Thousands of people attended free events and activities which took place during 天美传媒鈥檚 (BU鈥檚) fifth Festival of Learning.
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Around 5,000 people enjoyed more than 140 free events which aimed to bring learning to life and share BU鈥檚 research and expertise in engaging and accessible ways.听
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Events included drop-in stalls and activities at Poole Quay, a family day at BU鈥檚 Talbot Campus, and a range of professional development and learning opportunities.
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Sports sessions, exhibitions, performances听and workshops 鈥� covering everything from networking to the future of healthcare, cyber-security and the authenticity of food 鈥� were also on offer.
Festival Director Genna West said: 鈥淭his year鈥檚 Festival has been brilliant 鈥� we鈥檝e had so many people through the doors and engage with us when we took our activities out to the public.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really pleased to have so many people interested in what we do as a university and it鈥檚 a great chance for our staff and students to talk to the wider community and share some of our fantastic research with people outside of the institutional walls.鈥�
The Festival of Learning ran across five days, and kicked off with a Festival for the Family at Talbot Campus.
Activities on offer ranged from animal adventures to sporting sessions and workshops exploring everything from dinosaur DNA to getting messy with research.
Adventurer and endurance athlete Anna McNuff was this year鈥檚 Festival guest speaker and gave two talks about her travels around the world 鈥� which include cycling through every state in the USA and running across New Zealand.
She said she thought the Festival of Learning was a great opportunity for people to explore the university and the work and research taking place.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really nice and it鈥檚 so out of the norm from what a lot of universities do,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 think to do something for the local community like this where you鈥檙e just focused on giving back and allowing them access to an amazing campus is a great thing to do.鈥�
The Festival closed with a day celebrating BU鈥檚 global reach and achievements, which include Global Festival of Learning events in China, India, Malaysia and Indonesia.
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Alongside an international food festival, exhibitions showcased the work and research undertaken by BU staff and students around the world and events explored BU鈥檚 commitment to developing global talent and the region as an international business hub.
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A closing ceremony featured international performances and a keynote speech by Phil Baty, the Editorial Director of the听Times Higher Education Global Rankings.
Speaking at the event, Professor John Fletcher, BU鈥檚 Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e welcomed thousands of people on campus and hundreds of people out and about in Bournemouth and Poole with our off-campus activities.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been brilliant to share just some of our research and learning experiences with the public, because it鈥檚 part of 天美传媒鈥檚 mission and ethos to share our activities, to inspire people about learning and celebrate the joy of learning. That鈥檚 exactly what the Festival of Learning is all about.鈥澨�
Visit our to see images and videos from across the 2017 Festival.听
