Inaugural Lecture Series 2007/08 - University of Liverpool

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16 Scientists at the weather station School builds weather station A team from the School of Biological Sciences has built an automated weather station on the remote moors of the Peak District. The team of volunteer students, led by Dr Mike Le Duc and Mike Harris, spent several days erecting the mast on quivering peat, making sure the site was well fenced to stop the sheep from trampling the sensors and knocking the mast over, and protecting all the exposed cables from vole attack. Vehicle access is only possible in Summer by Land Rover, and Winter by Argocat (the vehicle made famous by the TV’s Banana Bunch!) Mike said: “Surprisingly, it all went very well. The data logger works, weather information is now being logged at approximately 20 minute intervals, and the site will be revisited to add a telecommunications system so that the team can access the data live from our lab.” “Upland moors are very important from both an economic and a conservation viewpoint. Economically, they support sheep and grouse, and both of these provide income to upland communities. From, a conservation viewpoint, we are obliged to look after it and keep it in good condition. The conservation issue is, however, very complicated, because the moors need to be managed to maintain themselves in good conditions, and currently this is most often achieved by burning. As these moors also contain a very large carbon store they can act as a very large source of carbon to the atmosphere, and they can also act as a sink. Either way they contribute to the UK’s carbon accounting.” He added: “In the Applied Vegetation Dynamics Laboratory, we are studying the effects of current burning practice on these moors, measuring burning temperatures during fire, the response of the plants to fire, and making an assessment of how much carbon is lost. Knowing the actual weather during burning is important background information, and hopefully our new weather station will provide sufficient information to help use develop burning models and assist in designing good burning practice.” Barry’s keynote spot Professor Barry Goldson, from the University’s School of Sociology and Social Policy, has presided over the Scientific Committee of the International Congress Phenomena in Juvenile Delinquency: New Penal Forms. The Congress took place in Seville, Spain, and was organised by the Council of Justice and Public Administration of the Assembly of Andalucía, together with the International Juvenile Justice Observatory which is based in Brussels, Belgium. Barry presented the President’s keynote address at the Congress, entitled Explorations in Comparative Analysis, Trends and “New Penal Forms”, Commonalities, differences and the universal currency of international human rights. More than 350 delegates from Europe, North America and Central America attended. Speaking after the Congress, Barry said: “Many academic commentators contend that we are witnessing new globalising penal forms characterised by intolerance and the emergence of increasingly punitive juvenile/youth justice systems. Other experts question this, arguing that the picture is significantly more complex. What is more clear is that trends in juvenile crime do not necessarily reflect either increasingly widespread or more serious patterns of offending. Furthermore, Professor Goldson gives keynote address the tensions between calls for ‘tougher’ regimes, sit uncomfortably alongside the provisions of international human rights standards, treaties, rules and conventions. The context within which modern juvenile and youth justice debates are located, therefore, is dynamic and contested and, in this sense, the International Congress was particularly timely.” Barry has also recently completed a ‘Youth Justice Dictionary’. The Dictionary, the first to be published in the field of youth justice studies, is scheduled for publication in February this year. It contains more than 300 entries contributed by almost 100 academic researchers, policy makers and practitioners. Furthermore, in collaboration with Professor John Muncie from the Open University, he is working on a three-volume set of international ‘major works’ on youth crime and juvenile justice for the Sage Library of Criminology. The volumes will be published towards the end of 2008. Joining forces to fight obesity Members of the Liverpool Obesity Research Network (LORN) have joined forces with colleagues from Manchester to create a new regional group of experts. The North West region Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO) group links researchers from the North West’s and North Wales’s 11 Universities to colleagues within the NHS, as well as other specialists tackling the grave obesity problem facing the region. The opening event took place at Knowsley Hall and was attended by researchers and practitioners from across the UK. Future events include an international meeting entitled Early Development and Obesity: Food Preferences,
Celebrating 60 year Turkish link Sixty years of British research in Turkey have been celebrated by the School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology (SACE). The event marked the foundation of the British Institute of Archaeology in Ankara (BIAA) by the University's founding Professor of Archaeology, John Garstang. The Institute continues to act as a meeting point between British and Turkish culture and has broadened its remit to serve the needs of British academics conducting research in all areas of the arts and humanities in Turkey. The celebratory event included presentations on John Garstang's life and work in Turkey, by Dr Alan Greaves and Patricia Winker from SACE, as well as a guest lecture by the BIAA's director, Dr Lut Vandeput. Diet and Appetite Regulation at the University in March. A regional meeting on Obesity and Public Health, organised by Dr Lynne Kennedy, is planned for June. LORN is an obesity research network based across the University of Liverpool, Aintree University Hospital and Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospital Trusts. In addition to research activity, the Network has a seminar programme and helps to organise regional and national meetings on obesity. The University of Liverpool has a long history of research into the biology of energy regulation, obesity and obesity related illness. Created in March 2005, LORN promotes existing interdisciplinary research within the University and stimulates new research activity in Liverpool and the North West. For more information about LORN contact Dr Jason Halford, LORN convenor, at j.c.g.halford@liverpool.ac.uk For ASO details visit: www.aso.org.uk/portal.aspx Stress busting success Relaxation sessions run by the Staff Counselling Service have proved a stress-busting success. Jules Howdin and Gabrielle Pearson Heavisides initially piloted the sessions in the early Summer and these proved so popular they were repeated thoughout the Autumn. Jules said: “The sessions were part of a proactive initiative to support employees of the University to manage stress and to gain some tools to support positive well-being.” The sessions covered a range of different breathing techniques, relaxation exercises and visualisations as well as promoting popular aides such as aromatherapy oils to ease stress. For some of those attending the sessions, the focus was to gain support to manage current stress whilst others were interested in learning techniques which they could incorporate into their lives to promote a general sense of well-being. Gabrielle added: “We all experience stress from time to time whether this is at home or at work, each affects the other. By focusing on our breathing and learning how to relax we greatly increase our chances of managing those stressful times more successfully.” The sessions will continue in the next semester and will be promoted via the staff intranet, or call Jules or Gabrielle at the Counselling Service on 0151 794 3304 or email counserv@liv.ac.uk Big name conference The Management School, in association with the faculty of Social and Environmental Studies will be hosting an International Conference titled The Changing Role of Agency in the Development Process on 9 and 10 June 2008. It promises to be an extraordinary event, bringing together activists, practitioners and researchers in a unique effort to explore the ubiquitous relevance of agency in the complex processes of economic and social development. Prominent speakers will include Shami Chakrabarty (civil liberty activist), Clare Short (politician and ex-MP), Barbara Harriss-White (Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford University) and two debate sessions on War and Development and Aid Effectiveness will take place. There will also be a special session on the second day of the conference to inaugurate the much awaited India in the World Research Centre. Registration details can be found at www.liv.ac.uk/agencyconference. Prospective participants can submit an abstract of up to two pages to agency@liv.ac.uk. For more information contact S.Garikipati@liv.ac.uk 17
Page 1 and 2: THE UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL MAGAZIN
Page 3 and 4: John joins the team The University
Page 5 and 6: Assembly of LHCb VELO modules Nail-
Page 7 and 8: Scientists link cattle illness to C
Page 9 and 10: Top industry chiefs visit Managemen
Page 11 and 12: IMPACTS 08 FIRST PERSON Beatriz Gar
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Inaugural Lecture Series 2007/08 - University of Liverpool

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