Broadcast
They’re known in the media as “Sunday-for-Monday” stories. You offer a story to news desks on a quiet Sunday in the hope that, as long as no major news breaks, they’ll be eager to run the ready-made copy the next day. This especially works if the story raises a smile and gets people talking.
Jacqui Bealing Senior Press Officer
We had notable success with one such story this week: Dr Ildiko Kemenes’ research about the likely function of memory lapses. Although her study looked at snails, the molecular process is the same for humans and gives rise to experiences such as instantly forgetting the name of someone to whom you have just been introduced.
The story made page three of The Times (22 April) - and a leader comment - and was also picked up by the Daily Telegraph, Mail on Sunday, Sky News in Australia and several other international publications. It was also the subject of a phone-in on LBC Radio and was even referenced on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme.
With luck, we could put the story out again in the not-too-distant future and get these media hits all over again!
Another neuroscientist raising the profile of Sussex is Professor Michael O’Shea, who wrote an eight-page feature about the brain as the New Scientist’s ‘Instant Expert’ (6 April).
On the airwaves, Professor David Hendy’s 30-part BBC Radio 4 series, ‘Noise: A Human History’, continues to be accompanied by loud plaudits, while Dr Donia Scott was a guest on Radio 4’s ‘Word of Mouth’ (23 April), discussing why we struggle to understand written instructions.
Dr Richard de Visser’s research on drinking guidelines was featured on the BBC World Service’s ‘Health Check’, and BBC Radio Sussex interviewed Professor Paul Taggart about Margaret Thatcher’s funeral and PhD student Peter Hurley about startburst galaxies.
Television hits this month include Professor Mariana Mazzucato on BBC Two’s ‘Horizon’ (17 April) reflecting on the future of science, and Dr Alexandra Loske discussing Princess Charlotte’s death in childbirth on BBC Two’s ‘Fit to Rule’ (22 April), with historian and Sussex alumna Dr Lucy Worsley.