The Dickens Code: Enduring mystery of Dickens shorthand letter solved with crowd-sourced research
An international team of volunteers and amateur decoders have helped experts solve the enduring mystery of a letter written by celebrated novelist Charles Dickens in his own brand of adapted shorthand, which he called ‘The Devil’s Handwriting’.
Now, on Dickens’s 210th birthday, the Dickens Code project – led by Dr Claire Wood at the University of Leicester in collaboration with Professor Hugo Bowles at the University of Foggia in Italy – can reveal the true meaning behind the Tavistock Letter, written in his notoriously difficult-to-decode Brachygraphy shorthand.
The Morgan Library & Museum’s Tavistock Letter, written by Dickens on blue headed notepaper, is a classic example of his shorthand and has remained undeciphered for more than 150 years – until now.
le.ac.uk/news/2022/february/dickens-code-tavistock-letter
Royal Astronomical Society award for Leicester space scientist
A researcher from the University of Leicester has been recognised by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) for her ‘significant contribution’ to scientists’ understanding of the Martian atmosphere.
Dr Beatriz Sánchez-Cano, STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellow within the School of Physics and Astronomy, has been awarded the 2022 RAS Fowler (G) Award for her research of Mars’ ionosphere.
Through analysis of data from a range of instruments and missions, and through development of a widely-used numerical model, Dr Sánchez-Cano’s work has identified important solar cycle and seasonal variations, as well as the ionospheric response to extreme space weather, such as the so-called solar wind and other high energy particle events.
She is also guest investigator for the BepiColombo mission, on which the University of Leicester contributes the Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (MIXS), in addition to her involvement with various current and future Mars missions, including leadership of a European Space Agency (ESA) Voyage 2050 white paper on Mars’ plasma environment.
le.ac.uk/news/2022/january/ras-fowler-award
University of Leicester celebrates 40th anniversary of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾
University of Leicester is staging a new exhibition and series of events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾.
The bestseller written by the late Leicester-born writer, Sue Townsend, has sold more than 10 million copies in the UK alone.
University of Leicester, which holds Sue Townsend’s original manuscripts in the David Wilson library, is celebrating the occasion by holding an exhibition in her honour which will launch on Friday, October 14.
le.ac.uk/news/2022/october/adrian-mole
Ground-breaking view of the cosmos revealed at Space Park Leicester
Astounding images telling the story of a hidden universe through every phase of its cosmic history have been revealed for the first time at Space Park Leicester.
The pioneering Midlands facility was one of only a handful of venues chosen by the European Space Agency to showcase the first images from the £10 billion James Webb Space Telescope when they were released for the first time yesterday.
The nearly 100-strong audience in Leicester were among the first people to catch sight of the ground-breaking images, including the best view yet of distant galaxies and light from 13 billion years ago.
Showing the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe so far, views of a ‘stellar nursery’ and a roaring sphere of gas around a dying star were among the sights which drew gasps from the watching crowd.
le.ac.uk/news/2022/july/jwst-first-light