News in brief – October 29

Thomas Docherty, professor of English and Comparative Literature, who was suspended by the University of Warwick is to be cleared of any allegations after an internal investigation. Professor Docherty had been charged with undermining the authority of the former head of the English department, Catherine Bates. Previously, the University of Warwick had denied that the suspension was in connection with his political views; a Warwick spokesperson said the University would issue a full statement in the coming days.

Eight engineering students from the University of Warwick are working on a project to design their own satellite and send it into space. Next year, they will take their creation to a launch site in northern Sweden, accompanied by their project director Dr Bill Crofts. There, a rocket will launch their satellite –WUSAT 2 – into space. The satellite will measure light frequencies from space and transmit them back to the team. These measurements can help detect other planets in the galaxy that are capable of supporting life. This project is backed by the European Space Agency and it is the second student satellite designed at the University.

The University of Warwick is running the Student Switch Off Campaign again this year. The Student Switch Off is a not-for-profit campaign that encourages students to save energy when living in university halls of residence. The four main energy saving tips they encourage are: switching off lights and appliances; not overfilling the kettle; limiting the time the heating is on; and putting the lid on saucepans when cooking. The hall that saves the most energy wins money towards their end of year party. Last year the prize went to Redfern.

Times Higher Education (THE) has ranked the University of Warwick as the tenth top UK University for the Arts. Categories of assessment include: teaching; international outlook; industry income; research; and citations. The University has dropped slightly in the THE World University Rankings table having dropped from being 44 in 2013-14 to 46 in 2014-15.