1823 Podcast

The final Roscoe Lecture of LJMU’s Bicentenary year was met with a rousing standing ovation at St George’s Hall. Author, poet and academic Malik Al Nasir delivered his lecture The Truth That Lies Behind Roscoe to a packed audience in November. He shared his research into Liverpool’s history in the slave trade and links to the MP, writer and scholar William Roscoe, after whom these lectures are named.   Roscoe was an abolitionist committed to ending slavery but Malik explored how financiers behind his institutions were themselves slave traders.

As part of Black History Month, this episode looks at Liverpool’s untold history.  Brought together by LJMU’s Diversity and Inclusion team, our guests have a fascinating and challenging conversation about the untold history of the city, our university and wider society. They share their own personal stories and reflect on the experiences of Black communities in Liverpool. The episode is hosted by Professor Joe Yates, LJMU’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Place and Partnerships, and he is joined by: Laurence Westgaph, Liverpool Black History Research Group Lead Facilitator and Historian in Residence at National Museums Liverpool Dr Amina Elmi, Granby Somali Women’s Group Dr Scott Foster, PhD Programme Leader at Liverpool John Moores University

As part of its commitment to climate action, Liverpool John Moores University hosted a workshop looking at 'People, Politics and the Planet in Crisis'. The event brought together experts from across the world to discuss how climate change is shaping politics and the consequences for political systems in theory and practice. In this episode, the organiser of the event, Dr Matt Hill, discusses the aims of the work with Chris Scott and we hear from some of the speakers.

In October 2023, Professor the Lord Alton of Liverpool delivered a special Bicentenary Roscoe Lecture, entitled Roscoe Reflections. The founder of the Roscoe Lecture series, Lord Alton tells a rapt audience at Liverpool’s St George’s Hall how he came to develop the series and some of his highlights.

In this episode we are celebrating International Women in Engineering Day. The occasion promotes the amazing work that women engineers do across the globe and encourages more young women and girls to take up engineering careers. This episode features: Dr Denise Lee, LJMU’s programme leader for Civil Engineering Dr Fiona Borthwick, LJMU’s subject head for the School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment Fadoua Zhour, KTP associate, LJMU and Laing O’Rourke Laura Tickle, graduating from LJMU in Construction Management in July 2023 and about to take up a role in the industry with MACE Find out more about LJMU’s Faculty of Engineering and the impact of our research and successes of our graduates.

For the final episode of the jmsYOU mini-series, we hear from the four JMSU officers as they reflect on a successful 12 months in office. Marie, Shaquitta, Clodagh and Gaby join our host Lois to look back at some of their most memorable moments, campaigns and achievements. The officers talk about the importance of supporting students through the cost of living crisis and with their mental health. They also discuss some of the successful campaigns they have delivered over the last 12 months, including decolonising the curriculum, Varsity, changes to the deferral process and, of course, bringing you the jmsYOU mini-series to amplify student voices.

In this episode we bring you LJMU Chancellor Nisha Katona MBE in conversation with the BBC's Sean Curran. This is a recording of the second Roscoe Lecture of LJMU's Bicentenary year, held at Liverpool's St George's Hall. Nisha and Sean are both alumni of LJMU's School of Law. During this fascinating conversation, Nisha reflects on her family life and upbringing, her education at LJMU, embarking on a career in law and setting up Mowgli, her hugely successful chain of restaurants. She also shares her recipe for success.

This episode of the jmsYOU series celebrates International Nurses Day. Our host Lois chats to LJMU nursing students Emma and Lucy about their experiences and why they want to have a career in nursing. Emma and Lucy discuss nursing during COVID, their love of helping patients and how they juggle studying, working on placements and finding time to relax. The jmsYOU mini-series focuses on our students and provides a space to share their personal stories and experiences. Find out more about courses and research at LJMU’s School of Nursing and Allied Health here.

“Take that first step. There’s always another choice no matter how bad things are.” Final year LJMU student Declan shares his advice for anyone facing challenges with their mental health. In this episode, Declan tells our host, Lois, about struggling with his mental health after starting university during the pandemic. He shares his inspiring story of setting up a boxing club to bring people together and how it has helped him – and others – talk about their experiences and get the support they need. This series is brought to you by the JMSU team, exploring a wide range of issues affecting students and providing a space for personal stories and experiences. LJMU’s Student Advice and Wellbeing team is on hand to support any students going through challenges with their health, wellbeing and any other issues affecting them.

In this episode, we are bringing you the first Roscoe Lecture of the university’s bicentenary year. Astrophysicist Professor Andy Newsam delivered the lecture to a rapt audience of hundreds at Liverpool’s St George’s Hall in March 2023. Andy is the director of the National Schools Observatory and his lecture is ‘A Universe For All’…. Former alumni and now BBC Radio Merseyside presenter and producer, Ngunan Adamu also facilitated a Q&A with audience members and Andy, following the lecture, with complex questions including how does Astronomy cross connect with faith and religion and is there life on other planets? You can watch Professor Andy Newsam’s full Roscoe Lecture here.  LJMU will host two more Roscoe events in our Bicentennary year with LJMU Chancellor Nisha Katona MBE, on Thursday 25 May and the return of Professor the Lord Alton of Liverpool, (who founded the Roscoe Lecture Series,) on 5 October. As part of the Bicentenary celebrations, Lord Alton will look back over 25 years of Roscoe lectures and events which have provided an open platform for debate on topics of public interest and played an important part in the intellectual life of Merseyside.  You can sign-up to the Roscoe mailing list to receive updates about the events. Registration information is usually sent out six weeks prior to the event date. 

This series is brought to you by the JMSU team, exploring a wide range of issues affecting students and providing a space for personal stories and experiences. This episode marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week- a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. Our host Lois chats to Jack, an LJMU student who is now studying for a PhD. Jack shares his experiences of living with autism and dyspraxia and how he has thrived at university. LJMU’s Student Advice and Wellbeing team is on hand to support any students going through challenges with their health, wellbeing and any other issues affecting them.

In this episode, released on International Women's Day, we hear from some inspirational women about their career successes, inspirations and their time at LJMU. Julia Daer from LJMU’s Diversity and Inclusion Team is our host and she is joined by: · LJMU Sports Scholar, Honorary Fellow and Olympic gymnast, Beth Tweddle · LJMU Honorary Fellow,  BAFTA nominated presenter and mental health campaigner, Angela Samata · MA Human Resource Management student and face of recent Nike and Liverpool FC campaign, Selma Bazara This episode is part of LJMU’s bicentenary celebrations, putting a spotlight on the people who have shaped and been shaped by 200 years of the university.

This episode of the jmsYOU mini-series is part of our celebration of LGBT+ History Month. Our host Lois chats to Oli, who graduated from LJMU last year, about their experiences as a trans student. They discuss the challenges they faced, the support they received and share advice for other students in a similar position. We also chat to LJMU’s Yvonne Turnbull about the support available to students and the importance of respect in the university community. This series is brought to you by the JMSU team, exploring a wide range of issues affecting students and providing a space for personal stories and experiences. LJMU’s Student Advice and Wellbeing team is on hand to support any students going through challenges with their health, wellbeing and any other issues affecting them.

In this third episode in the jmsYOU mini-series of LJMU’s 1823 podcast, we talk about alcohol and sobriety. This series is brought to you by the JMSU team, exploring a wide range of issues affecting students and providing a space for personal stories and experiences. Our student host Lois is joined by Mel to discuss the challenges they have faced with alcohol, how they are overcoming them and the support available to other people in the same position. LJMU’s Student Advice and Wellbeing team is on hand to support any students going through challenges with their health, wellbeing and any other issues affecting them.

Welcome to the second episode in the jmsYOU mini-series of LJMU’s 1823 podcast. This series is brought to you by the JMSU team, exploring a wide range of issues affecting students and providing a space for personal stories and experiences. In this episode, our student host Lois chats to JMSU officers Marie and Shaquita about their experiences as estranged students. What are the challenges they have faced and what support have they received to overcome them? Lois also chats to Phil, LJMU’s dedicated member of staff for estranged students, to find out more about the support offered to students in those circumstances. You can contact Phil via the LJMU website or by ringing 0151 231 3149. You can also contact the JMSU advice team.

On 11 December 2022, NASA’s historic Artemis 1 mission successfully concluded with splashdown of the Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean. The mission was an uncrewed flight test, with Orion orbiting the moon, paving the way for future crewed missions. Artemis 1 was the first step in a new era of space exploration which aims to establish a long-term presence on the moon and, beyond that, send astronauts to Mars for the first time. In this episode, Professor Andy Newsam and Professor Matt Darnley from LJMU’s Astrophysics Research Institute discuss the success of the mission, what it means for the future of space exploration and whether they’d ever fancy being on board a future mission.

Welcome to the jmsYOU mini-series of LJMU’s 1823 podcast.  We aim to focus on YOU as students and we want this to be a space where you can share your personal stories and experiences. Meet Lois, your student host for jmsYOU. She will be uncovering the stories and experiences of other students to discuss wider topics of conversation that may encourage, help and inspire listeners who may be going through similar journeys. To kickstart our mini-series, we talk about the impact of the cost of living crisis on students, as a result of funding and money struggles which quite often lead to mental health problems. For students, this is becoming not just a cost of living crisis, but a cost of learning crisis, where students are having to make a choice between studying and eating. Only last month it was reported that 11% of UK students are turning to food banks, which is a huge increase from the 5% in January 2022. You will hear the story of our guest speaker, Amber, as she explains how she struggled with her finances during her first year at university. She shares her experience and advice after getting herself out of her financial situation with the help of LJMU’s Student Support Fund. You will also hear from James, a member of LJMU’s Student Advice and Wellbeing services, as he sheds light on the support on offer to students today. To find help, support or advice you can contact our advice team at jmsuadvice@ljmu.ac.uk or book an appointment online via the JMSU website. You can contact Student Advice and Wellbeing at studentwellbeing@ljmu.ac.uk, or reach out to their student funding and money advice team at moneyadvice@ljmu.ac.uk

LJMU has set out its plan to reach carbon net zero by 2035. It’s the overarching target in the university’s newly-published Climate Action Plan, which details its climate and sustainability objectives and measures for the next decade. The plan is divided into five different themes and, in this episode, we hear about each of them. You can read the Climate Action Plan in full and watch some short films about LJMU’s commitment to sustainability by visiting our website.

Long-distance runner Jonny Mellor joins former athlete and LJMU lecturer Kelly Massey to discuss his preparations for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. From the beginning of his professional running career as one of the first Sport Scholars at LJMU, to being signed with Team New Balance Manchester and qualifying for the Games, Jonny offers a fascinating insight into his preparations as the only male runner selected to represent Team England in the marathon. In conversation with, Kelly Massey, the latest edition of the 1823 podcast delves into the minds of elite athletes. From crying during physiotherapy sessions to encounters with Usain Bolt, Jonny and Kelly – a Commonwealth silver and bronze medal holder - share a half hour window into their lives ahead of the beginning of the highly anticipated Birmingham Games.

In this episode, a group of LJMU sport science experts preview the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. How does the home advantage really benefit athletes? From familiarity with venues to having no jet lag to contend with and tried and tested nutrition readily available. What are the final stages of preparation for any athlete on the eve of competition? How do you combat the panic? Leading the conversation is Professor Greg Whyte from the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences. Greg is well known for optimising performance not only to help students and elite athletes, but for high profile charitable challenges, most recently supporting Owain Wyn Evans and Sophie Ellis Bextor’s 24-hour Children in Need challenges. Joining Greg is Professor Graeme Close, a professor of human physiology who provides nutrition and physiology consultancy alongside academic research to some of the world’s leading sports organisations, including England Rugby. Dr Amy Whitehead adds her expertise in the field of sport psychology and coaching, having worked for organisations such as St Helens RLFC, British Cycling and the FA. Dave McDermott, who manages LJMU’s Sport Scholarship programme, completes the fab four with his oversight of the performance sport arm of LJMU where elite athletes from jockeys to boxers have benefitted from specialist research and hands-on support.