Professor Lindsey McEwen

National Teaching Fellow 2009 Lindsey McEwen enthusiastically integrates innovative facilitation of learning and teaching, nationally and internationally-recognised research in pedagogic research (PedR) and river science/sustainable river management, and inspirational leadership in PedR development. Lindsey's key learning strategies are active, research-informed, interdisciplinary and through 'engagement' - placing students at the heart of learning. She thrives on the spark and intellectual challenge of working across 'boundaries' - disciplinary and between university and communities. Her PedR activity includes imaginative conception and leadership of several multi-institutional projects that explore 'postgraduateness', and what academic achievement, skills development and vocational relevance mean at M-level. Since 2007, Lindsey has successfully led the development of UoG's new Pedagogic Research and Scholarship Institute (PRSI) with her innovative ideas and energy and rigorous and dynamic approach to educational development. Staff capacity-building activities with new twists include: a Valentine's Day 'Meeting your ideal research partner' (promoting debates around institutional/personal links between research/teaching) and a Robert Burns' Academic Writing Festival (exploring academic writing for PedR: identity, diversity and creativity with 'learning ceilidh'!) "This was the best university event in 10 years!" commented one participant. Her conception of the 'Research into HE Forum' is an excellent example of new cross-institutional networking activity, establishing collaborations with Northampton, Coventry, Oxford Brookes, Aston, Kingston and Plymouth Universities. Lindsey has strong commitments to lifelong and whole-life learning, developing exciting opportunities for students to co-learn with the public in community settings. Her excellence was recognised with a Royal Society 'Connecting People to Science' award to deliver a unique public understanding project 'Community engagement with its flood history - understanding risk'. Here Lindsey combined research interests in historic flood patterns/changing flood risk with transformational programmes of action learning opportunities through the Lower Severn Community Flood Education Network. "Excellent! This sort of event is 50 years overdue." (community participant) She is working with broadcast journalism students and the Women's Institute to capture oral histories based on the experiences described in the WI's 'Gloucestershire Floods 2007'. Student-produced digital stories will be exhibited during WI's 90th anniversary celebrations at Tewkesbury Abbey. Lindsey also leads UoG's new Centre for the Study of Floods and Communities - Interdisciplinary research for resilient futures - which creatively integrates research and community engagement.