Environment; NHS Scotland, 19,816; Walking,

cycling and socio-economic status in Scotland.

Dr J Anable, Geography & Environment; NERC,
76,980; UK Energy Research Centre.
Professor K Edwards, Geography & Environment;
Scottish Funding Council, 35,625; Phd Studentship
funding SAGES.
Professor H Geist, Geography & Environment;
European Commission, 50,516; Prevention and
restoration actions to combat desertification an
integrated assessment.
Professor A Dawson, Professor W Ritchie,
AICSM, Dr D Green, Geography & Environment;
European Commission, 61,406; Coastadapt.
Dr D. Green, Geography & Environment; European
Commission, 150,181; Living North Sea.
Dr D Mauquoy, Geography & Environment;
NERC, 10,028; Holocene land-ocean-atmosphere
interactions on the eastern seaboard of North
America.
Professor J Nelson, Dr S Wright, Geography &
Environment; EPSRC, 35,828; Improved
information-sharing for the more intelligent use of
demand responsive transport: a UK booking portal.
Dr M Reed, Geography & Environment; Business
Innovation Skills Department, 1,000; The future of
the Uplands.
Dr M Reed, Geography & Environment;
Commission for Rural Communities, 1,000;
Methodical guidance and preliminary evidence
appraisal for CRC uplands inquiry.
T Mighall, Geography & Environment; ESRC,
31,886; ESRC Postgraduate Awards
Professor J Anderson, Chemistry; Johnson
Matthey, 23,263; Characterisation of bimetallic
oxidation catalysts (Studentships).
Professor H Idriss, Chemistry; Royal Society,
1,900; The 238th American Chemical Society
meeting at Washington DC 2009.
Professor M Jaspers, Chemistry; University of
Ljubljana, 4,500; A chemical synthesis of
alkylpyridinium oligomers.
Dr L Trembleau, Chemistry; BBSRC, 15,364;
Developing and testing of small molecule allosteric
enhancers of the CBI receptor.
Dr E Reiter, Computing Science; EPSRC,
128,254; How was school today.
Professor D Benson, Mathematical Sciences;
University of Colorado, 6,117; Modualar
Welcome to the edition of the Christmas
edition of the Bulletin. In this edition we
include a very seasonal article on Antartica!
We wish everyone a very Happy Christmas,
and thank them for their hard work this term.
All comments very much welcome.
Kathy Fowler, editor
1
Round and about the College
DECEMBER 2009 Number 25
College of
Physical Sciences
16
PEOPLE, NEWS & EVENTS:
Continued back page
News & Events continued
Awards:
Please note that awards are listed alphabetically by
discipline/surname, not by PI.
Dr E Bain, Engineering; Development Trust,
16,180; Technip Subsea Engineering Msc
Scholarship for James Miller.
Professor G Fairhurst, Engineering; Thalesalenia
Space, 27,885; Development of satellite-friendly
next generation transport protocol mechanisms.
Professor G Fairhurst, Engineering; European
Space Agency, 43,623; Study of generic stream
encapsulation (GSE Study).
Dr Y Guo, Engineering; Royal Society, 2,250;
Flow resistance in relatively steep gravel bed rivers.
Dr Y Guo, Engineering: The Royal Society
Conference grant, 1260, Numerical simulation of
compound meandering open channel flows.
Professor I Guz, Engineering; Royal Society,
1,700; 12th International Conference on Fracture
(ICF 12).
Dr S He, Professor T ODonoghue, Dr D
Pokrajac, Engineering; EPSRC, 342,737:
Turbulence and wall shear stress in unsteady internal
flows with rough surfaces.
Dr S He, Engineering; Royal Academy of
Engineering, 400; 6th International Symposium on
turbulence, head and mass transfer.
Dr S Aphale, Dr D Hendry, Dr E Pavlovskaia,
Professor M Wiercigroch, Engineering; ITI
Energy, 750,000; Resonance enhanced drilling
(phase 1).
Dr A Ivanovic, Engineering;The Research Council
of Norway via SINTEF, 21,193; New fuel and catch
efficient fishing gear concepts based on trawl and
seine.
Dr D Jovcic, Engineering; Scottish Enterprise,
166,945; High gain DC transformer.
Dr D Jovcic, Engineering; EPSRC, 299,892,
Development of DCTransformer and Fault Current
Limiter For High-Power DC Networks.
Dr R Neilson, Engineering; Nestech Challenge
Fund, 67,630; Development of an apparatus and
method for neuromuscular stimulation.
Dr R Neilson, Engineering, BP, Shell and Conoco
Phillips (equal partners) through ITF. 239,192:
Novel Underwater Cutting (phase 1 of 3 phases
which should total about 513k over 2 years).
Professor V Nikora, Professor J Watson,
Engineering; EPSRA, 438,549; High Resolution
numerical and experimental studies of turbulence-
induced sediment erosion and near-bed transport.
This is a part of an international research programme
also involving Universities of Karlsruhe and Dresden.
German partners are funded by DFG (appr. 750,0000
Euro).
Professor V Nikora, Engineering; Royal Society,
2,225; Attendance at the 33rd IAHR Congress
2009.
Dr D Pokrajac, Engineering; Royal Society,
2,990; Mechanisms of momentum transfer between
turbulent flows and permeable beds.
C. Sands, Engineering; Royal Society, 2,795;
Proposed visit to Technical University Berlin.
Professor A Hartley, Geology & Petroleum
Geology; Total E&P UK PLC, 1,341; PhD Project
Training images for MPS reservoir modelling.
Dr D Jolley, Geology & Petroleum Geology;
Atlanticon SP/F, 127,000; Volcaniclastic Deposits
Project.
Dr D Jolley, Geology & Petroleum Geology;
35,600;Tullow Ghana Ltd ,Talisman, Development
Trust, Postgraduate Scholarships MSc in Integrated
Petroleum Geoscience
Professor B Kneller, Geology & Petroleum
Geology; Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do
Sul, 3,200; to support costs of a research visit in
Brazil.
Professor B Kneller, Geology & Petroleum
Geology; 42,750 GDF Suez; joining the joint
industry project Stratigraphic Development of Large
Scale Slope Systems.
Professor B Kneller, Geology & Petroleum
Geology; 51,139 Nexen (Buzzard Partnership) to
support a PhD studentship on the Buzzard field.
Professor J Parnell, Geology & Petroleum
Geology; ESRC, 33,943; ESRC Postgraduate
Awards.
Professor K Dobney, Archaeology; British
Academy, 45,675; European-Chinese
Bioarchaeology collaboration: Contributing to a
broader agenda.
Professor K Dobney, Archaeology; NERC,
100,811; Pigs, people & the neolithisation of
Europe.
Dr J Anable, Professor J Nelson, Geography &
representations of finite groups (Prize for Shawn
Baland).
Professor A Dawson, AICSM; Western Isles
Council, 3,480; Gualan Project.
Professor A Dawson, AICSM; Soteag, 15,000;
Climate change research project for Soteag.
AWARDS NOTIFIED VERY RECENTLY
(PIs only listed at this stage)
Dr G Dunn; EPSRC, 80,132; Novel thermal
management of power electronic devices: high power
high frequency planar gunn diodes.
Dr M Reed; British Academy, 119,159; Involved:
what makes stakeholder participation work?
Professor M Wiercigroch; BG International Ltd,
238,848; Modelling and analysis of BHA & Drill
string vibrations - VESDA.
News
Professor Vladimir Nikora, Engineering, has
recently presented three invited talks: a keynote talk
on hydrodynamics of aquatic ecosystems at the 1st
International Workshop on Environmental
Hydraulics (IWEH-09, Valencia, Spain), a Master
Lecture on turbulence in natural and constructed the
waterways at 33rd IAHR Congress (Vancouver,
Canada), and a talk on hydrodynamic effects in flow-
biota interactions at a special series of invited talks in
fluid mechanics at St Anthony Falls Hydraulics
Laboratory (SAFL), University of Minnesota.
Professor Nikoras collaborative proposal with
research partners from Universities of Karlsruhe
(Profs. G. Jirka, W. Rodi, and M. Uhlmann) and
Dresden (Prof. J. Frhlich) for a 4-year joint project
High resolution numerical and experimental studies
of turbulence-induced sediment erosion and near-
bed transport has been successful and will begin
soon.The study will be based, for the first time, on the
systematic use of highly-resolved numerical
simulations with fully resolved mobile roughness
elements coupled with advanced three-dimensional
experimental measurements above and below mobile
sediment beds. The project will bring together three
research groups from two countries which
complement each other with unique capabilities in
addressing a common research goal. Aberdeens
experimental work (Nikora, Watson, Cameron) will
be supported by EPCRC (439K) while numerical
work of German partners (Jirka, Rodi, Uhlmann,
Frhlich) will be funded by DFG.
Professor Marcel Jaspars, Chemistry, has had a new
book published recently Organic Structure Analysis
Second Edition by Phillip Crews, Jaime Rodriguez
and Marcel Jaspars published by OUP in Oct 2009.
This is a major revision of the most integrated
textbook on the characterisation of organic structures
by spectroscopic methods.
Prof Jaspars has also been asked to work on two
committees:
1.) UK Representative to the EU Coordinated
Working Group on Marine Biotechnology
2.) The Subcommittee of Biotechnology of the
International Union of Pure and Applied
Chemistry.
Extract from The New York Times (October 5,
2009): under the heading Nobel Physics Prize
Puzzling to Predict:
the Institute could take a broader approach with the
award this year, looking to chaos theory and its
advancement by several researchers, including Mitchell
Feigenbaum at Rockefeller University in New York,
Edward Ott and James A. Yorke at the University of
Maryland and Celso Grebogi at the University of
Aberdeen.
In September, Professor Malcolm Ingram
(retired, Chemistry), presented an Invited Paper
entitled Ion transport and structural relaxation in
glasses and polymers: revisiting the concepts of
coupling and decoupling, co-authored with Profesor
Corrie Imrie, at the 6th International Discussion
Meeting on Relaxation in Complex Systems held
this year in Rome.
Prof. Derek Sleeman (Computing Science) has
developed an active collaboration over the last 2-3
years with clinicians from the University of Glasgows
Department of Critical Care Medicine and Glasgow
Royal Infirmarys Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in
which a number of long- and short-term projects
have been developed to analyse (offline), different
aspects of the extensive patient datasets. Techniques
from Cognitive Science, Machine Learning &
Ontological Engineering are being used & extended
in these projects. When useful predictors of, say,
patient deterioration are identified & clinically
approved, these insights can then be incorporated
into the advisory mechanism of the Patient
Management System (PMS), thereby having an effect
on patient care. The manufacturer of the PMS,
Philips, are involved in these developments. Several
publications on this work have already appeared in
both the Computing Science and the Medical
literature. For example, a poster appeared at the 2009
Scottish Intensive Care Societys annual meeting
which was awarded first prize; 3 posters have been
accepted for the 2010 meeting. To further this
collaboration Derek Sleeman has recently been made
a Visiting Professor in the University of Glasgows
Faculty of Medicine.
Successful students:
The Petrofac Royal Academy of Engineering
Fellowships for the Enhanced Graduate Engineer are
aimed at graduate engineers who wish to pursue a
career in the oil and industry but have decided to
enhance their skill-set first by studying a full-time
Masters course in a related subject. The generous
award package on offer not only includes financial
support of 9,000 but a number of other learning
and development opportunities including a company
mentor, work placements and, where appropriate, a
company-sourced major project.
The full-time
MSc course in
S a f e t y
E n g i n e e r i n g ,
Reliability & Risk
Management at
Aberdeen was
selected as one on
which an award was
to be made in 2009.
34-year old Fidelis
Mugabe of Surrey
is the first
University of Aberdeen student to be awarded this
prestigious fellowship.
Neil celebrates success with his tandem
partner Barney Storey in Manchester
Double World
Champion
N
eil Fachie may have seemed like just
another quiet physics graduate when
he left the University with his
honours degree in 2006, but since then his life
has been all but quiet! In 2008 he represented
the UK in athletics at the Beijing Paralympics,
competing in both the T13 class 100m and
200m. Not one to rest on his laurels, and by his
own admission struggling to compete against
taller athletes, Neil chose to switch to cycling
earlier this year, and was soon selected to
compete in the UCI Track World
Championships, held at the Manchester
Velodrome in November. On his debut, he and
his tandem pilot rider, Barney Storey, won both
the B/VI 1K time trial and the sprint, breaking
world records in both events in the process.
Neil, who has lived with the deteriorating
condition retinitis pigmentosa since birth,
The College welcomes articles from staff
for inclusion in the Bulletin. If you
have an item news or wish to share
information about innovative teaching
practice or describe an aspect of your
research, please contact Kathy Fowler,
editor: x 2190, k.m.fowler@abdn.ac.uk.
admits he was amazed and delighted to win
and the experience of winning the gold
medals was truly a dream come true, more
than making up for all the long hours of
training. We all wish him well in his
preparations for 2012!
Phys Sci Bulletin-25 Dec09:Phys Science Bulletin Mar07 14/12/09 14:36 Page 1
3 2
NEWS NEWS NEWS
Professor Albert Rodger appointed to Scottish
Funding Council
P
rofessor Albert Rodger, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Physical Sciences, has been appointed as a
member of the Scottish Funding Council.The appointment is one of three announced by Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet
Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning in the Scottish Government.
A chartered civil engineer, Professor Rodger has been awarded the John Logie Baird Award for Innovation and the Silver
Medal of the Royal Academy of Engineering for his research into geotechnical dynamics which has led to patented and licensed inventions. He is a
Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Director of the Northern Research Partnership in Engineering and Chief Executive of the National Subsea
Research Institute.
University host delegation from Hong Kong
T
he University hosted a delegation of representatives from the City University of Hong Kong in October, in a visit which aimed to strengthen
collaboration between the two institutions. The delegation which included Professor Johnny Chan, Acting Dean of the City University of
Hong Kongs School of Energy and Environment, which specialises in cutting-edge research in energy and environment and in the training of
energy and environment professionals met with representatives from the College.The delegation gained insights into the leading research taking place
at Aberdeen within the areas of geosciences, engineering, geology, petroleum geology, geography and environment.
Major study to understand what prompts environmentally
friendly behaviour
U
niversity researchers are leading a major study to better understand what motivates people to act in an environmentally friendly way. It is hoped
the findings will pave the way for new understandings of how to encourage sustainable behaviour and help tackle global issues such as climate
change, which may inform future policy-making. The research will examine the links between a persons love of nature, sense of well-being,
and the likelihood they will act in an environmentally friendly way.
Brain scanning to better understand these connections will be just one of a number of different methods of research undertaken in the project. While
in an MRI Scanner, volunteers will be shown images and listen to sounds from nature. The responses which occur in their brain will be recorded in a
bid to gain an insight into the sense of positive well-being which occurs when someone experiences images and sounds of nature. Age-related changes
in brain function and how responses operate will also be examined through other research methods in the study, to understand how attitudes towards
environmental behaviour may change over the course of a lifetime.
Professor Colin Hunter of Rural & Environmental Sustainability at the University of Aberdeen who will lead the study said: In the face of important
global and regional environmental problems, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and growing pressure on water and other natural resources, there
is an urgent need to better understand factors that may influence the tendency of an individual to undertake environmentally friendly activities. Brain
scanning to understand the positive emotional response in a persons brain which images and sounds of nature provokes will be just one of the methods
of research we will use in the study.We will also use other research techniques to examine what prompts members of the public, people who volunteer
for environmental causes, and older people, to undertake environmentally friendly behaviour.The project is unique in bringing researchers from across
very diverse subject areas together to share expertise in a bid to better understand these connections. Our findings will help develop a clearer picture
of the factors which influence pro-environment behaviours and could in the long term help shape future policies in this area of global concern.
Experts from the University will work with 16 other researchers from the Macaulay Institute in Aberdeen, the University of Sheffield,VU University
Amsterdam and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Academics from diverse subject areas - music, imaging, geography, psychology and
computing science will work together on the 200K study which is funded by the ESRC, BBSRC and MRC through the UIBEN programme.
Inaugural University of Aberdeen
Technip scholarship awarded
T
he first recipient of a new 16K scholarship awarded by subsea engineering and
construction company Technip, has been announced. James Miller has received the
one-year Technip MSc Scholarship in Subsea Engineering. This is the first
scholarship the organisation has established with the University and recognises the need to
foster new talent in the subsea sector.
Experts from Technip are amongst the high level industry figures who are working alongside
academics teaching the MSc in Subsea Engineering which was launched by the University in 2007.
1.8 million Institute of Mathematics launched
A
new 1.8 million Institute of Mathematics was officially launched in
October. The facility further strengthens the Universitys position as an
internationally leading institution in the teaching and research of
mathematics. Mathematics has been taught and researched at the University for
over 500 years.
The new facility which is an extension to the Fraser Noble Building on the
Universitys Kings College Campus is part of a wider 9.2 million
infrastructure investment within the College. The development of the facility
follows the appointment of nine new academics within mathematics. Six of these
academics have been recruited to the University as Sixth Century Professors, as
part of a 9 million investment programme to recruit outstanding scholars who
have achieved international distinction in their fields. These academics join the
University from international institutions including the Ohio State University
and the University of Georgia in the US, the Steklov Mathematical Institute in
Moscow and the University of Lyon in France.
The Institute of Mathematics will focus on three main areas of mathematics:
algebraic geometry, topology and representation theory. The Institute was
launched in front of an invited audience of University representatives and
international academics. A two-day conference, which was attended by mathematicians from across the globe was also held to coincide with the
Institutes official launch. The conference brought together eminent experts from countries including France and the USA to showcase the latest
thinking in mathematics.
The Institute is purpose-built for mathematical research and includes dedicated seminar and conference facilities which will be of great benefit as we
continue to host events aimed at an international mathematical audience such as the conference today.
The conference speakers were: Professor Raphael Rouquier, University of Oxford, Professor Tadeusz Januszkiewicz,The Ohio State University, Professor
Bob Oliver, University of Paris-Nord, XIII and Professor Iain Gordon, University of Edinburgh.
Work begins at Rural Digital Economy Research Hub
T
he research, which will be conducted by the RCUK Rural Digital Economy Research Hub, was showcased to government and industry
representatives at an event in London in October which coincided with the official commencement of funding for the centre. The University
was awarded 12.4 million of funding in April by the Research Councils UK (RCUK) Digital Economy Programme, led by the Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), to create the centre which will investigate how digital technologies can transform rural communities,
society and business. Aberdeen was one of three universities, alongside Newcastle and Nottingham, funded to create such centres.
Researchers from the three Hubs highlighted the benefits and potential impacts of the research they will undertake, at an event hosted by the EPSRC
at Londons BT Tower.
Professor Peter Edwards, Technical Director of the Rural Digital Economy Research Hub, and Professor John Nelson, Chair in Transport Studies,
profiled the Aberdeen Hubs plan for research into technologies that can improve healthcare provision and economic sustainability in rural communities.
The University of Aberdeens Rural Digital Economy Research Hub will focus on four main research themes: accessibility and mobilities; healthcare;
enterprise and culture, and natural resource conservation.
US Embassy counsellor visits University
U
.S. Embassy Environment and Science Counsellor Jock Whittlesey visited the University in October to learn more
about the institutions work in marine engineering and renewable energy. Mr Whittlesey held a series of meetings
within the College during his visit which aimed to further links between the US and Scotland.
Mr Whittlesey said:The University of Aberdeen has a strong global reputation in energy and marine research. I am enormously
impressed by the ability of the University to link internationally, to do interdisciplinary research, to work with industry, and to
work collaboratively with top class researchers from around the world. Scotland matters to the United States. This is a
relationship we care about, and want to nourish.
Dramatic rise in world rankings for University
T
he University of Aberdeen has climbed 24 places positioning it in the top 0.5% of universities in the world, according to the Times Higher
World University Rankings. The University is ranked 129th in world, the highest ranking for the institution to date and the biggest advance
in rankings of any UK university in the top 200 this year.
Phil Baty, deputy editor of Times Higher Education magazine, and editor of the annual Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings, said:
Aberdeen has truly established itself as one of the worlds leading universities, rising from 153rd last year to 129th. It has been one of our highest
climbers this year a particularly strong achievement in a year when Asian universities have been rising up the rankings and challenging the traditional
UK-US dominance. I can only predict further improvements in Aberdeens international standing, as its 15 million drive to attract the best academics
from around the world starts to bear fruit, and after its radical curriculum reforms come into place next year.
David Kemp,
Vice-President
Finance Technip with
James Miller
Professor Sir Duncan Rice Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Aberdeen launched the new Institute of
Mathematics
Phys Sci Bulletin-25 Dec09:Phys Science Bulletin Mar07 14/12/09 14:36 Page 3
4 5
Aberdeen academic awarded for work
in palaeontology
P
rofessor Nigel Trewin, from the School of Geosciences, has been awarded the Professor T N George
Medal, a highly regarded prize within the field of geology, by the Geological Society of Glasgow for his
work in palaeontology.
Professor Trewin was presented with the medal before delivering a lecture entitled Fossils Alive! Interpreting
the Ancient Environments of Scotland, to an audience of society members. In his lecture Professor Trewin drew
from his book Fossils Alive! Or New Walks in an Old Field which explores ten well known fossiliferous
locations across Scotland from the viewpoint of a time-traveller.
Professor Trewin has co-authored a new book - Excursion Guide to the Geology of East Sutherland and
Caithness with Professor Andrew Hurst, also from the Universitys School of Geosciences, which was
published last month.
Report quantifies Universitys half-billion pound contribution
to economy
T
he University is currently contributing over half a billion pounds annually (508 million) to the economy of Scotland, according to an
independent economic impact assessment. Over twenty percent of the total is a direct result of commercialisation activity - contributing over
95 million through spin out and knowledge transfer activity. The total contribution to the economy of the North-east is estimated at 377
million every year, through core business, capital investment, the spending of staff and students, and a major contribution to tourism.
The report entitled Economic Impact of the University of Aberdeen compiled by Midlothian-based BiGGAR Economics also measured the impact of
the University in terms of full time equivalent (fte) jobs being supported. By this measure, the University is contributing 8,358 full-time jobs to the
North-east and 11,202 across Scotland. This means that for every full time job in the University, the equivalent of a further 2.7 are added to the local
economy.
The University currently has a turnover of 215 million, has over 14,000 students, employs over 3,000 staff and has tangible fixed assets valued at more
than 300 million.
Aberdeen students strike gold
with innovative E. coli
plumbing concept
A
group of students have struck gold with a revolutionary technique
testing how E. coli could be used to plumb leaks in pipes.The team
from the University of Aberdeen scooped a gold medal for their
efforts in the international Genetically Engineered Machine competition
(iGEM), which saw 110 university teams from across the globe complete to
design and assemble new biological systems.
This is the first time an Aberdeen team has entered the annual contest which
took place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston,
USA, in November.The Aberdeen students tested how specific strains of E.
coli, which are not deadly or poisonous to humans, could be used to
automatically mend cracks which occur in, for example, household water
pipes or in cooling pipes in laboratory experiments.
The 12-strong team of students - from across academic areas including biology, physics, computing
science, maths and engineering - received the gold medal in recognition of the quality of their entry,
and the contribution made by the team to the development of the field of synthetic biology. As part
of the competition entry, the team presented their work to an audience of 150 scientists and
presented a scientific poster detailing their work in a symposium involving over 500 other
undergraduate and postgraduate scientists.
All teams competing in the contest were ranked gold, silver or bronze for their entries. A team from
Cambridge University were the overall competition winner.
Five academics from the University of Aberdeens Schools of Medical Sciences and Natural &
Computing Sciences oversaw the project: Dr Ian Stansfield - who accompanied the students to Boston - Professor Al Brown, Dr George Coghill, Dr
Mamen Romano and Dr Marco Thiel.
A description of the teams project can be found at: http://2009.igem.org/Team:Aberdeen_Scotland
SUPA researchers to benefit from 48 million investment
E
ight Scottish universities including the University of Aberdeen - are to share almost 50 million to grow their physics research capabilities in
a move which will cement the nations claim to be a global leader in scientific research and discovery.The Scottish Further and Higher Education
Funding Council (SFC) and the participating universities have confirmed funding of 48 million for the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance
(SUPA), the pooling arrangement of eight Scottish universities committed to sharing resource and expertise in physics research.
This is the second investment in SUPA which was set up in 2004.The cash will help fund major developments in Scotlands research infrastructure and
personnel.These will include the setting up of a unique centre to develop and exploit laser-driven plasma accelerators at the University of Strathclyde,
new labs and equipment at the University of St Andrews, and the establishment of a large-scale, pan-Scottish Physics and Life Sciences research team.
The universities and leading Scottish scientists say the investment will have multiple spin-out benefits for Scotland well beyond the confines of pure
physics research. Medical research and technology, industrial and commercial activity, the higher education sector and the NHS are all expected to
benefit.The SUPA bid is intended to give the countrys physics research capabilities a profile and critical mass which will draw world-leading scientists
to Scotland and build the nations reputation as a leader in international science.
New book to teach
next generation of
geologists
A
new textbook which will help teach
the next generation of geologists in the
oil and gas industry, was showcased at
the University in November. Written by
University graduate Mike Shepherd, a
professional geologist, the book was created to
provide students with more current academic
literature on this key area of geology. 54 year old
Mr Shepherd from Aberdeen, took a sabbatical
year out of industry to write the book entitled
The Basics of Production Geology which was
commissioned by the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and published in
October this year.
The Universitys Geology Department
supported Mr Shepherd in his research for the
book which is aimed at students, new
professionals in oil companies and anyone with
an interest in reservoir geology. Drawing from his 29 years within the North Sea oil industry, The Basics of Production Geology provides practical
guidelines on how a production geologist can analyse the reservoir geology and oil flow characteristics of an oil field with the aim of improving
hydrocarbon recovery.
Mr Shepherd said: The history of the book stems from 6 years ago when I contacted Professor Andrew Hurst from the University of Aberdeens
Geology Department who I graduated alongside with a degree in Geology from the University 32 years ago. I intended taking a year off from working
as a professional geologist in the oil industry and Professor Hurst suggested I turned my efforts to writing this book, mainly because there were no
recent textbooks on the subject and he felt one was needed. The University was of great support in providing me with library and computing to aid
my research.
Volunteers sought for study which could help
parents of ill or premature babies
V
olunteers are being sought for a new study which aims to improve the experience of parents of ill or premature
newborn babies. Researchers from the University are developing a computer system - known as BabyTalk - that
can generate easy to understand reports on the medical condition of babies in neonatal care. These reports are
updated every 24 hours and made available online to the infants parents, providing a simple summary of their childs
progress. The system can produce two types of text for parents one which accounts for them undergoing high levels of stress, and one which
does not. The computer system can also send automatic updates to concerned family and friends on behalf of the parents, allowing them to share all
or part of the summary of their babys condition.
Researchers are looking for parents from the North East, of Scotland,Tayside and Fife that have had a baby in neonatal care in the last ten years to try
out the system.
Saad Mahamood from Computing Science one of the researchers undertaking the study said: When a baby is in a Neonatal Intensive Care or a
Special Care Baby Unit it can be hard for parents to take in all of the complicated medical information and the treatment that their baby is being given.
Our new computer system will produce secure automatic online updates about the baby so that parents can get news day and night, even when they
Professor Nigel Trewin
Mike Shepherd with students from the University of Aberdeen AAPG Student Chapter
Phys Sci Bulletin-25 Dec09:Phys Science Bulletin Mar07 14/12/09 14:36 Page 5
7 6
are away from the ward. When a baby is in a neonatal ward, their medical details and information on interaction with nurses or family members is
recorded in a database by the hospital. Babytalk takes the information produced by this database and creates a simple text version of what has happened
to the baby within the last 24 hours.The text produced by the system is personalised to the babys condition and tailored to take into account whether
the parents will be experiencing stressful or less stressful circumstances.Whilst this does not replace talking to medical staff it does provide an extra source
of information and support for the parents, helping to decrease their anxiety.
For more information on the project visit http://www.csd.abdn.ac.uk/btfamily/
Aberdeen University graduate presented
with medal by Princess Anne
A
berdeens Robin Parker was presented with the RSGS University Medal for the University
of Aberdeen this week by HRH the Princess Royal at an awards ceremony to mark the
125th anniversary of one of Scotlands oldest charities, the Royal Scottish Geographical
Society, at Perth Concert Hall.The medals are given by the RSGS to an outstanding geography
graduate from the university each year.This years winner, Robin Parker, attended a talk by
mountaineer Martin Moran, after which he was presented with the medal by Princess Anne. Five
other medallists were also awarded medals from other key Scottish universities, and were then hosted
by the RSGS at the opening of their new office in Perth.
After awarding the medals, Princess Anne officially opened the new RSGS office, which is located just behind the Concert Hall in Lord John Murrays
House. The winners then had a second chance to speak to HRH the Princess Royal before she signed the new official visitors book to begin a new
chapter of this distinguished charitys long history.The old visitor book from a previous headquarters was begun in 1884, by HM Stanley, the man who
found David Livingstone, and has been signed by many previous medallists of the RSGS such as Shackleton, Amundsen, Scott, Hilary, Ranulph Fiennes,
WH Murray, Neil Armstrong, Dougal Haston, Francis Chichester and many others.
The RSGS runs one of the most successful talks programmes in Scotland, and are hosting a number of illustrated talks in Aberdeen over the coming
months. Speakers include record breaker Dee Caffari, explorer John Dunn, and science writer Fred Pearce.
For more details please visit www.rsgs.org/events/TalksProgramme.pdf
F
ollowing successful negotiation between a consortium of Scottish
university libraries and the suppliers of the IEEE/IET Electronic
Library (IEL) we now have access to this high-quality resource.The
IEL service is described as providing access to almost one third of the
worlds current electrical engineering and computer science literature. It
features content from IEEE and the Institution of Engineering and
Technology and will be of use to researchers and students across a wide
range of disciplines including Engineering, Physics, Computing Science
and Medical Sciences.
IEL includes full-text access to 140+ IEEE and IET journals, magazines
and transactions and proceedings from over 850 conferences. Backfile
content is to 1988 with some selected content back to 1913.
Over 1,900 approved and published IEEE standards are also available
through the service. Further details are available at
http://www.ieee.org/web/publications/subscriptions/prod/iel_
overview.html
The database can be accessed directly at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/.
Access is set at a maximum of 95 users across all of the Scottish
subscribing libraries. Login traffic will be monitored and we dont
IEEE/IET Electronic Library (IEL)
anticipate any difficulties with the user limit but please let me know if you
experience any difficulties on a regular basis.
The annual subscription has been heavily discounted for consortium
members and will be partly paid for across a number of disciplines
through the cancellation of current IEEE/IEE journals with top-up costs
being met from the School of Engineerings library allocation.
Titles included in the IEL service are being added manually to the library
catalogue. In the meantime links to the newly available IEL titles have
been activated in the SFX service allowing full text linking from other
databases such as Web of Science and Scopus.
There are short online tutorials on using IEL at
http://www.i eee.org/web/publ i cati ons/subscr i pti ons/
clientservices/training.html#instant but just get in touch if you
would prefer some person-to-person instruction! Im happy to arrange
a short session on getting the best out of this new and valuable
electronic collection.
Susan McCourt, s.mccourt@abdn.ac.uk, x3287
T
he gruesome account of an early blood transfusion in 1666,
Isaac Newtons landmark paper on light and colour,Watson and
Cricks description of the evidence for the structure of DNA,
and Stephen Hawkings early writing on black holes in space are just
some of the highlights of a new interactive timeline launched on 30
November to celebrate the 350
th
anniversary year of the Royal
Society.Trailblazing offers unprecedented public access to the most
influential, inspiring and intriguing papers published by the Royal
Society over the last 350 years including the world-famous Philosophical
Transactions (Phil. Trans.), the oldest continuously published scientific
journal in the world.
Leading scientists and historians have chosen 60 articles from amongst
the 60,000 published since the journal first began in 1665. Trailblazing
will make the original manuscripts available online for the first time
alongside fascinating insights from modern-day experts who are
continuing the work of scientific giants such as Newton, Hooke,
Faraday and Franklin and making vital new breakthroughs of their own
in areas such as genetics, physics, climate change and medicine.
Highlights include:
The gruesome account of an early blood transfusion (1666)
Captain James Cooks explanation of how he protected his crew from
scurvy aboard HMS Resolution (1776)
Stephen Hawkings early writing on black holes (1970)
Benjamin Franklins account of flying a kite in a storm to identify the
Royal Society: Past, present and future
electrical nature of lightning the Philadelphia Experiment (1752)
Sir Isaac Newtons landmark paper on the nature of light and colour
(1672)
A scientific study of a young Mozart confirming him as a musical child
genius (1770)
The Yorkshire cave discovery of the fossilized remains of elephant,tiger,
bear and hyena heralding the study of deep time (1822)
The daunting task of selecting the 60 Trailblazing papers was the work
of a small group of scientists, communicators and historians chaired by
Professor Michael Thompson FRS, one of our part-time Sixth
Century Chairs, who himself edited Phil.Trans. for many years. Professor
Thompson said: It was a great thrill for all of us selecting articles for
their novelty, pivotal science and often just plain fun. In doing so we had
to maintain a balance between the disciplines (astronomy, biology,
chemistry, Earth science, mathematics, physics and engineering), while
stirring in a peppering of iconic names (Isaac Newton, Steven
Hawking, etc). The aim was to make an inspiring and tasty dish for
todays scientists, for the public at large, and of course for the youngsters
who will be the scientists of tomorrow.
Trailblazing is online at royalsociety.org/trailblazing
Footnote: Michael Thompson reports one of the 60 papers (out of 60,000) that
we chose was by James Clerk Maxwell of Aberdeen fame. In it he presents his
ground-breaking theory of electromagnetism and light.
new project at Aberdeen is
starting on the response of coastal
communities to climate change
and is being led by Alastair Dawson. The
project, CoastAdapt, is funded through
the EU Northern Periphery Programme
and will run until December 2011. The
project is being led by Comhairlie nan
Eilan Siar (Western Isles Council) with
partner institutes in Cork, Coleraine, UHI
Thurso, Iceland (Reykjavik) northern
Norway (Hammerfest) and Aberdeen.
The study will focus on coastal issues
linked to climate change such as
storminess and sea level change and how
coastal communities and policy advisors
adapt to these perceived potential threats.
The Atlantic coastline of the Outer
Hebrides will form the focus of particular
study given the damaging storm that
devastated the area during January 2005.
Shingle ridge deposited high above
present sea level at Pollachar, South
Uist, after Great Storm of January 2005.
CoastAdapt project
Interactive Trailblazing timeline illuminates iconic moments in the history
of science and celebrates 350 years of the Royal Society at the cutting edge
Phys Sci Bulletin-25 Dec09:Phys Science Bulletin Mar07 14/12/09 14:36 Page 7
8 9
Dr. Robert Bingham joined the College
in September 2009 through the New
Blood Lectureship scheme; he previously
worked as a Radar Geophysicist at the
British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge.
Strengthening Geosciences Cryosphere
and Climate Change group, whose
research in Greenland was reported in
Bulletin 24, Robert brings an active
Antarctic portfolio to Aberdeen. His main
interests lie in combining geophysical
techniques, remote sensing and
glaciological fieldwork to assess the
response of the polar ice sheets to climate
and environmental change, and to gauge
the rate of their contribution to global sea
level rise.
T
his winter or, more appropriately for
this article, austral summer Robert
Bingham will undertake three months
fieldwork on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
(WAIS), representing a new collaboration
between the University of Aberdeen and the
British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The main aim
of the project, funded through the NERC
Antarctic Funding Initiative Collaborative
Gearing Scheme, is to gather data required to
improve our understanding of why many
coastal glaciers around the WAIS are currently
accelerating, thereby contributing ever more to
sea level rise.
Locked into the WAIS is enough ice to raise
global sea levels by ~ 3.3 m. Satellite remote
sensing conducted since the 1990s has painted
a clear picture of ice flow patterns across the ice
sheet, in particular highlighting alarming rates
of thinning and acceleration of the glaciers
fringing its coast and, in consequence, an
increasing drawdown of ice from up to 150
km inland (Fig. 1). These phenomena,
collectively termed dynamic thinning, are
thought to be triggered by ice thinning at the
grounding line, where glaciers start to float and
form ice shelves; but the specific mechanisms
responsible remain poorly constrained.
Elucidating the magnitude and nature of
dynamic thinning processes, the accuracy of
satellite measurements in monitoring them, and
the basal boundary conditions that will better
allow us to model future behaviour in
vulnerable regions, are essential given the
potential for dynamic thinning to accelerate the
WAIS contribution to global sea level rise over
the next century. Much of the data necessary to
achieve this objective can only be obtained
using field techniques, a considerable challenge
given the extreme remoteness of most of the
catchments experiencing dynamic thinning.
Fieldwork from November 2009 to February
2010 will be undertaken across Ferrigno Ice
Stream (FIS), a 14,000 km
2
catchment draining
into Eltanin Bay, Bellingshausen Sea, West
Antarctica, readily identifiable from satellite
altimetry as a hotspot of contemporary
dynamic thinning. Situated 950 km from the
nearest scientific base, the U.K. station at
Rothera Point, FIS has only once before ever
been visited - over just 5 days in 1961, when a
U.S. team conducting seismic depth
measurements, as part of the International
Geophysical Year Antarctic Traverse
programme, passed fleetingly across its upper
reaches. The 2009/10 Aberdeen/BAS
fieldwork, planned to take up to 10 weeks,
therefore represents the first comprehensive and
much needed ground-based study of this
rapidly draining portal of the WAIS.
The field objectives include: (i) surveying basal
topography beneath the >1 km thick ice; (ii)
assessing the current mass balance; and (iii)
surveying variations in basal water and basal
sediments, whose configuration has a
fundamental influence on glacier flow. These
will be attained using a combination of two
radar systems (Fig. 2), 20 m ice cores (Fig. 3),
and several GPS stations across the catchment.
One of the radar systems, the DELORES
DEep-LOoking Radio Echo Sounder,
pioneered at BAS, is designed to image
subsurface conditions through ice up to 3 km
thick, and trails for some 300 m behind the
skidoo operator (Fig 4)!
Conducting glaciological fieldwork in
Antarctica is a significant logistical undertaking,
in addition to requiring tolerance to the cold
and isolation. Field equipment was tested,
prepared and packed back in July 2009, and has
since made its way via ship to the Falkland
Islands. There it rejoins with Robert in early
November, and radars plus geoscientist fly on to
Rothera. The FIS field party, consisting of just
two people - Robert plus a field assistant
assigned by BAS - will be deployed onwards
onto FIS by Dehavilland Twin Otter (Fig. 5) in
mid-November 2009, and will not see another
soul until uplift in late January 2010. Operating
in temperatures ranging between -40 and
-5C, the pair will camp for up to ten weeks on
the ice, in pyramid tents (Fig. 6) whose design
has not altered fundamentally since they were
used just under 100 years ago on Robert
Falcon Scotts expedition to the South Pole.
To conduct the radar and mass balance surveys,
the team will traverse many hundreds of km
across FIS; unlike Scotts team, however, the
Aberdeen/BAS team will not be deploying
dogs and skis rather, oversnow travel will be
undertaken by the more rapid means of skidoo
(Fig. 7)!
The fieldwork on FIS will build on extensive
radar surveys conducted by Robert two years
ago, during the International Polar Year, across
the adjoining Pine Island Glacier, another
prominent West Antarctic exemplar of dynamic
thinning. Results from both of these field
studies will be used to improve numerical
models whose ultimate goal is to predict the
rates at which dynamic thinning in West
Antarctica may be accelerating the translation
of its ice into increased sea volume. The
research reflects the ethos of Aberdeens
Cryosphere and Climate Change group that
to predict the impacts of changing climate, in
this case rising sea levels, it is vital to improve
our understanding of the polar regions.
Migrating south for winter:
Aberdeen Geoscientist heads to Antarctica
Default mode; field manifestation
Fig 1: Inset: Radar
altimetry map
highlighting, in
red, areas of
surface lowering
and inferred
dynamic thinning,
after Pritchard et
al. (2009);
Ferrigno Ice
Stream, Pine
Island Glacier, and
the U.K. research
station at Rothera
are annotated.
Main map:
Landsat imagery of the Ferrigno Ice Stream catchment; 100 m contours
overlain. Black line demarcates the catchment boundary; red lines
indicate planned radar survey lines; the yellow route shows the traverse
conducted in 1961, with seismic-depth measurement locations shown as
green dots.
Fig. 2: Pulse-EKKO Pro radar for
imaging shallow ice layers and
measuring snow accumulation
down to ~ 100m depth
Fig. 5: Taxi for a glaciologist: two Twin
Otters operating deep-field in West
Antarctica
Fig. 3: Coring ice down to
20 m on Pine Island Glacier
in December 2007
Fig 7: Traversing Pine Island Glacier by skidoo in January 2008
Fig 6: Home sweet home: pyramid tent accommodation
Fig 4: (a) Schematic showing the
operation of the DELORES radar system
incorporating an example radargram
showing the bed (subglacial interface)
and palaeo-snowfall events (internal
layers) (b) DELORES on the ice spot
the transmitter (tx) in the far distance!
Phys Sci Bulletin-25 Dec09:Phys Science Bulletin Mar07 14/12/09 14:36 Page 9
11 10
Presentation of Undergraduate Prizes 1 October 2009
Engineering held their annual event in October and presented the following prizes to these prizewinners:
Chris Durden, an IMechE representative presented the IMechE prizes as follows:
Project Prize REBECCA MILLAR
Best project certificate REBECCA MILLAR
Frederic Barnes Waldron Best student prize BEN WOODWARD
Best student certificate BEN WOODWARD
David Wilson, Senior Engineer from Marathon presented the Marathon Prize in Chemical Engineering to:
JOANNA FARQUHARSON for 2008-09 and STUART MACLEOD for 2007-08
Other prizes presented by Professor Tom ODonoghue were:
ICE Prize 2009 to MARK STEWART IET Prize 2009 to HALLUR SIMONSEN
IStructE Prize 2009 to MATTHEW WITZ, MATTHEW was also awarded the James M Main Prize
earlier this year
Hays Undergraduate Prize to JAMIE RUPAR
Scottish Hydraulics Study Group Undergraduate Prize to MEGAN JOHNSTON and JAMIE RUPAR
Francis Morrison Prize to BEN WOODWARD
Richard Smith Allan Prize to ROGERIO ALVES
Other prizes awarded to students who could not attend:
Jacobs Prize to JOHN MARREN
Norman Levy Prize to APARNA ANILKUMAR
Greenhorne Memorial Prize to CHRISTOPHER LOCK
School of Engineering Prize giving evening
October 2009
Left to right: Chris Durden from IMech, Matthew Witz, Jamie Rupar, Megan Johnston, Joanna Farquharson,
Professor Tom ODonoghue, Rebecca Millar, Rogerio Alves, Mark Stewart, Ben Woodward, Hallur Simonsen,
David Wilson from Marathon and Stuart MacLeod
D
uring the summer, Engineering learned of a higher than
expected Level 1 intake of around 280 students. This is good
news but left us with a dilemma. There was no computer
classroom in Fraser Noble, or on campus, large enough to accommodate
such a high number of students. In previous years we had booked
multiple classrooms but this proved unsatisfactory with tutors having to
move from classroom to classroom during a session.
This year, course co-ordinator Nigel Brazier suggested using Lecture
Theatre 1 as a new computer classroom with students using their college
provided laptops instead of a standard classroom PC. This sounded a good
idea but quickly proved problematic. To run engineering applications on
their laptops the students must pick up a software license via the campus
wireless network (eduroam), and we soon realised that there was limited
wireless connectivity in Lecture Theatre 1. It was late August and barring
the unlikely creation of new fixed PC classrooms we realised that using
Wi-Fi in FN1 was our only option. The College agreed to provide
funding for the installation work and extra software licenses. We
contacted colleagues in DIT Networking and the project team in Estates
and they agreed to make this a priority project. It is to their credit that
in six weeks the job was specified, priced, installed and tested. Six high
density wireless access points were installed providing good coverage
across the whole lecture theatre.
New laptop classroom
Jim Adamson, Engineering Computing Officer, describes how new technology has helped with
a larger than expected intake
As well as the lack of Wi-Fi, concerns were raised over the suitability of
the benches and the lack of power sockets would laptops run dry during
the session? Laptop computers have been used in teaching for many years
but not on such a scale in one focused area. The first session was
timetabled for the second teaching week. I am pleased to report that so
far our worries have not materialised. The Wi-Fi handles over 200
simultaneous connections and the students have remembered to charge
up their laptops before the sessions! Having everyone in one place means
the students can follow what one tutor is doing on the main projector
screen. Students are double spaced (one to every two seats) and
demonstrators are on hand to help students. If a lot of students are having
a similar problem the tutor can pause the session and demonstrate a
solution to everyone.
Generally this combination of student laptops and wireless connectivity
gives us a new option as to where, and how, design and practical sessions
are taught. Of course the Wi-Fi is on all the time so can be utilised by
other courses.
Jim Adamson
Computing Officer,
School of Engineering
Phys Sci Bulletin-25 Dec09:Phys Science Bulletin Mar07 14/12/09 14:36 Page 11
12 13
I
n a small corner of the basement in the
Meston Building, there is a somewhat
unknown laboratory that conducts
bioanalytical and physical chemical testing.You
may think theres nothing unusual about that,
but this laboratory, spearheaded by Dr John
Storey, carries a rare accolade. Since 2006, this
laboratory, known as the University of
Aberdeen GLP Test Facility (UoAGLPTF), has
been accredited to the UK Good Laboratory
Practice (GLP) Compliance Programme, a
government-based programme for the
monitoring of the development of new
pharmaceuticals, which is regulated by the
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory
Agency (MHRA). This makes this small
laboratory one of only a few GLP facilities
based in a university in the UK and the first in
a chemistry department in Scotland.
To understand the magnitude of this
achievement, you really need to look at the
GLP programme in more detail. GLP
regulations originated in the USA in the mid -
70s after some inspections of pre-clinical studies
had shown evidence of unsatisfactory research
practices as well as the reporting of fraudulent
study data. GLP has now been developed into
a worldwide standard by the Organisation for
University of Aberdeen
Good Laboratory Practice
(GLP) Test Facility
Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) and this now means that regulatory
authorities worldwide accept data produced
under a recognised regulatory standard to be a
true reflection of the results obtained.
A set of laws were drawn up to ensure the
integrity of test results collected during the pre-
clinical phase of research before any new drug
could enter clinical (human), veterinary or
environmental trials. This stage of research can
typically take up to six years and includes
testing to assess safety, interaction with other
chemicals and biological systems and
appropriate dosing levels and formulation
types.
Back in 2004, Dr Storey and the University of
Aberdeen made the decision to create a facility
to undertake such testing and, with sponsorship
from TauRx Therapeutics Ltd, the UoAGLPTF
was born. As with many things, the decision-
making process was the easy part, the real
difficulty lay in the execution. Initially a small
team, including Dr John Storey and Dr Tom
Baddeley, worked, with invaluable advice and
assistance from Ms Janice Birnie (an
independent quality assurance consultant),
to plan the furnishings and equipment of the
new laboratory, office and archive.
The space allocated for the laboratory had to be
completely refurbished in order to achieve the
appropriate standards required by such a facility.
Suitable instrumentation was purchased
including an LC-MS/MS, a state-of-the-art
HPLC-DAD system, and some smaller items at
a cost of over 250k. In addition, staff and
running costs for the first two years in the
facility totalled approximately 550k. With
suitable laboratory space and key
instrumentation in place, attention was turned
to the drafting of Standard Operating
Procedures (SOPs) which are the fundamental
base to any test facility. These SOPs provide
guidance and instruction for all the routine
activities in the facility from study conduct and
instrument validation and maintenance to
general housekeeping.
The sheer volume of work involved in setting
up the facility meant that the appointments of
Rajendra Regmi and Simon Martin to the
group in 2005 were followed by the
appointment of Neil Grant in 2006. To ensure
that everyone knew both their ethical and legal
obligations, a rigorous training programme was
implemented with each member of staff
developing and expanding their experience
through lectures, seminars (both in-house and
public) and even self-enforced revision quizzes.
The hard work all paid off when, on 8 August
2006, the UoAGLPTF was inspected by the
MHRA, with the UKs head GLP inspector
commenting that;
this is the best implementation inspection that I
have ever conducted
We received our Statement of GLP
Compliance shortly thereafter. At the time,
Dr Storey commented to his team;
It is a fantastic achievement by all involved. In
the UK, as in the rest of the world, most
organisations with GLP status are companies.
We are very proud to be the only GLP facility
in a chemistry department of a Scottish
university to have implemented GLP. To have
the senior GLP inspector comment on the
unprecedented absence of any negative inspection
findings was a credit to all concerned
Following the implementation of this
recognised standard we were free to conduct
work of a calibre suitable for regulatory
submission and we were also able to collaborate
with other facilities that were also part of the
programme. We were soon working with
collaborators from elsewhere in the UK and in
Canada.
News of the successful GLP implementation
spread and members of the UoAGLPTF were
invited to talk about the experience of, and
success in, implementing GLP in an academic
environment at a conference held by the British
Association of Research Quality Assurance in
the spring of 2007.
At this point many people would have been
satisfied with their achievements and settled
into the business they had built, but not the
UoAGLPTF. Spurred on by their success and
with the backing of their sponsors the
UoAGLPTF made their first bold steps into the
world of Good Clinical Practice (GCP), which
protects the integrity and safety of the people
who volunteer to take part in clinical trials.
The facility would extend its envelope to
include the testing of samples and chemicals
resulting from clinical investigations from both
domestic and foreign sites. This meant even
more training for everyone, including the new
appointees Dr Michael Leith, Dr Mary Masson
and Chris Newcombe. Gaining an
understanding of data protection requirements,
writing SOPs, reviewing old ones and
implementing new secure computer systems
was just the tip of the GCP iceberg.
Towards the end of 2008, UoAGLPTF hosted a
visit from two MHRA inspectors, conducting a
joint inspection to assess compliance with
Good Clinical Practice regulations as well as
continued GLP compliance. This was another
very successful inspection, culminating with
this small facility being the only laboratory in a
UK university that has been inspected for both
GLP and GCP compliance by the UK MHRA.
Funding for this laboratory was renewed earlier
this year for the next 2 years at a level of almost
800k. The facility has had a busy 2009,
working both internally and with collaborators
in companies and medical institutions
elsewhere in the UK and Europe. Such is the
level of work that a second LC-MS/MS worth
300k is being added to the facilities analytical
armoury.
For more information on GCP/GLP
regulations and the MHRA compliance
programme please visit: www.mhra.gov.uk
Construction Project
Following completion of piling and pile cutting, the main contractor, Pihl UK Ltd, has started
on the concrete works. The core substructures are complete and the concrete walls of the
north and south cores are progressing. The ground floor slab is being prepared for concreting.
Works on the refurbishment of the existing heating station as a plant room for the new building
has commenced.
The programme of works and a forecast of the likely disruption level is available at
www.abdn.ac.uk/newlibrary/construction.shtml, along with access to views from the
webcam.
In a recent independent audit for the Considerate Contractors Scheme of construction site set
up, procedures and working practices, Pihl were awarded a high score, which they aim to exceed
at the next assessment. Pihl are working with the School of Engineering to promote academic
links with the construction project.
Access
Access routes on the west side of the campus are shown on the site layout plan at
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/newlibrary/documents/sitelayoutplan.pdf.
Alternative Accommodation
In order to ensure the provision of adequate quiet spaces for exam study, rooms have been
booked in the MacRobert Building in January 2010, and will also be provided for the May
2010 exams.
Interior Layout of the New Library
Extensive consultation with user groups in 2006 and 2007 formed the basis of the internal
configuration and layout of the building. Since then, proposals for the layout of Modern
Collections and associated activity have been developed based on usage data and feedback from
students and staff on the current facilities and visits to other University libraries.These proposals
were considered recently at various meetings involving staff and student representatives. The
University Librarian is actively seeking opportunities to share the current plans with as wide a
group of staff and students as possible and is in contact with the Students Association.
Proposals for the floor layouts are being finalised and the initial selection of furniture and
shelving is progressing. An area in Kings Pavilion has been allocated to house a mock-up of the
Library project update
interiors which should be ready in early
2010.
Further Information
For further information please contact
Calum Proctor, Estates
(c.proctor@abdn.ac.uk) regarding
the construction project, or Chris
Banks, University Librarian
(c.banks@abdn.ac.uk) regarding the
layout of Modern Collections and other
activity within the new building.
Phys Sci Bulletin-25 Dec09:Phys Science Bulletin Mar07 14/12/09 14:36 Page 13
e n c o u r a g e s
students to
identify and
articulate specific
skills they have
and provide
evidence of their
accomplishments.
Students involved
in the co-
curricular pilots
have also been
very positive about how they see the STAR
Award improving their graduate employability.
Student comments include:
I really enjoyed the STAR Award, especially the
workshops, they were invaluable. It gave us the
chance to network with others.
Vincent Li, Class Representative 2008/09
Its a great thing for all voluntary work within an
activity to be recognised.
Katie Scott, Dirty Weekenders Committee
2007/08
At the end of the academic
year successful students are
awarded a formal STAR
certificate by the University.
This certificate can be taken
to an employer by an awardee
as proof that they have
reached a prescribed standard.
It is anticipated that a fuller
university degree transcript to
recognise co-curricular
activities will also be
developed as the award
evolves to be a distinctive feature of the student
experience at the University of Aberdeen.
Dr Joy Perkins, Careers Service
Bryan Snelling, Aberdeen University
Students Association
15 14
Synthetic bone
licensing deal
R
esearch led by Dr. Iain Gibson and Dr.
Jan Skakle has led to a multiple
licensing deal with London-based
company ApaTech Ltd. ApaTech is a world-
leading orthobiologics company focused on the
development of synthetic bone graft
technologies. Three patents were licensed, based
on a series of postgraduate research projects
which all concentrated on the development of
novel bone-like materials based on
hydroxyapatite, a mineral chemically similar to
bone. For the first project, ApaTech fully funded
PhD student Jennifer Stephen and also funded
equipment for the research. Jennifers work led
to two of the patents and a further MSc project
funded under the CTA scheme, in which Jo
Duncan worked on enhancing the MRI signal
from the synthetic materials. In the third project,
Daniel Hadden was funded by an EPSRC CASE
PhD studentship (again with ApaTech) to work
on materials that were more physically and
chemically similar to the mineral in bone. Since
finishing his project in Aberdeen, Dan has gone
on to work in the R&D department for
ApaTech in London and will be involved in
bringing these new materials to market.
Tom Buckland, Vice President Research and
Development at ApaTech, said: I am delighted
that the strong association between the
University of Aberdeen and ApaTech continues
to provide access not only to exciting new
technologies and product opportunities but also
enables us to support important research into the
fundamental relationship between new materials
and bone biology.
ApaTech continue to be involved with research
projects at Aberdeen, currently co-funding two
PhD studentships (Jo Duncan in Chemistry,
Plamen Iliev in Medical Sciences), both through
Industrial Studentships from the Universitys
Knowledge Transfer Grant, and also as an
industrial partner in a new Technology Strategy
Board (TSB) grant headed by Dr. Gibson and
Prof. Cosimo de Bari (IMS).
Maths Masterclass
The College is once again taking part in
the Royal Institution Maths Masterclass series,
organised by Techfest Setpoint. This series of
workshops takes place on eight Saturday
mornings between October and February, with
a wide variety of presenters from local schools
and universities. Forty places are available for
Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire pupils each year
and schools are asked to nominate pupils who
would both enjoy and benefit from the
opportunity.
Dr Jen Scott joined Mr Marco Venturini of the
Collision Investigation Unit at Grampian Police
to introduce the topic of Road Accidents and
Mathematics, in November. The session
included a presentation on what the collision
investigator looks for at the scene of a collision,
followed by the theory and practice of
calculating vehicle speed. Pupils were given the
opportunity to take part in the reconstruction
of a skidding vehicle then were able to use the measurements taken to calculate the speed of the
vehicle at the start of the skid.
Dr Jarek Kedra will hold his workshop in February on Calculating the Area of Strange Figures, the
aim of which is for pupils to realise they are able to calculate the area of many more figures than
they think, even of very strange shapes. In school, pupils learn formulae for calculating areas of
shapes such as triangles, trapezoids and parallelograms. However, if they know how the formulae
arise they can see how to apply them to a wider variety of figures.
Local School Pupils take part in the SCDI Young Engineers & Science Clubs
North-East Showcase
The School of Engineering took part in
the Scottish Council for Development and
Industry (SCDI) Young Engineers & Science
Clubs North-East Showcase which was held on
12 November at BP in Aberdeen. The
programme consisted of two parts a 3 minute
Technology Challenge for the pupils to attempt
in teams, and a chance for each Engineering club
to present on their activities over the last year.
Dr Hongyue Sun and Dr Jenifer Scott ran the
Universitys spaghetti strike challenge at the
event. This is the second time the challenge has
been used and it again proved a hit with the
children, who attended from local primary and secondary schools. The challenge set was to find the
sweet spot of a baseball bat, the place on the bat where it is most effective to hit a ball. The teams
played with a bat and ball suspended on a frame to work out where they thought the sweet spot
may be, then had to use the spaghetti strike equipment (shown in pic below) to test their decision.
This was another great chance to engage with pupils who have a dedicated interest in Engineering
and who choose to take part in their schools science and Engineering activities in their own time.
The presentations given by the pupils were very inspiring and showed that great projects can be
completed with very limited resources given enough enthusiasm from pupils, parents and teachers.
Darwin200
The Universitys Darwin200 public programme climaxed on the 24th November when the
Zoology Building hosted an Evening with Evolution. The event, facilitated by a grant from the
Scottish Government awarded to the Public Engagement with Science Unit, was attended by
around 250 people. Talks, competitions, displays and hands-on activities made up the three hour
event which included a specially commissioned cake to commemorate 150 years to the day since
Recruitment and Outreach Activities
Dr Jen Scott, COPS, Dr Ken Skeldon, Public Engagement with Science Unit
& Dr Sally Middleton, Centre for Lifelong Learning
the publication of Darwins work On the
Origin of Species by Means of Natural
Selection. Professor Gordon Walkden gave a
fascinating insight into the work of James
Burnett, a graduate of Marischal College, who
also made connections between ape and man.
Throughout the Darwin200 year, academics
from across the College, including
Archaeologists, Geologists and Physicists have
contributed to our programme of special events
which has attracted over 8,000 visitors in total.
Caf Scientifique
2010 sees the launch of no less than 3 Caf
Scientifique programmes: one continues the
highly successful city series, while in February we
will be launching a new rural programme at
Woodend Barn in Banchory. The third initiative
Cafe MED is a medically themed programme
which takes place at the Suttie Centre in the
Foresterhill health campus.
The College features prominently in the 2010
City programme with Professor Marcel Jaspars
taking on the big topic of 2010: Biodiversity.
Later in the season in March, Dr Jillian
Anables session will be all about transport and the
impact our desire to get around is having on the
earth - a fitting topic for National Science &
Engineering Week which next year has the theme
of Earth. Lastly, in May at the Word Festival
Special, Dr Graeme Ritchie takes a look at
language and laughter, linking in to the Joking
Computer work that has proven highly successful
as a public engagement project funded by
EPSRC.
The programmes for all events and further
details can be downloaded at
www.cafescienceaberdeen.co.uk. All Cafe
sessions are free and open to all. The evenings are
informal with a short presentation by the guest
speaker(s) followed by a break then audience
discussion.
Secondary Schools undertake Distance
Learning Courses
The College, in partnership with the Centre
for Lifelong Learning, has run a pilot project
allowing sixth year school pupils to undertake
level 1 university courses by distance learning.
Three pupils from Ellon Academy are each taking
two 20 credit courses to complement their
Advanced Higher Curriculum and degree
aspirations. Pupils are now nearly half way
through the project and feedback has been
extremely positive.
This is in line with the Colleges altruistic
approach to public engagement in the
community. A paper will be going to the College
Executive to discuss the future of the project.
S
tudents who make a contribution to
University life beyond the formal
academic curriculum were recognised at a
special awards ceremony in October. Professor
Stephen Logan, Senior Vice-Principal presented
STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Awards
to students who successfully completed the
pilot scheme last academic year. The ceremony
also provided an opportunity for those
interested in taking the STAR Award this year
to find out more about how the scheme
operates. 97 students from across the three
Colleges attended the event and 136 students
have now registered for the award.
The academic year 2009-10 sees the launch of
an extended and enhanced co-curricular
STAR Award.The award accredits learning that
takes place outside formal taught courses and
aims to recognise the transferable skills and
competencies that students develop through
activities beyond the curriculum. Participants
include students involved in sports, societies &
volunteering and taught course class
representatives. The award has been influenced
by the results of a number of
small-scale pilots which have
taken place in earlier years.
This year the enhanced co-
curricular award will also
offer students the
opportunity to recognise
their learning in an increased
range of co-curricular
activities, including the
STEM Ambassadors
programme, the Scottish
Institute for Enterprise (SIE)
Intern scheme and the BP
Student Tutoring scheme. The award has been
developed as a result of discussions with
academic Colleges, student representatives and
other stakeholders, and is destined to become a
key feature of the Universitys ongoing
Curriculum Reform
project. The award is
currently led by the
Universitys Careers
Service with operational
support for the scheme
provided by the
Students Association.
Local employers have
been involved in
developing, assessing and
evaluating the STAR
Award. Employers are
impressed by the
scheme, especially as it
University recognises
STAR students
at special awards ceremony
S
T
A
R
Phys Sci Bulletin-25 Dec09:Phys Science Bulletin Mar07 14/12/09 14:36 Page 15