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 EPSRC
mass spectrometry summer school 2006
Paola Meynet
september 06
The EPSRC National Mass Spectrometry Service Centre, based in
the University of Swansea, has held a summer school, on the 11th-13th
of September 2006.
 The
short course is organised every two years and it is free for EPSRC
founded researchers and for the Service Centre users. The intense
programme is suitable for researchers at all level of experience,
PhD students and technicians. The series of lectures focuses primarily
on the basic principles of mass spectroscopy, giving an outline
of the different spectroscopic techniques. A number of tutorials
help to deeply understand and practice the interpretation of basic
and advanced mass spectra, giving the opportunity to analyse specific
problems associated with the researchers work. In addition, instrument
demonstrations and specialist workshops on selected topics provide
a closer contact with the practical side, and a comprehensive overview
of the services offered by the centre.
Further, the friendly and experienced staff, together with the
panoramic views of the coastal south Wales, creates an affable
environment for the exchange of ideas and the formation of collaborative
partnerships.
Further information about the EPSRC National Mass Spectrometry
Service Centre and the summer school is available at the following
web site:
http://www.swan.ac.uk/nmssc/index.htm
Thanks to the NMSSC for the staff picture.
|
 graduate
attends national awards ceremony
Alison Jackson, who graduated with a 1st class MEng honours degree
in Civil and Environmental Engineering this July, attended the
national Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Student
of the Year Awards last week.
Alison with award judges Michael Mann from the Institution
of Civil Engineers and Prof Quentin Leiper of Carillion.
Alison’s dissertation project on the potential for applying
wastewater treatment technologies on farms was supervised by Dr
Paul Quinn and contributed to the ESLI Runoff management
for farms project at Nafferton Farm (featured on Look
North News – see www.ncl.ac.uk/wrgi/TOPCAT/ and
click BBC at Nafferton Farm).
Throughout 2005-6, Alison donned her wellies for regular sampling
trips and carried out laboratory tests and data analysis. The hard
work paid off, as her dissertation won her the School’s Jacobs
Babtie Best Dissertation Prize, and a place on the shortlist of
three finalists for the AMEC award for the Best Civil Engineering
Student in the SET awards. Alison was invited for an interview
on 21st September 2006, followed by a Gala Dinner and Presentation
Ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Although Alison
missed out on the prize on the night, the judges warmly congratulated
her and wished her well in her new career with ARUP. Alison is
an excellent ambassador for Civil and Environmental Engineering
at Newcastle University and for women in Engineering.
|
 energy:
the unconventional potential
Andrew Aplin
Major increases in the price of oil and gas combined with concerns
about safe energy supplies has sparked an upsurge in interest in
the enormous reserves of “unconventional” hydrocarbon
resources such as heavy oil, coal bed methane and shale gas. Reserves
of unconventional hydrocarbons – located worldwide with a
focus in Canada and Venezuela - are greater than those of conventional
hydrocarbons, but are difficult to produce. For example, the probable
reserves of Canadian shale gas are many times greater than North
Sea reserves, and the Canadian tar sands contain more energy potential
than the conventional Middle East reserves. Through major Joint
Industry Projects such as Bacchus and Caprocks and
a new thrust into shale gas, CEG researchers are at the forefront
of efforts to unlock the potential of unconventional petroleum
in a clean and effective way. Over the summer conference season,
Professors Ian
Head and Andrew
Aplin showcased the group’s recent work on heavy
oil and shales in a series of invited lectures at the Organic Geochemistry
Gordon Conference in New England, the Canadian Shale Gas Summit
in Calgary and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s shale
seminar in Stavanger. Current work focuses on the origin and biological
upgrading of heavy oil, and the exploration and production of Canadian
gas shales.
|
 some
coastal areas may be insensitive to sea-level rise
Mike Walkden
Accelerated sea level rise from global warming is certain to increase
coastal erosion in general, but the first model of an eroding
coastal region subject to climate change shows that some cliffs
may actually erode less.
In a paper shortly to appear in Climatic Change, Mark Dickson,
Mike Walkden and Jim Hall present a numerical model that describes
the erosion of 50km of coast in North Norfolk over the next century
under various scenarios of climate change and different management
policies.They predict that, in the absence of engineering structures such
as seawalls, the increased cliff recession caused by accelerated
sea-level rise will release so much sediment into the region's
beaches that some downdrift areas will be better protected and
so will erode less. However in reality this coast is highly engineered
and these benefits would only be seen if a decision was taken to
allow some cliffs to retreat.
Such decisions are difficult and contentious, and so the need
for quantified process modelling like this is considerable. |
 CeG
transport student wins major prize at ITS World Congress
Phil Blythe
It was announced last week by the DfT (Department for Transport)
that Amy Guo, a 3rd year PhD student in the transport operations
research group in CeG won a major prize in the ITS Student Vision
competition. The competition was established by Dr Stephen Ladyman,
UK Minister of State for Transport, to encourage researchers
to think visionary in future ITS research. Amy produced a DVD
visioning how future pervasive information delivery using ITS
may be more effective at influencing travel mode choice.
Amy is a research student in the Transport Operations Research
Group within the School of Civil Engineering and GeoScience and
has been working with the ITS team and Informatics Institute on
the use of pervasive computing in transport for three years. Further
details of her research can be found at: http://www.ceg.ncl.ac.uk/staff/pgprofile.aspx?code=49
The prize, for her second place in the competition, is 2 free
delegate passes
to the 2006 World Congress in London, £2000 to the School, plus £1000
in travel costs towards a trip to next years World Congress to be hosted in Beijing.
The TORG team will have a major presence at the World Congress
with 7 staff, 4 PhD Students and 30 MSc students attending the
congress at various times. Eleven
papers being presented by Newcastle and various sessions being organised and
chaired by Newcastle University. In addition joint exhibition stand at the
Congress with other ITS research active universities under the
guise of UTSG (University
Transport Studies Group) where the University will be showcasing its wireless
ad-hoc sensors research.
Professor Phil Blythe, Board Member of the ITS World Congress
Association and Professor of Intelligent transport Systems said “We are delighted that
Amy has won a student vision prize – her research is leading edge and visionary
in its approach. Moreover, the overall participation from Newcastle will be significant
and reflects our role as a leading academic institution in the area”
Information on the World Congress can be found at:
http://www.itsworldcongress.com/its_1024/home/index.cfm |
 clean
water project hit by funding drought
Paul Sallis
september 06
Newcastle University engineers have developed a simple water filter
which could save thousands of lives in developing countries.
Unlike the commercial water filters currently supplied by some
charities, the unit designed by Dr Paul Sallis and his postgraduate
students at Newcastle University, with support from HSBC Holdings
plc, can easily be made from local materials by local craftspeople
(pictured).
The 'low tech' manufacturing process overcomes the problems of
having to persuade and educate low-income families to use water
filters and of having to order costly spare parts when a filter
breaks down.
But after successful trials, the project has not been widely
implemented because it does not qualify for support from
the development agencies,
falling into a 'no man's land' between research and commercial
products.
For more information see:
Newcastle
University press office release
|
 extreme
rainfall incidents
increasing in parts of UK
Hayley Fowler
Extreme rainfall events - those likely to lead to flooding - have
become more frequent and intense over a 40-year period in parts
of Britain, particularly in Scotland and the North of England.
For more information see:
Newcastle
University press office release
|
 school
leavers prepare for exam results
Ruth Vater, Tom
Bramald
august 06
Later, this week many school leavers will get their exam results
and find out if they have a place to study at university next year.
If you have applied to join a course in the School of Civil Engineering
and Geosciences, then visit the Applicants' News pages for information
about how to contact the school once you have your results. When
you call, you should have your UCAS number and your results to
hand. This will help the Admissions staff to identify you correctly
and convey the correct information. Information about clearing
places will be available later in the week.
Good luck!
Newcastle University
Clearing Information
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 systems
and advanced solutions for eLogistics in the sustainable city
John Nelson
Edited by G Ambrosino, M Boero, J D Nelson and M Romanazzo. Published
by ENEA (ISBN: 88-8286-137-6).
This book analyses key
findings from recent research relating to the concept of e-logistics
and its contribution to the goal of sustainable freight distribution
drawing principally on recent experience gained from European-funded
research. The central thesis is that a clear understanding of the
developments in e-logistics – essentially the supporting
operational processes to fulfil the distribution of goods in urban
areas by advanced ICT tools - is necessary in order to appreciate
the applicability of these concepts in the urban context.
For more information please see eLogistics
summary. |
 teaching
fellowship to align outcomes and assessments for undergraduate
engineering
programmes in CeG
Steve Scott and Jenny Brake
Using funds from a Faculty Teaching Fellowship, Steve Scott and
Jenny Brake are to investigate how effectively the assessment of
students on the School’s undergraduate engineering programmes
confirms the achievement of each programme’s learning outcomes.
The expectation is that it will be possible to reduce the extent
of existing assessments, where the same outcomes are being assessed
in a range of different exercises on different modules, in different
stages and thus reduce the assessment burden on both staff and
students. |
 transport
expertise showcased in government guide
John Nelson, Corinne
Mulley and Jenny
Brake
july 06
Transport planners
throughout the UK are to benefit from the knowledge and experience
of a University research group.
The Transport Operations Research Group (TORG) has produced a
Good Practice Guide for the Government, which is to be distributed
to local authorities, Passenger
Transport Executives and transport partnerships throughout the country.
The guide draws on TORG’s ten years of wide-ranging experience in an area
known as Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), which uses sophisticated computer
technology to provide transport such as buses and taxis on demand.
DRT is particularly useful in remote rural areas but can also
complement conventional bus services in urban areas.
The guide, published by the Department for Transport, was launched at a
seminar on Friday, July 21, chaired by DfT representative Eric Sampson.
Issues covered by the guide are grouped under five key themes:
economic framework, technologies, service design, setting up a
travel dispatch centre
and marketing
and promotion.
Project leader, Professor John Nelson (pictured above, right),
said: “Being
asked by the Government to produce this guide was a welcome recognition for the
experience we have built up in demand responsive transport over the last ten
years, which includes helping to set up and evaluate schemes throughout Europe.
“It also demonstrates the usefulness of our research to
the real world and we
hope this guide will inspire many more DRT schemes in the UK and beyond.” |
 CeG
hosts the 12th Molecular Microbial Ecology Group (MMEG) meeting
Neil Gray, Russell Davenport and Angela
Brown
july 06
The School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences and IRES is this
year hosting the 12th Molecular Microbial Ecology Group (MMEG)
meeting to be held on the 24-25 July 2006.
MMEG meetings
rotate on an annual basis between different institutions and
are designed to be an informal and friendly forum for PhD students
and early career Post Docs to present their work as short format
talks. MMEG meetings also represent an opportunity for the
whole molecular microbial ecology research community to gather,
exchange
ideas and form collaborative partnerships. The conference conveners
Neil Gray, Russell Davenport and Angela Brown welcome all the
delegates
and hope their visit to Newcastle will be an enjoyable one. |
 landmark
carbon capture and storage workshop in Beijing, 4-5 July 2006
Andrew Aplin
Andrew Aplin and Irma Gorton were amongst 100 Chinese and 80 European
experts who convened in Beijing to consider the potential for carbon
dioxide capture and storage (CCS) in the Chinese power generation
sector. The two day meeting brought together the main Chinese and
European Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) research communities,
in support of the EU/China and the UK/China Near Zero Emissions
Coal (NZEC) initiatives. The workshop was a follow-up of the Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese government on near-zero
emissions power generation technology. The MoU will encourage the
development of technology allowing the capture and underground
storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from coal-fired power stations.
The workshop developed ideas for a demonstration CCS project to
be carried out over the next five years using funds committed by
DEFRA. The longer term aim is to “develop and demonstrate
in China and the EU advanced, near-zero emissions coal technology
through carbon capture and storage” by 2020.
The dual context of the workshop is that China will soon overtake
the USA as the main contributor to atmospheric CO2 and that it
is difficult to see how CO2 levels can be stabilised at acceptable
levels without CCS. Geological CO2 storage is currently being proven
in Statoil’s Sleipner oilfield in Norway and BP’s In
Salah oilfield in Algeria. BP are also negotiating with the UK
government over the details of a project which will convert methane
(CH4) to CO2 and hydrogen (H2) at an onshore power plant, using
the H2 for power generation and pumping the CO2 into the North
Sea’s Miller field. Despite the additional costs of CCS compared
to conventional power generation, it seems inevitable that more
projects will come on stream in the near and medium future, as
the costs associated with climate change are factored in. One current
proposal is to build a coal-fired power station with carbon capture
on Teeside, converting coal to H2 and CO2 and storing the CO2 in
depleted North Sea oil reservoirs.
Newcastle University is part of the NERC-funded UK Carbon Capture
and Storage Consortium, working on aspects of seal integrity
(Andrew Aplin and Kuncho Kurtev) and CO2 transport (Martin Downie,
Atilla
Incecik and Julia Race) |
 £100K
award from JISC
Phil James
Dave Fairbairn, Phil James and Gobe Hobona have been successful
in a £100K award from JISC in response to the GRID-OGC collison
call to develop "Semantically Aware Workflow Engines for Geospatial
Web Service Orchestration (SAW-GEO)". They will be working
with the Newcastle e-science team and DIGIMAP based at EDINA. |
 development
and application of molybdenum isotopes as a paleoredox tool
Simon Poulton
NERC standard grant 2006-2009
Defining the spatial extent of anoxic (no oxygen) oceanic conditions
throughout Earth’s history is vital to understand links between
climate, ocean chemistry, biogeochemical processes and biological
evolution in the past, present and future. Most indicators of anoxic
conditions only provide information from a single location. By
contrast, Mo isotopes in marine sediments have the potential to
record information concerning the global extent of anoxic oceanic
conditions, and hence may be a powerful tool for evaluating the
evolution of the Earth System as a whole.
Simon Poulton has been awarded a NERC grant of £378,000 to
develop and apply Mo isotopes as a paleoredox tool. This collaboration
with Dr Derek Vance at the University of Bristol will utilise state-of-the-art
facilities at Bristol for measuring Mo isotopes. Preparation of
samples will be performed at Newcastle, with the initial stage
involving the experimental determination of Mo isotopic fractionations
during authigenic mineral formation. This will be followed by field
studies of marine sediment diagenesis in the Kattegat and Skaggerak
seas off Denmark. Finally, this new insight will be applied to
Precambrian sediments to assess the processes that ultimately led
to the celebrated ‘explosion’ of life in the Cambrian. |
 university
awarded EPSRC-BP Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Award (DHPA) to
CeG
closing date: 30 July 2006
further particulars
Tom Wagner
This fully-funded scholarship will enable a top quality, well-qualified,
international student to study for a PhD on light stable isotope
techniques (?13C and D/H)
at molecular level commencing in 2006-07 based in the highly-rated School of
Civil Engineering and Geosciences at Newcastle University under the supervision
of Professor Thomas Wagner, Professor David Manning and Dr Martin Jones. The
DHPA will cover the cost of postgraduate tuition fees at the overseas rate
and will provide a maintenance grant at a standard research council
rate for up to
three years' study, subject to satisfactory progress by the award holder.
This highly motivated PhD project proposes systematic method development
and cross-disciplinary research on organic carbon-rich sediments
of marine and
terrestrial origin. The project will concentrate on advanced isotope ratio
and molecular
mass spectrometry systems using a new state-of-the art GC-IRMS (ThermoFinnigan
Delta V Plus) instrument.
Further information about this scheme, including its rationale,
is available at the following web sites:
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/press/20031119award.asp http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/hodgkin/
|
 RCUK
Academic fellowships in Earth Systems Science Engineering and
Management
three fellowships
closing
date: 25 July 2006
further particulars
Over the last few years a new holistic research framework which
integrates research on Earth Systems Science, Engineering and Management
(ESSEM) to develop sustainable solutions to global problems within
an appropriate socio-economic context has been progressed at Newcastle
led by the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences working
within the Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability.
The ESSEM framework contributes to this initiative in the areas
of sustainable urban transport, energy and the built environment,
sustainable exploitation of coal and clean fossil energy, and mitigation
of the effects of these industries. Under the ESSEM umbrella, a
number of developing research directions have been identified.
Each provides a different perspective of the Earth System from
microbial to global process scales.
The fellowships are in the following research areas:
Biodiversity-Function Relationships in Earth Systems
Job reference:
G1315
Global Water Mass Balance
Job reference: G1316
Pollution Fate and Control
Job reference: G1317
Informal enquiries may be made to Professor David Parker
0191
222 6447 or David.Parker@ncl.ac.uk
The fellowships are available for 5 years from October 2006. Subject
to the successful completion of a probationary period and the appointees
meeting the University’s criteria for appointment to an academic
post the University will guarantee a permanent academic position
after completion of the fellowship. Individuals who already hold,
or have held, a permanent University position, or an offer of one,
are not eligible to apply. Individuals currently holding a personal
research fellowship or research grant are eligible.
To apply for these positions, please send a CV, covering letter
and completed employment record form, quoting the relevant reference
number, to Mrs Judith Jackson, Senior Appointments Co-ordinator,
Human Resources Section, Newcastle University, 1 Park Terrace,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU. |
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