The £1.5m mass spectrometer will enable the study of proteins, lipids and metabolites in cell membranes in exceptional detail The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) awarded the funds and Dr Ivana Milic leads the Aston University research team The spectrometer will be a resource for the Midlands membrane and bioscience communities. Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME) and Aston University College of Health and Life Sciences have installed a cutting-edge mass spectrometer to study biological membranes, following a grant of £1.5m from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The research team is led by Dr Ivana…

The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards are now open for entries! These prestigious awards welcome submissions of all motoring and motor racing books published between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025. Now in their twelfth consecutive year, the Motoring Book of the Year Awards are widely regarded as the highest honours in automotive book publishing. “Our Awards have a simple yet important goal: to champion the very best in automotive literature – honouring outstanding books, authors and publishers,” said Jeremy Vaughan, Head of Motoring at the Royal Automobile Club. “Once again, we invite authors and…

After ten years, and with more than 100,000 young minds inspired, Nissan has announced that it will double its pioneering Skills Foundation STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) provision to 16,000 children annually. Officially launched in 2015 by King Charles, the then Prince of Wales, the Nissan Skills Foundation began as a single interactive workshop aiming for about 1,000 students. Fast forward ten years and the foundation has beaten that target 100-fold, expanding to 13 different STEM courses for students aged six to eighteen. To mark the double milestone, Nissan invited 200 children from across the North East onto the…

People can learn about activities taking place in their community and have their say about local issues at a series of regular drop in sessions held across Wolverhampton. The Love Your Community sessions give residents the chance to meet with representatives from Wolverhampton Police, the City of Wolverhampton Council, Wolverhampton’s Anti Social Behaviour team and more, and to share information about issues and activities in their neighbourhoods. Councillor Obaida Ahmed, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Digital and Community, said: “These sessions are an important forum for residents to meet with organisations and discuss the priorities for their…

Come along to our Bump to Baby Fayre to find out what help is available in Sandwell to support you and your family on your exciting journey. Find out about antenatal education, tips for caring for your baby, advice on infant feeding or chat to one of our midwives, grab a goody bag and even create your own baby vest – all free. Book your free ticket for a slot between 10am and 2pm on Saturday 5 April at Bromwich Hall, Hall Green Road, West Bromwich, B71 2EA. Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Jackie…

Aerial view of the Heath Town estate City of Wolverhampton Council has secured £8million from the government towards installing a new heat network on the Heath Town estate – reducing energy costs for over 1,000 residents. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DSNEZ) has announced the funding as part of its Heat Network Efficiency Scheme. It will contribute towards the critical £19.5million works, with the remainder coming from the council’s Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme. All of the properties on the Heath Town estate are supplied with heat via the outdated district heating network that was first installed…

Work is set to start on the Blackheath Bus Interchange Project, marking a major milestone in the regeneration of the town. This will create a new bus interchange around Market Place serving all town centre services along with a new landscaped public space, which will replace the existing traffic island and create a safer pedestrian environment. Funded by the government’s Towns Fund programme, the project will ensure traffic can still travel through the town centre, in line with people’s feedback from previous consultation. Additional upgrades will include five new zebra crossings and ensure loading spaces are closer to businesses, supporting…

Sandwell Council is inviting residents to a series of roadshows across the borough to talk about health and wellbeing. These events are part of a five-year project called Better Research for Better Health, creating a Health Determinants Research Collaboration in Sandwell, which is funded by the National Institute for Health Research. The aim is to improve how the council gathers and uses information to make decisions about local services. By listening to residents, the council can make sure that services truly meet the needs of the community and provide good value for money. The council wants to hear from people…

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars continued its commitment to fostering the next generation of STEAM talent with a series of workshops at the local Davison CE High School for Girls. The sessions were developed to inspire young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), while also showcasing real-world applications of maths in the workplace. The lessons, developed in collaboration with Mathematics Education Innovation (MEI), a charity which aims to improve maths education, were carefully mapped to the school curriculum and made relevant to luxury manufacturing. The workshops were led by ex-Davison student and current Rolls-Royce apprentice, Fleur…

Free support and guidance on a range of money, health and safety matters is available to residents at an open event in Blakenhall next month, organised by City of Wolverhampton Council. Help at the Hub will see a wide variety of city organisations offer advice and information. The event will take place on Thursday 10 April between 11am and 2pm at The Bob Jones Community Hub, Bromley Street, Blakenhall, WV2 3AS. The event has been organised by officers at the council’s Public Protection Scams Team who will be handing out free scams awareness and prevention packs. Residents with concerns can…