The Department of Sociology’s Master of Social Work (MSW) is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Durham’s annual Book Festival will return from 10 – 13 October, welcoming a host of writers from across the world and celebrating the power of the written word. We are looking forward to welcoming back Durham alumna and New York Times best-selling author Lucy Foley, to talk about her latest novel, The Guest List. Along with another alumnus Mathew Blake, who will be discussing his debut novel, Anna O.

We have been shortlisted as a finalist for the Creating Impact category award in this year's UK & Ireland Green Gown Awards for our project entitled 93 to 19 – The Odorbac Initiative. Lisa Blundell, Senior Housekeeping, Cleaning and General Services Manager in our Accommodation and Commercial Services, explains more about the project and how it supports our sustainability strategy.

Congratulations to Professor Graham Towl who has been appointed the new Chair of a regional network of experts in prison and offender health and social care.

The first phase of a long-term project to preserve and restore the Norman Chapel at Durham Castle, the oldest standing building in Durham City, has now been completed. A programme of essential work has been carried out over the past two years to preserve this important building and restore it to use.

Professor Jane Macnaughton from our Institute for Medical Humanities and Department of Anthropology has been chosen as the next Chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics Governing Board.

A unique collection of family memorabilia from the Oriental Museum is being exhibited at the National Museum of Japanese History in Sakura, Chiba. This special exhibition ‘Memories of the Squire Family – Mementoes of a British Engineer’, offers a glimpse into the life of a British engineering family who lived in Japan in the early 20th century.

Want to know more about how we interact with our local community? Our monthly Community Newsletter explores the news, events, and research both at Durham University and in the city itself.

Research led by Dr Hester Hockin-Boyers (Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences), suggests that combining seemingly opposing approaches to health management could support eating disorder recovery.

New research by our Psychology department has found that White Western women are less positive about their bodies and feel greater media pressure to be thin than Black Nigerian and Chinese women.

A new study led by our Earth Sciences department has uncovered an incredibly rare and detailed fossil, named 'Youti yuanshi', that gives a peek inside one of the earliest ancestors of modern insects, spiders, crabs and centipedes.

International Day of Friendship is celebrated annually on 30 July. Lottie Thompson, a Postgraduate Research Student from our Department of English Studies, explains how friendship was a key theme of the work of Lawrence of Durham.