Our two Norwegian student bloggers give their perspective on their course - BSc (Hons) Animal Science!

Last time we discussed which student events to attend, now we will tell you a bit about what we are doing on a daily basis. As we have mentioned earlier we study Animal Science. There are many doors that are open in the animal industry after getting a degree in Animal Science and we both have different aspirations on what we will use our degree for.

Gerbil in the Titchmarsh Centre

In the first year of the course a lot of practical work is done, which will come handy later on in life, especially if you are looking at a career where you will do a lot of hands-on work, like working in a zoo or as a vet. This was one of the reasons we chose to study at Writtle College.






The most exciting module of the first year was Mammalian Anatomy and Physiology and the Comparative Anatomy and Physiology.



When we had lab sessions we had so much fun, we had dissections on every lab practical, which we personally think is when you learn the most. We both thought that we would be disgusted by the dissections as you get to look at some quite nasty stuff, but it is way more exciting than disgusting and makes up for it. If you want to work as a scientist later on in life the lab sessions are very important and would come in handy, also in the veterinarian profession as we study reproductive system, nervous system, digestive system and so on.  

Dissections are fun!



We are both very happy that we chose Writtle College because the academic experience at Writtle is very good! Not to mention our lecturers, they are very knowledgeable and that is something we admire. We think they are easy to talk to and you can have a laugh with them occasionally, which makes the university experience so much better.

 

 

As we study Animal Science and not Animal Management, as you expect we have modules which are science related such as Biochemistry in the first year and Animal Health Science and Reproduction and Genetics in the second year. They can be a bit challenging but they are also a lot of fun and very interesting. Take Reproduction and Genetics as an example, we learn about Mendel and the pea plant which is recap for a lot of people who have done biology before, but when we take that to the next level and start to look at several traits that are inheritable, it becomes very interesting and fun to do. 

We are both looking forward to next year, our last and final year of our degree. It is exciting and scary at the same time, especially thinking about our dissertation. Luckily, we both have found something we want to write about and hopefully we will get our data collected over the summer so that the next year might be a bit easier. 

Thank you for reading and I hope you liked what we had to say!

Bye for now, from Anne-Marthe & Serine

More information on our BSc (Hons) Animal Science and Animal Management courses

 

Social events not to miss when you study at Writtle College!

In their second blog, our Norwegian students, Serine and Anne-Marthe, tell you the best social events to go to on campus! You can read their first blog here!

Now that you all know a bit about us and our journey towards being students at Writtle College, we will introduce you to the events during the year worth joining.

The Baa Nights

Students on campus

This is our student bar on campus which always has an event every Monday. These are usually themed nights with a huge variation from Army Night, Come as your Course, ABC anything but clothes (cheeky), Halloween Night, Karaoke Night and Movember. This varies from year to year depending on the Students' Union (SU) and the Social Officers who are elected every year.

At The Baa

 



At The Baa

Moulshams 11

Anne-Marthe and Serine

This is the major RAG (raise and give) event of the year. It is a bar crawl with 11 bars included. All the money raised goes to a charity. We start at The Baa and end the whole route with Evoke, where you should wear your dancing shoes because this is one of the largest dancing floors in Chelmsford. The club is only open for Writtle students as this event usually is held on a Monday; many previous students also join in because this is a big event of the year.

Evoke nightclub

Evoke nightclub

 







The three main Balls:

Photo Booth at the Freshers' Ball



Photo booth fun

Anne-Marthe and Serine at the Freshers' Ball

Freshers' Ball is the first one of the year; you could say this is the most influential one. This is where you are new, everything is new and you have the greatest night with friends you have just met. As you all might know this is the end of Freshers' Week where you have had many other different events, so of course the week should end with a big bang! A lot of effort is put into these big events and therefore they are a bit more special than the others. They offer a photo booth and this year the theme of the ball was silver.

Snow Ball

The next big event is the Christmas Ball. As of now you are more than just acquaintances with your friends, you have had a semester together and know each other hopefully very well. This is usually not a themed night. Different from the Fresher`s Ball it usually has a guest DJ who is quite famous. This year we had Radio 1 star Matt Edmondson and Tom Parker (The Wanted) as the supporting act. If you are a person that loves to dance then this is the place for you, a lot of good music and the atmosphere is top notch.

Photo booth at The Snow Ball

Getting ready for the Snow Ball

The last but very best happening of the year is the Summer Ball. Everybody is happy (hopefully) because the year is over and the summer break is closing in. The exam pressure is off our shoulders and it`s time to celebrate what you have achieved during the year. You can feel the warm breeze, and now it`s time to be social with your best friends. You have now became so close and you know your friends' routines in your sleep. This is one of the happenings that usually old students join in, so this easily becomes the major happening. This event provides you with professional photographer, fair and as well as a famous DJ, last year it was Chris Stark. 

Serine and Anne-Marthe ready for The Summer Ball

Thanks for reading, next time we will tell you a bit about the course we are studying.
Serine and Anne-Marthe

Written by Serine and Anne-Marthe, both studying BSc (Hons) Animal Science at Writtle College.

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Floristry degree students take part in Lonely Bouquet campaign

During the festive period a number of degree-level Professional Floristry students took part in the international Lonely Bouquet campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to spread happiness by leaving small bouquets of flowers in different locations for members of the public to adopt.

Professional Floristry student Eiki Shibuya

In December, Writtle floristry students hit the streets of Chelmsford as part of the campaign and were delighted by the results. International student, Eiki Shibuya from Japan, discusses his experience of taking part in this unique event and how the skills and knowledge he has been taught during his course were put into practise!

"We made the bouquets at College and left them in Chelmsford city centre as we wanted the lovely posies to be adopted by local residents. Each posy has a note that said 'Adopt me' and 'I do not want you to be lonely this Christmas.' What we expected was to bring heartfelt vibrations to the city. 

Surprisingly, every bouquet was adopted in 15 minutes! After we finished distributing all of the bouquets, we walked back again to check it. It was interesting to see people's reactions. We still remember a gentleman who was in Chelmsford Cathedral and looking at a bouquet for a while, suspending jogging whilst in there. Finally, he took it and we absolutely felt he was full of happiness.  It was what we had been aspiring to see and realise. We felt proud to be florists!

All of the students that took part are studying a degree in Professional Floristry. As the title shows, the course covers all aspects to become profession in the industry. In classroom, we are enhancing both skills and knowledge. For example, learning principles of design is useful to absorb new ideas and try it.  

You might agree that florists are 'communicators' through flowers. A bunch of flowers would connect people and bring a good atmosphere between them. Flowers are extremely powerful. When people get married, we see the venue full of flowers. When people pass away, florists help people to express dignity and respect. In terms of true communication, we believe it is a more powerful way than just saying 'I love you' via email. Having believed the mysterious but simple power, we have spent ages to let bouquets deliver feelings from a sender to a recipient. We love it!" 

Interested in studying a Professional Floristry degree? Visit our website here: Floristry

If you want to meet our Professional Floristry team, book onto our next Open Day here: Open Day

The challenge of the sea...

This entry comes from the fantastic Writtle conservation team and looks at how the sea impacts on the environment.

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Winter is here and wouldn’t it be nice to jet off somewhere exotic and faraway? The Maldives perhaps? Or perhaps not…..it seems that particular island group is under imminent threat from rising sea levels. To be precise, the water around the islands is currently rising at 9mm a year and the islanders may have to leave their homes before the year 2100. 

But sea level rise is affecting us here in Britain as well, although clearly not in such a drastic manner. Have a look at a map of the Essex coast and the contour lines show how very close to sea level many of us live. With slowly rising sea levels and the prospect of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, we have been forced to reconsider how we manage these threats, especially on the east coast of England. 

Image courtesy of federico stevanin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

The attraction of ‘hard’ defences, such as sea walls, has lost some of its appeal, not least because of the huge capital cost associated with constructing and maintaining such defences. So what to do? Over the past 20 years Essex has been at the leading edge of a new approach called ‘managed realignment’. This is a process whereby land which is currently protected by sea walls is returned to the sea by knocking through the walls and letting the water in. This way, the effects of any sea level rise or storm surges can be softened by allowing the water more room to spread out, thus reducing the overall impact, especially further up estuaries where waterways narrow.

The best known realignment sites in Essex are at Tollesbury, Abbotts Hall south of Colchester and now Wallasea Island. The sheer scale of these projects is hugely impressive in itself but this type of management is not always popular due to the loss of land which has previously been farmed. And indeed  those who oppose realignment often refer to it as ‘managed retreat’.

But one habitat which seems almost certain to benefit is that great Essex speciality, saltmarsh. In recent decades our saltmarshes have become squeezed between the sea and the sea walls. But by ‘relaxing’ the entire system of management and allowing the water in, we have begun to create new saltmarsh behind the sea walls where none has existed for (in some cases) several hundred years. We are perhaps, simply returning to the sea what was only ever borrowed.

For more information on our degree-level conservation courses, please visit our website: http://writtle.ac.uk/UG-Conservation-and-Environment

Young Gardeners of the Year 2015 blog - December 2015

Each year, Further Education Horticulture students from six of the UK's leading horticulture college's participate in the renowned Young Gardeners of the Year (YGOY) competition in London. This event provides a platform for aspiring young horticulture students to showcase their skills and knowledge in areas such as garden design, planting and landscaping. 

The YGOY team discussing designs

Writtle College students will be keeping a blog in the build up to the event in March 2015 to share their experiences of being part of such a popular show and demonstrate the amount of hard work that goes into creating a potential award winning garden.

First off, Josh Kemp informs us of the launch event and the excitement surrounding the 'ideas phase'!

"One of the main features of the year, and an event I have personally been looking forward to, is the Ideal Home Show Young Gardener of the Year Award. It was kicked off this year at the Ideal Home Christmas show at Earls Court with a presentation hosted by David Domoney. The competitor in me could not help but size up the competition. The other colleges are equally capable, but I am positive that Writtle can achieve big things this year.

Josh, left, sharing ideas on a Pinterest board

Since the opening presentation, among the Writtle students taking part, the energy surrounding the award has been almost tangible. It is infectious; to be in such a creative and dynamic environment again is extremely refreshing and inspiring. I set up a Pinterest Board so that any ideas can be visually linked between all the other students, helping us to come up with a collective design incorporating input from everyone. Having completed a design module last year, the team and I have been able to give informed ideas and much discussion has taken place giving me full belief in the ability and commitment of everyone involved. I am beyond excited to continue this process and see what we can achieve in the coming weeks and months. Who knows, the next great British designer could be among us…"

For more information on the launch, click here. 

Balancing the need for new homes with wildlife protection (October 2014)

This entry comes from the fantastic Writtle conservation team and looks at modern issues surrounding wildlife and the demand for new homes.

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Conservation is a hugely diverse and interesting subject and Essex has recently been at the forefront of one of the most discussed initiatives of recent years.

People are familiar with the approach to conservation taken by organisations such as the RSPB who are probably best known for nature reserves, which are specially managed, often for rare species.

But that does not mean that even the land immediately adjacent to your own home might not have wildlife interest, for example, reptiles, butterflies and unusual plants. Consideration of the wildlife on any site has been an integral part of the planning process for many years and has come to the forefront as we face the needs to build new houses. 


The Government has been keen to get the economy moving and meet the demand for more houses and, consequently, has been piloting a concept known as 'biodiversity offsetting'. This is a method whereby damage to or loss of wildlife habitat is 'offset' by creating habitat elsewhere as part of the planning agreement. Essex, arguably one of the most biodiverse areas in the UK, has been one of six areas piloting the process.

On the face of it, offsetting seems like a pragmatic solution to a problem which is felt especially keenly in counties such as ours and its supporters claim it offers the benefits of larger and 'better' sites for nature. But the idea has run into some hostility from those in the conservation community and it has been suggested that offsetting cannot work for a number of reasons, among them the fact that natural communities of plants and animals are complex and take time to develop. 

The main issue for everyone is how to balance one set of values against another. For example, last year a huge housing development in Kent was rejected (although planning application submitted by the developer remains in place) due to the extraordinary number of Nightingales found on the site. Was this a "good" decision or a "bad" one? The problem seems to be that we want everything - we demand housing but we also want our wildlife protected. 

So before you think that conservation is something which happens only on a nature reserve, remember that one of the most heated wildlife arguments for many years is currently being acted out right on our doorstep.

Make sure you follow the Writtle conservation team on Twitter: @WrittleCons
Visit our website: http://writtle.ac.uk/UG-Conservation-and-Environment

Plant of the Day blog attracts an international audience!

Dr Jill Raggett of Writtle School of Design is the owner of the very popular imagery blog entitled ‘Plant of the Day’ on social media site Tumblr.

Started in September 2013, Dr Raggett takes time out of her extremely busy schedule to upload one plant per day. The image will always be an original photograph taken during the previous week and this level of dedication helps to ensure the blog is seasonally relevant. The image will also include a fact or comment about cultivation, history, use or design!

Dr Raggett, who is a lecturer in landscape architecture and garden design, explains why she created the blog and why she believes it has an international appeal…

“I devised the blog as a means to encourage students to look at plants wherever they are, whether that is in gardens, parks, public spaces, on the street, or even in supermarket car parks, to observe how plants can be used and add value.

The majority of blog followers are people worldwide who enjoy plants and gardens – from students in community colleges in USA and Canada, students studying landscape design in Canada, Argentinian landscape architects, people interested in plants in Korea and Japan, and the very proactive students of the prestigious Longwood Gardens in the USA, with people in Italy, Romania and Poland.

There is clearly a global appeal for English plants and gardens. I believe the tradition and heritage associated with horticulture in the UK makes the blog particularly desirable to the international followers. 

My hope for the blog is that the ‘Archive’ section will be useful especially to horticultural and design students as it is seasonal (for the UK) and they can view plants by the relevant month of their display value to help inspire and inform with their designs!”

Visit Dr Raggett’s Plant of the Day blog on Tumblr: www.jillraggett.tumblr.com

Visit Writtle School of Design: www.writtle.ac.uk/design

Visit Writtle College: www.writtle.ac.uk

Writtle Wildlife Watch (July 2014)

Welcome back to the latest Writtle Wildlife Watch! We hope you have all been enjoying your summer. Conservation expert, Alan Roscoe, writes about the latest wildlife he has spotted on campus.

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Have you ever noticed that when you see an animal or bird for the very first time, you then begin to see it almost regularly, despite the fact you have never encountered it before? Isn’t that strange? And before anyone else jumps in, I am claiming this phenomenon as ‘Roscoe’s Rule’.

Stoat image: Wikipedia "Mustela erminea upright"
by Steve Hillebrand, USFWS

Rather curiously, this appears to be happening on the College’s main campus area with two species in particular suddenly popping up everywhere. Grass Snake is definitely moving into areas it has not been seen before and the impressive size of the females makes for some exciting sightings for students around the campus gardens.

But the real crowd pleaser has been Stoat which, over the past year or so, has also been plucking up courage and moving further onto the main campus. I have certainly seen more Rabbit recently and my suspicion is that the Stoats are simply following their prey. In fact the latest sighting was last week when a colleague heard a Rabbit squealing in a distressed manner at the sight of Stoat (well you would, wouldn’t you?) although he tells me the result was Rabbit 1 Stoat 0. 

Relatively speaking, Stoat has what is known as a wide ‘ecological amplitude’. In other words, it displays an ability to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions. For this reason, it is found throughout Britain although an individual animal will not usually survive beyond its second year. And a curious anomaly: Stoats are legally protected in Ireland but not in the UK.

Please also follow us on Twitter @WrittleCons.

Tour de France comes to Essex!

The Tour de France is coming to Essex on Monday! Its route takes the riders past Writtle College and we are extremely excited by this event, especially as we now have a brand new Foundation degree in Cycling Performance* in our portfolio! Our course manager for Sports and Exercise Performance programmes, Mark Walker, recently featured on Youth Cycle Sport  discussing the new cycling degree! Take a look at the article below!

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Mark Walker is course manager for the new Foundation degree in Cycling Performance* at Writtle College. A senior lecturer in sports and exercise performance at the College for the last seven years, he provides coaching support to some of the top GB cyclo cross riders, including European Cyclo-Cross Champion Helen Wyman, emerging star 17-year-old Sean Dunlea - who is a student at the College - and multiple national champion Hugo Robinson. Here he explains why now is the right time to launch a cycling degree, what the course involves and its unique mode of delivery, which gives students the chance to pursue their coaching or competing ambitions while studying.

Mark Walker (right) with cyclist Sean Dunlea

"The idea for this new degree came from the fact that I've been undertaking physiological tests on a number of cyclists in the sports laboratory at Writtle College who have faced the dilemma of whether to continue in education when they leave school or try to become a professional cyclist or coach. This is clearly a really difficult decision and it creates lots of conflicts in their lives. Some of them choose not to pursue their education and to dedicate their time to being a pro as it's such a small window of opportunity but it causes stress as they know very few people succeed. It's obviously good to have a fall-back position and their parents, knowing the risks, find it concerning if they give up education altogether. With the growing interest in cycling, we thought we could put together a degree that is taught in a flexible way so those in this position can continue with their studies but also balance their training or racing commitments. 

The course is a Foundation degree as this has a work-based focus and is more vocational than an Honours degree. The students spend 25% of their time in industry. Our model is that students spend September to February in College studying, with intensive teaching in February. They then carry out work experience in the summer months - coaching, cycling development, working in any facet of the cycling industry they are interested in or, if they are a competitive cyclist, they can race and train while it contributes towards their assessed work experience. During this time, there is an element of distance learning to the degree - they continue with their formal modules online - so we're really trying to make it as user-friendly as possible for these students. 

The Foundation degree has modules to complement coaching such as coaching strength and conditioning, exercise physiology, nutrition, along with a large element being about the cycling industry and careers in the industry. We have a fully-equipped sports lab here, which has a strong focus on cycling science - measuring power outputs of cyclists with SRM and 10 power tap wheels - and the physiological demands on the cyclists. 

With the industry-focus of the degree, students can really think about their future career direction and we can facilitate it so they have the career they want. We have a huge number of contacts in the industry - the Olympic velodrome, Hadleigh Farm, Braintree BMX Club, local coaches, physiotherapists and the professional cycling team - which can help students gain the work experience they need. The professional cycling team in particular can give students a unique and valuable insight into the roles of staff and what it's like for riders on the team. 

It is an exciting time in the industry. When I was a youngster there wasn't an obvious way into cycling. But with British Cycling there is now a clear structure and route into coaching. We are offering a coaching qualification as part of the degree so we can give students the best chance of being able to step into a career after successfully graduating. We envisage our students embarking on carers in cycling development, coaching, team management, retail - the biomechanical side of the market is really growing - and competitive cycling. Although the degree is based purely on cycling, students will also be able to progress onto the more generic Sports and Exercise Performance Honours degree at Writtle College - the Foundation degree in Cycling Performance will count as the first two years so all they need to do is to study for another year to get a more general sports science BSc. This opens up doors in sport generally and they could go onto physiotherapy qualifications or teaching qualifications, for example. This means, on graduation, they can boast a Sports Science degree with a unique focus on cycling, which should put them in a strong position. 

We carried out market research on Twitter to gauge demand for the degree. Within two days we had 200 respondents to our online survey, so this gives an idea of the level of interest in the programme. As a result of this feedback, we have broadened the scope of the degree. At first we thought the degree would mainly appeal to those who have just completed school or National Diplomas but we found there was a demand from older students who were saying that they wanted a career change in their late 30s or 40s and they were interested in pursuing a cycling course. These were people who could already have a qualification from British Cycling but wanted to learn the underpinning sports science. There is a parallel to what I did - I trained in engineering, bio-technology, as an undergraduate and then did my Masters in my early 30s and pursued a career in sports science and as a cycling physiologist. That came from a passion in cycling and sports science as a youngster so I can empathise!

Cycling is thriving off the back of the Olympics and the Tour de France, with the success of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome. The Women's Tour has gained a raised profile through the success of competitors such as Marianne Vos and the UK held the European Cyclo Cross championships in 2012. Alongside this, there's been a big push by the Department for Transport for active transport for good health and environmental reasons. All of this has led to an enormous growth in the popularity of the sport and many more people are racing recreationally. The College is already really well-known in the cycling community as we have hosted cycling events here such as the Eastern Region Cyclo Cross Race and rounds of the Mud, Sweat and Gears mountain biking contest. We have held, with British Cycling, coaching days for women's cyclo cross and an eastern region cyclo cross conference, all with the help of Mark Wyer from British Cycling. This momentum is continuing with the Tour de France visiting the UK this year and coming past Writtle College. With the London velodrome only 40 minutes away from us, along with Hadleigh Farm in the county, Writtle can capitalise on being in the midst of this action and we hope to develop the College as a hub for cycling expertise. All this makes it the right time to launch a programme like this and I am really excited to be bringing it to Writtle College."

Take a look at the course here: http://writtle.ac.uk/Foundation-Degree-(FdSc)-Cycling-Performance

*subject to validation