Postgraduate Prospectus 2012 University of E xeter

98 | Geography
• 8th in the UK for world leading research in Geography and
Environmental Studies ▲
• Excellent research facilities including £3.7 million SRIF-funded Sediment
Research Facility in Exeter and purpose-built laboratories and computer
suites as part of the £100 million Cornwall Campus
• Degrees in Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Energy Policy
provide a relevant grounding for employment in these growing areas
• Recognised for the receipt of ESRC studentships in Human Geography and
Environment, Energy and Resilience
• Vibrant postgraduate community offering a thriving, innovative and
supportive research environment in which to study
Geography in Exeter
Research facilities at the Streatham Campus
comprise several experimental and analytical
laboratories for physical geography. We offer
a 1,400m 2 £3.7 million Sediment Research
Facility, funded by the Science Research
Investment Fund, which provides specialist
laboratories for radiometry, cosmogenic
nuclides sample preparation, pollen, soil,
sediment and water analysis, experimental
facilities (flumes and rainfall simulators) and
a wide range of analytical equipment. Other
facilities include a well-equipped mechanical
and electronics workshop, cartographic
services, and two computer teaching rooms
with GIS, remote sensing and modelling
software, and links to a Beowulf high
performance computing facility.
Specialised field equipment and vehicles are
available for field work. Research students
have access to dedicated desk space and
computing facilities.
Geography in Cornwall
Our Cornwall Campus opened in 2004 and
since then Geography has gone from strength
to strength. Postgraduates join a thriving
research atmosphere with an innovative
research culture. A range of specialist
computing software is available including
our Beowulf high performance computing
facility, dedicated GIS suite for geospatial
modelling activities, remote sensing and
outstanding analytical and experimental labs
for environmental change and process studies.
Postgraduate offices are located in a stunning
building contoured into the landscape with a
green roof to minimise environmental impact.
In addition, postgraduates on the Cornwall
Campus will benefit from the establishment of
the Environment and Sustainability Institute
(ESI), due for completion in 2012. The ESI is
a £30 million interdisciplinary centre leading
cutting-edge research into the consequences of
environmental change as well as the mitigation
and management of its effects.
Careers and employment
When leaving the University of Exeter,
Geography postgraduates are sought after
by employers due to their range of proven
skills. These include data gathering, problem
solving, project planning, report production,
presentation skills and team work.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
• A team of UK scientists led by Dr Karen Anderson have developed a new technique for monitoring the condition of
peatlands. The team has used a combination of images captured from Earth and space to measure spatial patterning
in peatland surfaces as an indicator of their condition. This new method could help monitor the damage that is being
done to peatlands through human activity.
• A geographer from the Cornwall Campus, has written the first full-length book on the history of science in Cornwall.
Dr Simon Naylor, originally from Camborne, has spent the last 10 years researching the history of Cornish science
during the 19th century. His book, Regionalising Science: Placing Knowledges in Victorian England draws together the
historic activities of all the major scientific societies in the county, including the Royal Institution of Cornwall, the Royal
Geological Society of Cornwall and the Royal Polytechnic Society of Cornwall.
• Geography academic Dr Luiz Aragao has been awarded a NERC urgency grant of £65,000 to investigate the impacts
of forest fires on carbon stocks during the 2010 drought in Amazonia. Dr Aragao, who is a remote-sensing expert, has
been reviewing Brazilian data from ground stations and satellites and comparing it to the drought in 2005.
• Melting mountain glaciers are contributing to sea-level rise faster than at any time in the last 350 years, according to
new research published in Nature Geoscience. A research team from Exeter, Aberystwyth University and Stockholm
University undertook a survey of the 270 largest outlet glaciers of the South and North Patagonian Icefields of
South America. Associate Professor Stephan Harrison said the results show that recent estimates of rates of glacier
contribution to sea-level rise are well above the long-term average.
www.exeter.ac.uk/geography
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RAE 2008 based on percentage of research classified as 4*