.uk.
Do you have an item to share in our next newsletter?
Great! Please add it to the Research, Teaching, Outreach and Good News Spreadsheet. Please use the most relevant tab for the activity/news and ensure that the description details are written out in full as you would like it to be presented. If your item does not fit the spreadsheet, please email it to environment-pa@york.ac.uk by 12:00 next Thursday.
Thank you for your help in making the newsletter a great way to catch up on all of the Department's latest news and activities