We are pleased to announce a Faculty of Science and Technology Lecture to be given by Professor Louise Heathwaite, Director of LEC's Centre for Sustainable Water Management:
"The most important thing in the world over the next 40 years isn't oil - it's freshwater and people will be paying vast amounts of money for it." (Melvyn Bragg, at the Lowther Show, 2005)
With climate change threatening harsher droughts and water scarcity facing nearly 60% of humanity, water is critical to any vision of sustainability. This applies equally to the UK and even to the northwest, where up to 3m rainfall may fall on the land surface each year. There is less water per head of population in the UK than any other country in the European Union, except Cyprus. Yet domestic water use is rising, and one third of all domestic water supplies disappear down the toilet, and another third is used for baths, showers and washing machines. What does this mean for the environment? What does this mean for the sustainable use of natural resources? Are our assets literally being flushed away?
The lecture will take place on Monday 26 March at 12.30pm in the Biology Lecture Theatre. Email Pauline Roberts to reserve your ticket.
Nominations are now open for Lancaster University Staff Prizes. Last year's winners included Environmental Science's Kevin Jones and Kirk Semple and Biological Sciences' Fiona Benson, David Allsop and Jenny Harding (Commercialisation), as well as Computing's Alessandro Garcia (Research).
Prizes are awarded in the following five areas:
Each prize is worth £1,000.
The closing date for nominations, which may be made for individuals or teams, is Friday 23 March 2007. Winners will be announced in May with the awards presented at a ceremony in June.
Awards to Science and Technology researchers under Lancaster University's Small Grants Scheme have accounted for £42,420 out of a total available fund of £73,368. Congratulations to all who have had a project funded. Applications for the 2007-08 scheme are expected to open around October 2007.
The following Sci-Tech grants were successful:
For more information on all the applications and awards, please contact Katherine Gill, Research and Finance Officer
Extra funding is now available to support faculty postgraduate students under the Postgraduate Research Student Training Grants scheme. This funding can be applied for to support postgraduate research students' attendance at conferences and seminars as well as other research related activity.
Unfortunately there is no more funding available to support Faculty research Grants in the current academic year.
Fourth Generation Light Source (4GLS) will provide the UK scientific and business community with a critical research capability to enable it to look at dynamic processes in a level of detail that is currently unsurpassed in the world.
A one day interactive conference will be held on Thursday May 10th at the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus, with the aim of understanding the progress made with 4GLS technology and to explore the significant industrial applications that could be exploited with it.
The event will bring together senior representatives from key businesses and research organisations to provide their thoughts and ideas on how this cutting edge research capability can be used to shape future R&D programmes, and meet the needs of 21st Century business.
The 'nation's doctor', Sir Liam Donaldson, has launched the new £1.6m Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre at Lancaster University.
http://domino.lancs.ac.uk/info/lunews.nsf/r/42ee
Members of the public will get the chance to question the world's leading space scientists with the launch this month of an interactive website.
http://domino.lancs.ac.uk/info/lunews.nsf/r/51a6
A director has been appointed to lead the new National Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Postgraduate Statistics at Lancaster University.
http://domino.lancs.ac.uk/info/lunews.nsf/r/5182
Computing Department researchers are working on new technology which will help give computers a powerful new presence in our lives.
http://domino.lancs.ac.uk/info/lunews.nsf/r/517a
The first graduates to join InfoLab21's Graduate Academy (IGA) have left after being presented with certificates at a ceremony at InfoLab21.
http://domino.lancs.ac.uk/info/lunews.nsf/r/51be
A Communication Systems scientist is to play a key role in a NASA mission which sees five satellites launched this month from Cape Canaveral in Florida.