As the year draws to a close, we’ve rounded up the most heartwarming and inspirational good news stories from 2022.
Top student news stories…
Manchester student’s extraordinary drive recognised at House of Lords
Jesy Luyengi, a mathematics student at Manchester, was recognised at the Student Social Mobility Awards ceremony at the House of Lords for the raft of high-profile activities he’s undertaken while studying, including acting as the national finance director of the 93% Foundation, the largest state-educated social mobility network.
Student organised walkathon aims to save our soil
In May we saw a student-led walkathon take place with the aim of raising awareness of the global degradation of one of the Earth’s most essential life-giving attributes – soil. The event saw students gather on campus and visit various landmarks and venues from Whitworth Park to Piccadilly Garden as part of global action led by the Save Soil Movement of Conscious Planet.
Students speak directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Manchester students had the chance to pose questions directly to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a live Q&A. There was high demand for tickets for the event, organised with the University’s Ukrainian Society, at which President Zelenskyy acknowledged Manchester’s Ukrainian students as ambassadors for the country.
University of Manchester medical student wins prestigious UK national award
A medical student at the University of Manchester has gained a top prize in the prestigious 2022 Dr Falk-Pharma/Guts UK Charity national awards. Mr Oluwatobi Adegboye won the Medical Student Prize for his research project, which investigated the links between circadium systems and advanced liver fibrosis.
Climate change impact through 50,000 Actions and Living Lab nominated for Earthshot prize
More than 40,000 staff and students at The University of Manchester were nominated for The Earthshot Prize for their practical action on climate change. In the last two years, the University has saved CO2 through active travel, shaped municipal climate change policy, increased biodiversity and enabled ethical consumption while empowering and equipping the future workforce of a net zero world.
Foundation Day celebrations see Nazir Afzal OBE installed new University Chancellor
The University of Manchester’s annual Foundation Day celebrations saw honorary graduates recognised for their contributions and Former Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England, Nazir Afzal OBE, officially becoming the new Chancellor. Celebrated every October, Foundation Day marks the merger of the Victoria University of Manchester and The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in 2004.
And in other non-university related news…
Gap-free human genome sequence completed for first time
Scientists say they have completed the first full and seamless catalogue of genetic instructions of humans. Until now, about 8% of the human genome code was missing from the blueprint, experts told the journal Science. The resource helps explain how to create every human cell in the body, which could shed light on how to treat, prevent and cure disease.
Cat walks across France to their old home before being reunited with stunned owners 13 months later
A cat traveled more than 280 miles to its old home before being reunited with her relocated owners and taken back to her new home—a whopping 13 months later. A stranger found a stray cat more than 450 kilometers away, just five miles from their previous family home.
Georgian archaeologists find 1.8-million-year-old human tooth
Archaeologists in Georgia have found a 1.8-million-year-old tooth belonging to an early species of human which they say cements the region as the home of one of the earliest prehistoric human settlements in Europe, possibly anywhere outside Africa.
Two New Planets Have Been Discovered In The Milky Way
Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel have recently discovered two new giant planets in a remote corner of the Milky Way galaxy. Both the planets are similar in size to Jupiter, which is the largest planet in our solar system, boasting a size twice as large as all the other planets in the system combined.
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