News in 2012
- Achieving policy coherence in challenging environments: risk management and aid culture in Sudan and Afghanistan 14 February 2013 A two-year ESRC/DFID Joint Scheme-funded research project led by the Global Insecurities Centre, University of Bristol (Professor Mark Duffield) and the Humanitarian Policy Group, Overseas Development Institute (Dr Sarah Collinson).
- Developing whole city flood models 30 November 2012 An "implementation showcase" presentation demonstrating the impact of previous research investments in the UK. Part of the Flooding and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Research Strategy Workshop with Prof Paul Bates.
- Melting ice sheets: impacts on ocean productivity and biodiversity 15 November 2012 This project funded by Cabot Institute Open Call funding 2012/2013 looked at melting ice sheets and the impact of this on ocean productivity and biodiversity.
- Community involvement in livestock disease management through participatory epidemiology in Botswana 15 November 2012 A project that will study diseases and how they are transmitted between wildlife and livestock.
- Priority learning outcomes for sustainable medical education 15 November 2012 A consultation seminar will be held on sustainable medical education to help research carbon reduction and help transform the health system to be more resilient and health-promoting.
- Black Box Workshop: multidisciplinary approaches to uncertainty 15 November 2012 Tamsin Edwards (Geographical Sciences ) and co-applicant Jonty Rougier ( Maths) won funding from the Cabot Institute's annual Open Call 2012 / 2013 to put on a Black Box Workshop. Here they outline what this is and why such a workshop is important.
- Characterising colour vision in insect vectors of disease and agricultural pests 15 November 2012 Harmful insects can be controlled by insecticidal traps, which often rely on olfactory cues to attract the target insects. However, exploiting insect colour preference to design more efficient traps has proved a successful, low environmental impact technique for one bloodsucking insect, the tsetse fly, which carries trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) in Africa. This prompts the question whether a more complete understanding of the visual systems of disease causing insects and pests would allow us to extend this approach to other species. By applying modern techniques and insight from a different discipline, Ecology of vision, to insect pest control, we have the opportunity to better understand key visual cues, improve trap design and ultimately reduce crop damage and the incidence of disease.
- Electrical properties of volcanic ash 15 November 2012 This scoping project will use existing samples of volcanic ash from the recent Eyjafjallajokull and Grimsvotn eruptions and modify existing experimental apparatus located at the University of Oxford to measure the electrical charge generated as ash samples fall under gravity.
- The effects of Arabidopsis plant root architecture on the resistance of soils to concentrated flows of water erosion 15 November 2012 We don’t know how roots stabilise soils. This ignorance could prove costly as population growth demands more food, fuel, timber and fibre production from plants and soils, impacting on water, air and carbon cycles. Climate change may compound the problem by bringing more frequent extreme weather likely to exacerbate soil loss.
- Virtual adaptation: An investigation into the potential of mobile and social media to support communities in adapting to climate change 15 November 2012 An investigation into the potential of social media and mobile apps to support climate change adaptation and resilience activities.
- Disabled people and environmental hazard - a scoping study 31 October 2012 There has been very little written which explores the impact of climate change in relation to certain marginalised groups, including disabled people. We have undertaken a short scoping study to map out the issues, associated relevant literature and formulated pertinent research questions. This included conversations with relevant voluntary organisations, NGOs, environmental groups and groups of disabled people who offered useful insights into the issues raised.
- History and science in the Spanish colonial archive 6 September 2012 Tungurahua’s 1773 eruption served as the kernel of an idea that has resulted in a major cross-faculty initiative to study the interconnections between climate, volcanoes, and earthquakes, and their social and economic effects over time.
- Nuclear futures: seminar series 20 August 2012 This seminar series brought together a range of speakers from different disciplinary backgrounds, and audiences comprised of academics, students, representatives of industry and members of the public, to reflect on the question What should the future for nuclear power be?
- Geoengineering our climate 16 August 2012 "Geoengineering", the intentional modification of our climate to counteract global warming, is a possible solution, or at least part-solution, to the critical issue of climate change.
- Sustainability impacts of the digital transformation 6 August 2012 The SYMPACT project considers a number of questions on the environmental impact of the digital transformation. To tackle these questions the project will develop a new modelling framework which combine systems modelling, environmental life cycle analysis, scenario development and qualitative representation of uncertainty.
- Cooling the earth with crops 6 August 2012 Research being conducted across the Schools of Biological Sciences, Geographical Sciences, and Chemistry is investigating different ways in which crops can be used to help mitigate global warming.
- Impacts of agriculture on greenhouse methane capture by soil 6 August 2012 Our research in this area, lead by Professor Richard Evershed, builds upon our identification of bacteria actively oxidising atmospheric methane (Nature 2000), with the aim of linking the capacity of soil methane removal to the activity of these vital bacteria.
- Weather radar for flood forecasting 6 August 2012 The main goal in flood forecasting is to provide reliable information to the general public, local authorities, and emergency services under the threat of potential flooding.
- Sheep scab: mapping foci for targeted control 3 August 2012 Our research at the University of Bristol has shown that localised foci of persistent disease exist on particular farms, largely in upland farming systems, which act as reservoirs of infection.
- Seismic loss estimation of buildings 3 August 2012 To make efficient and informed decisions for catastrophic earthquake risk mitigation, it is essential to develop a viable seismic loss estimation tool for multiple buildings.
- Putting a stop to pain and distress in farm animals 3 August 2012 The Veterinary School has worked with the Tubney Charitable Trust to tackle the problems of lameness and feather pecking.
- Biogeochemical cycles 3 August 2012 Bristol academics lead the field to develop understanding of long-term processes that control the quality and quantity of available freshwaters, and how this is affected by human activity (i.e. land use and land management), and past, present and future climate.
- Parasitoid webs in organic and conventional farming systems: structure, sustainability and exploitation 3 August 2012 Working in the South West of England (the hot spot of the organic farming in the UK), researchers at the University of Bristol, under the lead of Professor Jane Memmott, compared biodiversity and pest control on 10 organic farms and 10 conventional farms.
- Composites in Civil Engineering 3 August 2012 Composites (glass or carbon fibre reinforced polymers) show great potential for enhanced design flexibility, durability and performance of new and existing civil structures. To realise this potential, rigorous theoretical work and large-scale tests are being pursued at Bristol, with industrial support.
- Helping UK wheat breeders through genomics 3 August 2012 Recent sequencing and public release, by Bristol, Liverpool and the John Innes Centre, of 95% of the wheat genome means that wheat breeders can now call upon almost any wheat gene, including those responsible for disease resistance and drought tolerance.
- Cascading uncertainties in flood modelling 3 August 2012 Numerical models of loss from flood hazard lie at the base of an uncertainty cascade influenced by uncertainties in precipitation, transformation of precipitation into runoff and hydraulic routing of runoff over complex topography.
- Composites in wind and tidal power 3 August 2012 The Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science (ACCIS) has a leading reputation in composite rotor blade research. This is directly relevant to the Wind and Tidal Power industries, where composite materials are widely used to meet strength and fatigue life requirements, whilst minimising structural mass.
- Urban landslide mitigation in developing countries 3 August 2012 Collaboration between modellers from the School of Geographical Sciences and specialists in public service evaluation and delivery, has resulted in a new cross-disciplinary platform for measuring the effectiveness of landslide mitigation in vulnerable urban communities.
- Sustainable Personal Transport 3 August 2012 Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is a new public transport mode that is more effective, more convenient and more sustainable than the car.
- Volcanic unrest in Europe and Latin America (VUELCO) 3 August 2012 The VUELCO project consortium has come together for a multi-disciplinary attack on the origin, nature and significance of volcanic unrest from the scientific contributions generated by collaboration of ten partners in Europe and Latin America.
- Aquatest 3 August 2012 The Aquatest Research Programme is an international, multi-disciplinary consortium led by the University of Bristol. The aim is to deliver a water test that can be used widely in developing countries, with a sustainable basis for manufacturing, distributing and marketing the Aquatest device.
- The Aeolus wind powered vehicle 3 August 2012 Aeolus is an annual international competition, where teams race vehicles powered only by wind turbines.
- Volcanological input reduces uncertainty surrounding volcanic ash forecasts 2 August 2012 Models used to predict how much ash is pumped into the atmosphere and where it goes during a volcanic eruption are being informed by world-leading volcanology experts from the University of Bristol.
- Research into rare Sorbus reproduction informs conservation of the Avon Gorge 2 August 2012 Conservation management plans for one of Bristol’s historic woodland sites are being shaped by new findings about the complex reproductive biology of some rare tree species.
- Predictive model serves as blueprint for the flood risk management industry 2 August 2012 A two-dimensional flood inundation model has helped advance the predictive tools used to generate national flood maps, assess flood risk for the global insurance and re-insurance industry and estimate flood damage. The model, LISFLOOD-FP, has served as a blueprint and proof of concept for the multi-million pound flood risk management industry that impacts tens of millions of people annually.
- From maize oil to murder: the diverse applications of sophisticated chemical analyses 2 August 2012 A suite of sophisticated molecular and stable isotopic techniques developed by organic chemists at the University of Bristol has proven to be a powerful diagnostic tool for analysing organic materials.
- Early season treatment of sheep could reduce the incidence of blowfly strike as climate warms 2 August 2012 Changing climate patterns are likely to put ewes at higher risk of parasitic disease, which could have important implications for farmers.
- Conker Tree Science: how small investments can reach thousands 2 August 2012 It all started with handing out 1,000 vials containing ‘alien bugs’ in Bristol’s shopping hub of Cabot Circus. Two years later, Conker Tree Science, a hypothesis-led citizen science project, has engaged thousands of people across the UK and generated important data about the spread of an invasive leaf-mining moth.