Students vote in inaugural Fruni lectures

Hundreds of Exeter students have voted for the research they think everyone should know about in the first ever Fruni events at the University. Fruni, which stands for Free Range University, is a social enterprise which aims to give every student the chance to hear the most inspirational lecturers, regardless of their individual courses.

Top researchers at the University will now present aspects of their work in five Monday evening lectures, taking place from 21 January to 18 February in the Alumni Auditorium. A video link for each event will go to Peter Lanyon Seminar room 10 on the Cornwall campus.

Professor Nick Talbot, Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Knowledge Transfer, said: “The Fruni lectures provide students with an opportunity to discover new subject areas, delivered by world-class researchers. We are delighted that so many students took the time to vote. It demonstrates the thirst and passion Exeter students have to broaden their academic horizons.”

English Professor Philip Schwyzer was voted to give a lecture on Shakespeare and the Remains of Richard III. He said: “The Fruni lectures are a great initiative. It’s part of the ideal of the University that ideas and conversations should spread beyond the seminar room.

“The University should be a place where students receive more than training in a particular discipline, but also insight into fields of knowledge they might never otherwise encounter.

“It’s an honour to have been chosen by the student body as one of this year’s lecturers. I hope I can make my subject interesting to students from across the university.”

The events will be free to attend, and will include a drinks reception. There is no need to book. The schedule for the events is below:

Lecture 1: Monday 21 January, 7pm-9pm
Simulating Reality: From Cricket to Crickets
Dr Philippe Young
With opening speech from Professor Nick Talbot (Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Knowledge Transfer)

Lecture 2: Monday 28 January, 7pm-9pm
Paradigm Lost: the earliest colonization of the Americas
Professor Bruce Bradley

Lecture 3: Monday 4 February, 7pm-9pm
Shakespeare and the Remains of Richard III
Professor Philip Schwyzer

Lecture 4: Monday 11 February, 7pm-9pm
Whatever it Takes to Understand:
Why Studying English in a Digital Age Might Mean Not Being Scared of Science (or Philosophy, or Biology, or Neuropsychology, or Art History, or Computers, or Math, or Technology, or...)
Dr Matthew Hayler

Lecture 5: Monday 18 February, 7pm-9pm
The Lawyer, Ethics and Popular Culture: Legal Heroes and Practicing Villains
Craig Newbery-Jones
With closing speech from Professor Janice Kay (Deputy Vice Chancellor Education)

Date: 16 January 2013