RCA Design Research

Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95 ALEXANDRIA, VA — Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She passed away

Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.

What I Learned at the Royal College of Art | Royal College of Art 💡 A university president on the unique value of a #DesignEducation... Professor Anthony Finkelstein's (President, City St George’s, University of London) new blog on what he he learned from a PhD in ...

A university president on the unique value of a #DesignEducation. Professor Anthony Finkelstein...

www.linkedin.com/posts/royal-...

Call for Applications: Two Editors for the journal 'Designing'

Deadline: September 24, 2025

Designing is the new double-blind, peer-reviewed academic journal of the Design Research Society, published in partnership with Sage Publishing.
www.designresearchsociety.org/articles/cal...

Professor Hua Dong appointed Director of The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design Professor Hua Dong appointed Director of The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design

"We welcome Professor Hua Dong as Director of The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design. She brings a compelling vision and impressive international experience to a Centre that is integral to the RCA's research and impact."
Prof. Christoph Lindner President & Vice-Chancellor

www.rca.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

UK recovers position in EU’s Horizon Europe science research programme Scientists received €735m in grants in 2024 after UK rejoined programme as associate member post-Brexit

The UK is quickly recovering a prime position in the EU’s £80bn science research programme 18 months after becoming a participating member following the resolution of Brexit problems, data shows.

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Europe must do more to protect data under Trump, ERC head says Disappearance of US-hosted data should be ‘wake-up call’ for scientific community, conference hears

Europe “needs to do more” to protect scientific data threatened by the Trump administration, the president of the European Research Council has said
#AcademicSky #researchdata

ChatGPT polluted the world forever, like the first atom bomb Feature: Academics mull the need for the digital equivalent of low-background steel

The launch of ChatGPT polluted the world forever, like the first atomic weapons tests.

Academics mull the need for the digital equivalent of low-background steel.

www.theregister.com/2025/06/15/a...

Extracting memorized pieces of (copyrighted) books from open-weight language models Plaintiffs and defendants in copyright lawsuits over generative AI often make sweeping, opposing claims about the extent to which large language models (LLMs) have memorized plaintiffs' protected expr...

A paper trying to quantify the extent to which LLMs 'copy' books? (quite a bit in some cases (and although 1984 is in the public domain in the UK, it's not in the US until 2044)) arxiv.org/abs/2505.12546

UK AIDS Memorial Quilt | Tate Modern

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Our amazing colleague and head of Fashion, Zowie Broach, was one of those who conceived a film – thought lost – that is on show at the Tate

www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tat...

We're now just 250 short of 37,000 signatures on our petition 🤏

That's tens of thousands of voices from every part of the UK delivering one clear message: if the government wants national renewal, they should invest in the arts and culture 🌱

HELP US HIT 37K 👉 campaignforthearts.org/petitions/sp...

Peers vote to defy government over copyright threat from AI Exclusive: Government suffers fifth defeat in House of Lords over plans to allow AI companies to use copyrighted material Defiant peers have delivered an ultimatum to offer artists copyright protection against artificial intelligence or risk losing a key piece of legislation. The government suffered a fifth defeat in the House of Lords over controversial plans to allow the AI companies to train their models using copyrighted material. Continue reading...

Peers vote to defy government over copyright threat from AI

Citizens from every UK constituency urge Chancellor to grow arts funding in Spending Review | Campaign for the Arts Every MP in the House of Commons has a constituent who has signed the Campaign for the Arts' petition, urging the Chancellor to grow public investment in the arts and culture.

Citizens from every parliamentary constituency in the UK have come together, ahead of the forthcoming Spending Review, to urge the Chancellor to protect and grow public investment in the arts and culture. 🎶💃🎭🎨✍️📸🎥🧵🏛️

www.campaignforthearts.org/news/citizen...

Sign the Petition In Defense of Art Research: A Call to Support ACPA, PhDArts, and docARTES

«Leiden University’s announcement that it will ‹phase out› the funding for its Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA) is not just a bureaucratic decision; it is a profound and short-sighted blow to the intellectual, cultural, and artistic fabric of the Netherlands.» chng.it/WNDNWTQxsq

KLAXON 🚨: Indie SAGE has come out of retirement to release a new short report standing up for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the sciences!

DEI is not just the right thing to do, it *improves* the quality of the science. Please read and share.

independentsage.org/wp-content/u...

1/2

Other countries are fully targeting US academics with social media ads now, basically of the form "we still have inclusive liberal democracy and academic freedom here"

Royal College of Art celebrates 11th consecutive year as the world’s leading university for art and design

Royal College of Art celebrates 11th consecutive year as the world’s leading university for art and design

www.rca.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

Royal Society urged to expel Elon Musk as fellows sign open letter More than 1,700 academics complain about X owner’s behaviour, citing his ‘assault on scientific research’

Royal Society urged to expel Elon Musk as fellows sign open letter

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Three fifths (61%) of internships undertaken by recent grads were unpaid or underpaid.

Most of these internships are likely illegal under existing regulations, but the system relies on interns themselves reporting non-paying employers…

The University of Leeds has become the first Russell Group university to officially announce that it is quitting Elon Musk’s social media site X.

It will, however, be alive and well on Bluesky.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

We are deeply concerned to hear about proposed cuts and programme closures at the University of Northampton and the University of Sheffield.

In solidarity with our colleagues, please join us and sign and share the two petitions below requesting URGENT action. 🚨 1/3

Over 60 German universities quit social media platform X Platform accused of failing to uphold values of diversity, freedom, and scholarship - Anadolu Ajansı

🚨🚨 Major and very welcome exodus news: Over 60 German universities quit social media platform X accusing platform of failing to uphold values of diversity, freedom, and scholarship. 🧵
www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/ov...

‘National catastrophe’: drama school funding crisis in England sparks concern Actors Samuel West and Paapa Essiedu join calls for urgent action to protect and expand access to arts

Our drama schools are facing a financial crisis, shutting down opportunities for the next generation.

On @theguardian.com today, Campaign for the Arts trustee Samuel West calls for "urgent action to protect and expand everyone’s access to the arts".
www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Bristol Old Vic theatre school to stop its undergraduate courses Renowned drama school says ‘unprecedented funding challenges’ make degrees unviable from September 2025

Bristol Old Vic theatre school: the capping of student fees, restrictions to international student visas, cuts in grants and increases in costs of living and teaching had all influenced the decision to shut down the undergrad programme from September 2025.

www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/j...

Depressing reading but sadly unsurprising…

Also…

Some good comments add to the wisdom of this post.

Blueksy Mentions are now in Altmetric. It's been 84 years meme #AcademicSky #HigherEd #MedSky #HMSky #Altmetrics #Medlibs #Metascience

BLUESKY MEGA-THREAD

Altmetric is thrilled and also LITERALLY RELIEVED to officially announce:

We are now tracking research attention as it happens on Bluesky!

We have been picking up posts on the site since late Oct.

Our team is on Bluesky all day answering questions.

Let's get into it!

📢NEW: 'Open' AI systems aren't open. The vague term, combined w frothy AI hype is (mis)shaping policy & practice, assuming 'open source' AI democratizes access & addresses power concentration. It doesn't.

@smw.bsky.social, @davidthewid.bsky.social & I correct the record👇
nature.com/articles/s41...

Global plastic talks collapse as oil states rebel Two years of negotiations to reduce global plastic production have collapsed amid a split between countries.

Countries have failed to reach a landmark agreement on tackling plastic pollution.

Deep divisions remained between a group of nearly 100 "high ambition" countries calling for plastic to be phased out and oil-producing nations…

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Brexit makes touring Europe ‘simply not viable’ for musicians, minister admits Exclusive: Chris Bryant says the government ‘fully recognises the scale of challenges facing professionals wishing to tour in Europe’

Chris Bryant, UK creative industries minister, said the government recognises the scale of the challenges facing professionals who want to tour in Europe.

“Many have concluded it is simply not economically viable or logistically possible to tour in Europe”.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...