The Making a Difference Awards

School of Social Sciences award winners.

Making A Difference Awards 2022

Winner, Outstanding benefit to society through research

COVID-19, inequality and older people

Dr Tine Buffel (Sociology), Professor Christopher Phillipson (Sociology) and other MUARG colleagues - Faculty of Humanities

This project highlights the impact of COVID-19 on older people across the region, especially in relation to declining social contact and feelings of mental and physical deterioration. The research identified gaps in service provision for older people arising from the pandemic, in particular groups from minority ethnic communities, people self-identifying as LGTBQ+ , and those at risk of social isolation from low incomes or poor health.

Winner, Outstanding public and community engagement initiative: Outstanding national/international engagement

Cucusonic: translating biodiversity into new music in Colombia

Rupert Cox (Social Anthropology), Alejandro Valencia-Tobon. (Social Anthropology Alumni; Masters 2011-12, PhD 2012-16)

This project raised public awareness of the biodiversity of Colombia and its importance globally by translating natural soundscape recordings and bioacoustic data into a new music album. The international music and bio-science collaboration set up a remotely organised network with diverse local communities to collect and record sounds and stories from the Colombian Neotropical forests, inviting high profile musicians to create tracks from the field recordings.

Highly commended,Outstanding public and community engagement initiative: Outstanding contribution by our cultural institutions

Our Shared Cultural Heritage

Sadia Habib, Research Associate, CODE (Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity), affiliated to Sociology - Manchester Museum

This project aims to make museums and heritage organisations better places for young people to tackle cultural inequalities and showcase cultural heritage from diaspora perspectives. The pandemic shifted Our Shared Cultural Heritage online, creating a safe, positive and supportive digital space for more young people.

Highly commended,Outstanding contribution to equality, diversity and inclusion

OneEd Community

Yin Hei Lee – BA (Econ.) first year

This project provides mathematics E-learning resources to students from low-income families for free and forever. By providing free access to quality educational resources created by experts, the project aims to narrow the gap between underprivileged and privileged students, allowing them to climb up the social ladder more effectively.