Food Safety expert delivers first Professorial lecture

Carol Wallace, Professor of Food Safety Management Systems at UCLan SENS, has delivered her first Professorial lecture.

Entitled 'From Rocket Science to People Power - evolution and effectiveness of food safety management approaches', the event was an opportunity for Professor Wallace to celebrate her 30 year career in the food industry and food safety education.

She said: "I was pleased to do my inaugural professorial lecture on a topic that has been close to my heart through all my time in industry as well as my career in academia.

"I was a little nervous because this was a public lecture, so it had to be relevant to both non-specialists and food safety professionals but everyone seemed really interested and I was delighted with how engaged the audience members were in the final Q & A session."

Hammers placement expands student's knowledge

Our programmes offer students many opportunities to gain valuable industry experience.

Nik Kudiersky recently completed a placement as part of the elite performance team at West Ham United FC, which he hopes will provide a platform into a career in sport.

Nik spotted the role just after starting his final year and after successfully negotiating the interview process he was offered the position. With the help of UCLan staff Nik deferred his studies to join the Premier League outfit.

His placement focused on training analysis, via the use of GPS, accelerometry, and video footage. Nik learned how to use an array of high-tech equipment, and how to effectively apply analysis methods in an elite youth football environment.

Along with two other students, Nik was responsible for the collection and feedback of the time-motion data of all U18 & U21 players, as well filming all training sessions, and uploading the edited footage to an online video platform.

A key objective of the time-motion data analysis was to provide staff and players with objective feedback of each individual’s activity level throughout each pitch session. This data combined with subjective exertion feedback from the players, enabled the staff to assess the efficacy of each training session, make inter-individual comparisons and identify symptoms of overreaching.

Videoing training was an essential role, facilitating the interpretation of the time-motion data, and providing players and staff with the opportunity to analyse performance.

Soon after beginning the placement Nik became aware that the activity of each player is highly dependent on a number of contextual factors, including the chaotic and organisational behaviour of surrounding players, therefore the accompanying video footage was required to make sense of the data.

Working alongside sport scientists gave Nik a great insight into practice design, learning how to apply principles of skill acquisition and exercise physiology, to maximise productivity of each training session.

A high emphasis was placed on creating an optimal learning environment for the players both on and off the pitch.

On the pitch a game-centred, constraints-led approach was implemented to promote the retention and transferability of implicitly learnt skills.

A self-directed learning approach was encouraged off the pitch; training and match footage was made available within a couple of hours, allowing players to critically analyse their performance on a daily basis.

Working within a multi-disciplinary academy, exposed Nik to a wide variety of contemporary and practical methods in the domains of strength and conditioning, sport science, coaching science, and performance analysis.

Nik now has a much deeper understanding of the interacting elements that must be considered when designing and implementing a team development strategy, and will now be able to apply and expand on what he has learnt on his return to UCLan.

UCLan researcher attends food sustainability conference

Food Safety book gets Russian release

Professor Carol Wallace's latest book - 'HACCP: a practical approach (3rd Edition)' - has been published for the first time in Russian.

The book, co-authored with Sara Mortimore, is a compendium of up-to-date thinking and best practice approaches to the development, implementation and maintenance of HACCP programs for food safety management.

Written both for those who are developing HACCP systems for the first time and for those who need to update, the book refreshes and strengthens their existing systems.

New materials and new tools to assist the HACCP team have been provided and the current situation on issues that are still undergoing international debate, such as operational prerequisite programmes.

Previous books written by Professor Wallace, and earlier editions of this one, have been published in French, German, Spanish, Chinese and Indonesian.

Professor Wallace works on RSPH video project

Professor Carol Wallace is currently working with the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) on a series of videos discussing food safety culture with some of the industry's leading experts.

She recently interviewed Lone Jespersen, Head of Food Safety Strategy at Maple Leaf Foods, and will soon be speaking with Professors Chris Griffith and Lisa Ackerley as part of the project.

Professor Wallace has also been invited to The Buckingham Palace Garden Party in recognition of her ongoing work with the RSPH.

UCLan SENS Lecturer presents at showpiece food studies event

A UCLan SENS Lecturer recently took part in a prestigious food studies event in Finland.

Dr Brigit Ramsingh travelled to the University of Helsinki to deliver a research presentation at an international interdisciplinary conference entitled: 'Food in Society and Culture – Research across the Social Sciences and the Humanities'.

The symposium aimed to develop new analytical approaches to the study of food in the Humanities, Economics and the Social Sciences by looking at issues of food production, consumption, and food cultures in contemporary society.

Dr Ramsingh's paper - 'Society's Kidneys: Food waste, freegans and the use of metaphor to define alternative food networks' - formed part of a session investigating sustainability, alternative movements and food waste.

The event featured leading experts from a variety of disciplines including Alan Warde, Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester, and Johanna Mäkelä, Professor of Food Culture at the University of Helsinki.

Dr Ramsingh commented: "The conference was fantastically well organised, with interesting and provocative sessions that continued long after the scheduled program had ended.

"It was one of the most talkative meetings I've been to, and I met many new colleagues and friends from across Europe with whom I will keep in touch in order to develop some collaborative research plans."

For more information about the event please click here.

Sports Science student chases football dream

When a UCLan SENS student took to the football pitch in Cyprus for his weekly match, little did he know a spectator visiting on an educational trip would soon make his dreams come true.

Football mad Sergios Avraam was playing for UCLan's Cyprus team when he came to the attention of Preston North End Football Club's Deputy Chairman David Taylor, who is also Chairman of UCLan.

David spotted the striker's talents during a trip to our Pyla campus and invited him to train with the League One club.

Sergios, who is studying the first year of a Sports Science degree, has travelled to Lancashire to train at UCLan Sports Arena with the PNE Academy Team (U18s).

He said: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it could be the one chance I need to change my life. To be able to play football professionally is a dream come true, so I hope I impress the coaches. I’m so thankful to David, Preston North End and UCLan for making this happen."

As well as playing for the university, the 22-year-old also stars for Cypriot Second Division team Elpida Xylophagou.

"Playing in England is very different to Cyprus," said Sergios. "The pace is so fast compared with the European style of play. Technically I feel I’ve done okay and I feel I've been strong enough up against other players, but I know my stamina needs to improve. Playing 90 minutes at a fast pace is physically very tough, but with more training I know I'll be able to perform.

"It's been very interesting and challenging so far, but it's definitely been enjoyable. The coaches and players have been very friendly and encouraging so I couldn't have asked for more."

Between his training sessions and daily gym session Sergios, who is away from home for the first time, has been taking in the local sights.

"Preston is a very good city," he said. "I've enjoyed running by the river in the beautiful park, walking around the Docks and spending time in the city in the sunshine. The football stadium is amazing and the training facilities at the Sports Arena are outstanding."

His UCLan coach Miodrag Stijovic met David in Cyprus and pointed Sergios out as the star player. Miodrag, who has travelled over for a week to watch him in training, said: "I'm very, very proud of him. He's a very special player with fantastic ability. All he needs to do is to train hard, improve his physical stamina and seize the chance to show what he can do. David has been a great help and we're all very grateful for everything he has done."

The duo were David’s guests of honour at Preston's recent home match versus Swindon Town. David said: "I'm delighted I had the chance to see Sergios playing while I was visiting our Cyprus Campus. To see him in Preston making the most of this opportunity is great. He's a very talented footballer and I'm delighted I could help. UCLan's Cyprus Campus is one of our best assets and this helps to build further links between us."

While in Preston he has been under the watchful gaze of PNE Academy Manager Nick Harrison. He said: "Credit to Sergios for coming over and joining in so well. He's taken to all the training sessions really well, coped with the physical demands, displayed his technical ability and shown he's a good footballer.

"For me it’s been a positive experience for both parties. He's been able to learn from us while the rest of the players have come up against an older player who has a different style of play to what they're used to. The way he's integrated so well with the group is a bonus."

Being a footballer does not mean Sergios has been able to avoid his academic studies as he has been using UCLan’s interactive educational software to compete his assignments.