360 Degrees

Did you know that the 23rd June is Women in Engineering day? We are celebrating by speaking to Elaine and Raghda, two of our fantastic alumni working in this field. This will be our last episode of the academic year, but we'll be back in October with lots more great guests and stories for you!

In this episode, we chat to alum Jay Unwin about how to manage stress and what it means to be mentally, as well as physically, fit.

In this episode we celebrate Earth Day with three alum working in the Sustainability space; Vibs who created the South Asians for Sustainability campaign, Ian who is the Sustainability lead at TikTok and Freya who is training to be an environmental lawyer.

This week, we chat to Jess and Alex who share their experiences of placements and internships during their degree and how they've helped them in their career.

In celebration of LGBT+ History Month, this episode we chat to alum Dr Chelvan; a barrister specialising in the claims of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or intersex (LGBTI) asylum seekers fleeing homophobic or transphobic persecution. He was named Legal Aid Barrister of the Year 2014, in recognition of his ground-breaking work in gay asylum claims and his national and international reputation in asylum law.

This week we have three fantastic alumni on the show who all work in music and radio; Polly, an assistant producer at Virgin Radio, Danielle, a presenter on Absolute Radio 90s and James, a band manager at iRock. We chat about why they do what they do, what their day job really looks like and how to get in to the industry.

In the Summer of 2018, 12 school boys and their football coach got trapped in a cave in Thailand. This week, alum Chris Jewell tells us about the incredible true story of how he played an instrumental role in bringing them all to safety.

November 14th marks the start of Global Entrepreneurship Week. To celebrate, 360 Degrees talks to Clare and Grace, two UoS alumni who have founded their own start-ups. Clare and Grace tell us about how they got into entrepreneurship, the challenges they've faced and their top tips and take aways for budding entrepreneurs. 

Welcome back to a brand new series of 360 Degrees; the podcast from the University of Southampton's Development and Alumni team. Throughout the year, we'll be hearing stories from around our alumni community. On this episode, we chat to Yesh who talks about his journey from MBA to British Council Alumni Awards Global Finalist and how he is on a mission to transform India's education sector as founder of the country's first online only school. 

For a final episode of the year, we talk to two recent medical student graduates; Melissa and Augustine.Unfortunately Melissa's work was not yet published by the time this episode went live but we will share it as soon as it is available.

In honour of refugee week, we speak to alum Bishoy Romani about his experience coming to the UK as a refugee from Egypt.

This week we chat to some of our fantastic alumni about their volunteering experiences, including how they got in to it, the benefits they've discovered and why they recommend getting involved!

Back in March 2021, we had Chira Tochia on to talk about the life of a PhD student. Now, after completing her viva and graduating, she's back to tell us all about what happenes after!

This episode, we're celebrating Earth Day; an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection.Our guest is alum Owen Gaffney, who studied Aero/Astro Engineering and now works for the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Owen has recently had a book published - Breaking Boundaries: the Science of Our Planet and was also the associate producer in a documentary, which went out on Netflix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb6wQtNjblk&ab_channel=Netflix  

This week we have three fantastic alumni who came from Malaysia, China and India to study at the University of Southampton. They share how the experience of studying abroad was for them, favourite memories and advice about where to get the best fish and chips!

It's International Women's Day! To celebrate, we are joined by two fantastic alumni; Rebecca, the Director of Sustainable Finance at South Pole, and Iris, a PhD graduate and creator of ArchAI. You can find out more here: https://www.archai.io/

After the huge success of our previous episode for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2021 (which you can listen to here: https://spoti.fi/3gEfYxm) , we are back for another this year! This time we are welcoming two more fantastic alumni,  Helena and Rebekah. We chat about how they became interested in Science, their career journey so far and advice for anyone wanting to go into the field.

In celebration of LGBT+ History Month, this month's episode features alum Amy Ashenden, Director of Comms and Media at Just Like Us, the LGBT+ charity for young people.You can find out more about the charity and their work here: https://www.justlikeus.org/

We're back with our first episode of 2022! This week we're joined by three alumni who share their experiences of studying abroad. They also give advice if it's something you're thinking about!Don't forget, if you haven't already, you can sign up to the University of Southampton's e-mentoring platform, which facilitates connection between students and alumni for free! Check it out here: https://ementoringsouthampton.com/

This episode we are joined by Claire Merritt, a partner at Paris Smith. She talks about her experience getting in to Law, navigating a legal career and gives advice for anyone looking to do the same.

This week we are joined by alum Dr Daniel Stewart, co-founder of ViridiCo2. He talks about his entrepreneurship journey, tips for starting your own company and navigating your career.You can find Dan on LinkedIn here: Dr. Daniel Stewart | LinkedInRSC Showcase Video: Our SME showcase: carbon capture - YouTubeFuture Worlds Article: ViridiCO2: re-purposing emissions to close the carbon loop - Future Worlds

Over the past two years we've all been spending more time in our homes and they've had to work harder than ever before; a place to work and study, cook and eat, workout, relax and sleep. So how do you make sure your space is fulfilling all those functions without feeling overwhelming and crowded?  Which paint colours should you choose to make you feel more productive or restful? What can you do to make your space feel like home if you're renting and can't make lots of changes? How do you do interior design on a budget? This week we are joined by alum Rebecca Thomas who answers all these questions and more!

We're back with a brand new series and our first guest is alum, Chris Stark! He shares some memories from his time as a student, from DJing at Jesters to boiling pasta in a kettle... He also talks candidly about suffering with 'graduation blues' and adjusting to life outside of University.You can buy Chris' cookbook 'Eat, Zoom, Reheat' online or at any good bookstores. This is podcast supported by the University of Southampton's Office for Development and Alumni Relations. If you haven't yet signed up to the e-mentoring platform, where students and alumni can connect, then visit https://ementoringsouthampton.com/ 

Southampton is a city which has a rich history from Vikings raids through to the famous departure site of the Titanic. It has survived heavy bombing in World War II and is now a thriving composition city. This week, we are joined by local historian Martin Brisland who reveals the hidden history of Southampton, from the grisly locations of the Old Admiralty Gallows and other public executions at the Bargate to the medieval wine vaults beneath the streets that were used as air-raid shelters during the Second World War. Many notable characters have been associated with the city, including Benny Hill; Jane Austen; General Rosas, who helped create modern Argentina; and Admiral Jellicoe. As well as being the port of embarkation for the Titanic, the Pilgrim Fathers' Mayflower sailed from Southampton.

This is the third instalment of shining a light on some of the fantastic student start ups at the University of Southampton. In this episode we chat to Bitsy, who sews custom artwork on to clothes, bags and other fabrics as well as the brains behind Polarity Works.You can listen to the previous episodes featuring student start ups here:- https://open.spotify.com/episode/23DLJny2B1N1NASJIAY9hp?si=2MBhiattQBuOiFbDvPGLiA&dl_branch=1- https://open.spotify.com/episode/7soVgNBLDWiJP4YzRswG4P?si=V21MpB6jQCKqP9mZpOwHGQ&dl_branch=1

This week Emily chats to Paul Elkington, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Southampton about his work during COVID-19 and the development of the ground-breaking PeRSo respirator.The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) has awarded the University of Southampton team behind PeRSo - Personal Respirator Southampton - with a President's Special Award for Pandemic Service for exceptional engineering achievements in tackling COVID-19 throughout the UK.Both Professor Elkington and his colleague Hywel Morgan have been awarded MBEs in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to medicine and services to biomedical engineering respectively.For further information:Website – www.southampton.ac.uk/publicpolicyPerso project page - https://www.southampton.ac.uk/publicpolicy/support-for-policymakers/policy-projects/perso.page Policy pod - https://www.southampton.ac.uk/publicpolicy/support-for-researchers/policy-podcasts.page How to get in touch with Public Policy Unit Southampton - https://www.southampton.ac.uk/publicpolicy/about/1_team.page https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/publicpolicyuos/https://twitter.com/publicpolicyuos https://www.facebook.com/PublicPolicyUoS 

This week Emily sit down (for an in person chat!) with Professor Rachel Mills, the outgoing Dean of the Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences. Rachel reflects on her time at Southampton both as a student and a member of staff, discussing favourite memories, observations on changes over time and hopes for the future. She also talks about her role as the University Executive Board Sustainability Champion and the exciting work going on in the Sustainability arena. Sadly Rachel is leaving us to go to an exciting new post at the University of Sussex but we wish her all the best and thank her for her invaluable contribution to the University of Southampton.

In celebration of International Women in Engineering Day, this week's episode features Scarlett, one of our current students studying engineering as well as Megan, Nicole and Rachel, three of our alumni who work in this field. They share their experiences of what inspired them to work in engineering, how they've navigated their careers so far and give advice for anyone thinking about going into this industry.

When we put a poll out to you, our listeners, on what you wanted to hear more about on the podcast, lots of you asked for more alumni talking about careers related to their degree. So this week we are joined by History graduate Luke Tomes, who now works as a content executive at History Hit. He shares a bit about his time as a student, how he got to where he is now, what his job entails and gives advice for anyone looking to follow a similar career path.

As 5th June is World Environment Day, this week's episode features two students who have set up businesses with a sustainable angle. One is a healthy pet snack brand and the other is a clothing line made of second hand material!Find out more here:Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MoodledoInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/moodledo/Website: www.lussoleigh.com 

This week, we're joined by the University of Southampton's Director of Widening Participation and Social Mobility, Gino Graziano for a fascinating chat about class, identity and widening participation. We talk about whether a class system still exists in the UK (spoiler, our opinion was very much yes), how you measure class, how and why the pandemic has emphasised inequalities in the UK and the great work Gino's team are doing to improve opportunities and experiences for people from more diverse backgrounds.

Everyone will be aware of 'The Saints', the nickname for Southampton Football Club. However you may not be as familiar with the Saints Foundation. This is the charity of Southampton FC and the club's way of giving back. They work with people across the city to help transform people's lives in fantastic ways. This week we talk to Greg Baker, Head of Saints Foundation and Community Partnerships at Southampton Football Club, about the great work the foundation does and how people can get involved.You can find out more here: https://www.southamptonfc.com/saints-foundation

As this is Mental Health Awareness Week, this episode focuses on the 5 Ways of Wellbeing; Learn, Be Aware, Give to Others, Be Active and Stay Connected.You can find Mind Student Information Hub's section with Five Ways to Wellbeing here: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/student-life/tools-tips-and-videos/You can find out more about the Social Prescribing Service here:https://southamptonprimarycare.org.uk/patients/services/social-prescribing-service/

This week we have the wonderful Jon Sopel, best known as the BBC's North America Editor. As a UoS Alumni, he talks about his time as a student and SUSU President. Of course we also discuss Trump, how the pandemic unfolded in the U.S and what the recent verdict of Derek Chauvin being found guilty of murdering George Floyd means for dismantling systemic racism in America. Jon also talks us through his most memorable career moments and a tells a beautiful story about dinner with a WWII veteran in France.Jon's new book 'UnPresidented' is out now and available online or in any good bookshops. 

We wanted to shine a light on some of the fantastic start ups and small businesses run and owned by students and so this week we are joined by Ben and Edward, co-creators of Modulo. Their online platform helps students to easily see the pre-requisites for module choices and the implications of their module selection on future year choices. They explain how they came up with the idea independently and why they joined together. You can find out more here: https://mymodulo.uk/

On this week's episode, we chat to Dr Matthew Ryan, whose research is all about rebooting democracy. We talk about equality in politics, the polarisation of opinion that's been growing within the UK public and how we make our democracy better.You can find more information and resources for participation in politics here: https://participedia.net/

Over 100 years since it's sinking,  the Titanic continues to spark fascination and sorrow for many. Given it's intrinsic link with the history of Southampton, this week we sit down with Gareth Russell, author of 'The Ship of Dreams', to talk all things Titanic. Why did it sink? Why do we remain interested? And have we really learned any lessons? Listen to hear answers to these questions and more!You can buy his book 'Ship of Dreams' online or at any good book store.

"All right, everyone. Gird your loins!" This week we chat to Sandra, an alumni who now works as a freelance fashion stylist. She discusses breaking into the fashion industry and gives us behind the scenes of what it's really  like to work in it. She also shares anecdotes from shoots with Kylie Minogue, dressing Gigi Hadid and kitting out the Magic Mike cast...

This week we go behind the scenes of life as a lecturer with our guest, Professor Simon Kemp. He talks to us about how he got into teaching, what goes in to preparing lectures, what else goes on outside of the classroom that you don't usually see, how COVID has affected his work and much more!

In this episode we chat with Chira Tochia, a Postgraduate Research student nearing the end of her Web Science PhD. She shares her experience of navigating doing her thesis alongside juggling work, teaching and personal life. She also gives advice to anyone thinking about doing a PhD and answers questions about how it all works.

Ever wondered what exactly a black hole is? Or what happens to things that get sucked into them? Find out the answers to these questions and many more as Emily chats to Dr Matthew Middleton all about his research into black holes!Have you got a particular topic you'd like to hear about next? Let us know! Email studentcomms@soton.ac.uk or comment in the 360 Degrees Podcast Community Group on Facebook!

If you listened to our Time To Talk Day episode, you'll remember that we originally recorded with three other students but decided to keep that episode as just Holly's story so we didn't break up the flow. This week, we are very happy to be putting out the stories from the other three guests who share their experiences with mental health. As always, you can find the details of all the support available at the University here: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/studentservices/support-wellbeing.page