Science fiction has a lot to say about war. From the advanced fighting suits of Starship Troopers and The Forever War, through to the remote warfare of Ender’s Game and the bioform soldiers of Dogs of War, science fiction authors have long written about warfare and the question of where war might go next.
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What can we learn from sci-fi movies about futures research?
By Dr Nicole Bulawa and Dr Mike Ryder
While science fiction is known for its warnings about the future, it can teach us other lessons too. Indeed, there is a whole field of study known as ‘futures research’ where scientists try and make sense of our world and make plans for what the future might bring.
This goes far beyond merely trying to predict the future. Rather, it is a way to help us come up with ideas to help us deal with potential challenges and build a better society.
Here’s how just a few of our favourite sci-fi films help us do this…
Continue readingPutting a price on research
Research is far more expensive than many people may think. The reason for this is the huge overheads universities charge to cover the cost of their buildings and pay the wages of the many managers and admin staff that they employ.
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Thinking about a career in Digital Marketing? Looking to make the move into Marketing but don’t know where to start? Then Lancaster University’s new MSc Digital and Social Media Marketing is for you!
Continue readingReflections on my Masters degree – 10 years on
October 2024 marks the 10 year anniversary of what is perhaps the proudest achievement of my academic life.
In 2014 I submitted my Masters dissertation after what had been a trying two years of studying part-time while holding down an extremely stressful full-time job as a senior writer at a healthcare PR agency based in Whitstable. My family was also going through an intense period of trauma, the repercussions of which are still being felt to this day.
To make matters worse, I was being bullied at work by my boss (the business owner) who took quite badly to the news that I might want to leave my job, and so started a campaign of harassment against me. This culminated in the colleagues in my shared office being moved downstairs to leave me in an office on my own as some sort of ‘punishment’ for daring to suggest that I might want to leave.
It was a very tough time indeed.
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