A lecturer in English Literature at Bath Spa University, Dr Samantha Walton, is one of ten people to have recently been awarded the British Academy Rising Stars Award.
Dr Walton was given the award for her idea entitled Landscaping Change: exploring environmental regeneration and conservation using arts and humanities research methods.
This project will see humanities scholars, writers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), policy makers and arts and community groups consider how conservation and regeneration activities impact on nature-culture relations through arts and humanities conceptual frameworks.
Dr Walton commented: “It’s an honour to have been selected for this new award, and I’m excited to begin organising the engagement events.
“They will showcase new creative writing, scholarship and third sector voices, and will be themed around the changing landscapes of Bristol, Europe’s Green Capital for 2015.
“I anticipate that collaboration between scholars, writers and community groups will demonstrate the role and value of the humanities in public life by engaging researchers in pressing socio-environmental issues of local, national and international significance.”
The British Academy Rising Stars Award enables established early career scholars to become actively engaged in the Academy.
This may involve enhancing their individual skills and/or aiding in their career development through event organisation, training or mentoring activities for a wide range of other early career researchers.
Professor Tim Middleton, Vice-Provost Research and Enterprise at Bath Spa University said: “Bath Spa University is delighted by Dr Walton’s success which recognises the ways that Arts & Humanities researchers can help shape policy and practice and promote wider public understanding of crucial global challenges.
“Dr Walton has benefited from BSU’s early stage researcher programme which helps our rising stars develop their research careers through targeted support and professional development.”
The value of the support and training given to the winners and provided by the Academy is worth up to £15,000.
