Institute goes "Gangham Style"...

Gangham style finally hits the Institute of Food Research - Something my colleagues
 whipped up for the Institute Christmas party. Who says scientists don't have a (warped)
sense of humour?
Seasons greetings to anyone reading this blog.

Launching Maths in Europe (@MathsInEurope) portal and Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013

Launching of the European portal for Mathematics on Facebook and Twitter. The web addresses arehttps://www.facebook.com/EUMaths andhttps://twitter.com/MathsInEurope, respectively.  Our Twitter name is @MathsInEurope. 

You can help us spreading the word by forwarding this message to your contacts, 'liking' our Facebook page , following and re-tweeting our Twitter feed.

This week we will be releasing Christmas Maths. The portal will be sharing maths news and maths media (no pun intended). 
The target age is younger adults and teenagers, including teachers and anyone with curiosity. If you teach we encourage you to share the info with your students. We are measuring how quickly we get to 1m 'likes'.

We invite you to join us promoting Mathematics in wider Europe: we encourage you to post messages in our Facebook page, mention us on Twitter and make us aware of the great things that are being done in mathematics across the continent.

To begin with we are collating information about UK activities under the theme Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 (http://mpe2013.org/) for the main website Mathematics in Europe (http://www.mathematics-in-europe.eu/). 

Sound check day

12/12/12
Need I say more (Ok, I will - people are calling it sound check day and another 'End of the World day' to compete with 21/12/12 which in my opinion doesn't look as cool)
Whatever, I wish my readers a good day and hopefully we'll all meet again tomorrow :-))
For a nice debunking of "The Mayans predict that the world will end on xx/xx/xxxx" see the NASA video here . Interesting mathematical approach to calendar design and dealing with large periods of time...

Do you have any views on, or a story about, farming?

Do you have any views on, or a story about, farming?

Do you have any views on, or a story about, farming?

If you do, then this is to invite you to contribute to an innovative project to find out what people in the UK think and feel about farming. It is not an opinion poll, but is based on your experiences and thoughts about farming.

Your experiences may be your own, but we are just as interested in your thoughts on things to do with farming that you may have heard, seen or read (including on TV, in magazines, blogs etc).

Everyone’s contributions are important. So whether you are a farmer or whether your main connection with farming is simply the food on your table, please help us to learn from your thoughts and experiences.

To take part in the project, please click HERE or paste this link into your browser - http://eu.sensemaker-suite.com/Project/html/index.html?projectID=Farming. Depending on how much you contribute, the questionnaire should take about 10-20 minutes. We should be very grateful if you could reply by 16 December.

Your contribution will help us better to understand what farming really means to people in the UK.

Royal Institution online Advent Calendar

There is no avoiding it. Stores have been stocking shelves for it for months....


Gentlemen (and ladies), we are approaching Christmas. So how do we celebrate Christmas and science at the same time? 

Fear not, and be of good cheer, the 2012 Christmas Lectures are all about chemistry,so the theme for this RI calendar is peoples favourite chemical element.

Cool Food Planet resource by @EUFIC

Educational resource on health, nutrition & food safety created by European Food Information Council:

 

About Cool Food Planet

Cool Food Planet is an educational website where children, aged 6-12 years, can learn about health, nutrition and food safety. Educating children about nutrition is one of the most important steps towards good health and helping them to grow to their potential.
Cool Food Planet is designed for children to use independently. However, information is also provided for parents and teachers to help them support children’s learning in the classroom and at home.
Cool Food Planet does not feature any food or drink brands on the website.

About EUFIC

Cool Food Planet is a product of the European Food Information Council (EUFIC). EUFIC is a non-profit organisation which provides science-based information on food safety and quality and health and nutrition in a way that promotes consumer understanding.
EUFIC extensively researched children’s perception of nutrition and their internet usage to inform the website design and to ensure it delivers children’s educational needs in a fun and engaging way. All the content is developed in partnership with science, nutrition and teaching professionals to ensure it is reliable and relevant.

EUFICs priorities:

• Enhance public understanding of nutritional quality and food safety.
• Raise consumers’ awareness of the active role they play in safe food handling and choosing a well-balanced and healthy diet.
• Educate, engage and empower parents to take responsibility for their own and their kids’ health and to develop good lifetime nutritional habits.
• Provide scientifically sound, useful and constantly updated information gathered from credible science and nutrition professionals.

Tomorrow's Mathematicians Today 2013

Courtesy of the Open University:

 

Tomorrow's Mathematicians Today 2013

The IMA and University of Geenwich are organising a conference 'Tomorrow's Mathematician's Today 2013' on Saturday 16 February  at which undergraduates will be able to give short presentations about mathematics which excites them. For further information, go to http://mathsoc.cms.gre.ac.uk/tmt/

Women in Science and the Media Course 4-6th Jan 2013 (Windsor)

This may be of interest to early career researchers (Female or Male):

Given the recent amount of coverage and discussion about the issues facing female scientists in their careers and in the media, I hope you don't mind if I draw your attention to a new course I've co-developed with colleagues at Imperial College, Warwick Uni and Quercus Training. It's called "Women in Science and the Media" and it aims to help female scientists tackle some of the factors that can hold them  back.

Through the medium of science radio and TV production and science writing training, the course helps participants increase their personal impact and develop their  communication and presentation skills, as well as deconstructing the media portrayal of science and female researchers. Although we're using science media as a vehicle, this isn't primarily a media skills course: it's about developing transferable skills that will be invaluable for an academic career. While the course is aimed at early career female scientists (postdocs), men are also very welcome to attend.

The course will take place on 4th-6th January 2013 at Cumberland Lodge (a lovely venue in Windsor) and culminates in a recording session in a radio studio at BBC Broadcasting House.

Places are filling up, so please pass on this information to anyone who might be interested. There is more information here: http://bit.ly/TMjKQT and here: http://bit.ly/womenscis, feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

RI's #scienceclub animations available here

As the title says, the animations from BBCs Science Club programme are viewable from the Royal Institutions web-site here.
Inheritance and The History of Physics are up and others will doubtlessly be uploaded here as the series progresses.
Enjoy!

Uni. of Bath & RSC Spectroscopy in a suitcase resource

This may be of interest to (primarily) chemistry teachers:

Spectroscopy in a Suitcase - free activities

Any chemists / teachers out there who have used / have access to the Royal Society of Chemistry's excellent Spectroscopy in a Suitcase outreach resource, may be interested to hear that the University of Bath has developed a range of complementary activities which can be run using infra-red and UV/Vis spectroscopy.

The free activities (which include descriptions, student worksheets and teacher guides) can be downloaded at:

http://www.hestem-sw.org.uk/project?id=15&pp=342

To access a range of other free widening participation and public engagement resources, see:

http://www.hestem-sw.org.uk/project?cat=Widening+Participation

#scienceclub episode 2

OK, a quick review of the second episode. Please forgive any omissions as I didn't take notes and had my two young sons creating their own brand of mayhem in the room...

The show was themed on Einstein (The real one not the Yahoo Serious one). A brief animation of his work and the History of Physics was shown. We were brought into a conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili (Whose excellent Shock and Awe series on electricity is being repeated at the moment - recommended viewing) about 'nothing' or rather what does space consist of (so ideas like dark matter & dark energy and vacuum energy featured). The findings about how the universe is expanding even more rapidly that previously thought heading towards  a theoretical 'Big Rip'.
Experiments included measuring the speed of light using micro-waved cheese on toast and Mark M. did some fridge dis-assembly(!).
The funding of big science (e.g. applied physics) got a similar treatment to last episodes piece on the Human Genome project (i.e. can we afford to fund it, what practical use is it etc) and included a disappointing sound-bite from Sir David King implying that we should fund more practical science rather than 'Big Science'.
Finally, a consideration of the fate of Albert's brain after he died and what made it different from 'normal' brains occurred.
All in all, a good episode, but in my own personal view,not quite as good as the first episode (but then I'm a biologist :-)).
Next episode will have the theme of life, death & extinction (sounds cheerful!).

School Competitions

This may be of interest to schools (From SchoolScience web-site):

Diamond Light Reading
A short story writing competition for pupils in Key stage 3 and 4. The winner in each category will win £500 for their school and a Kindle Touch for themselves. Stories can be insprired by Diamond's building, science, scientists or applications. The deadline for entries is January 30th 2013. 

MRC - Imagine the Future

(MRC Centenary Schools Competition) Imagine The Future is open to all primary schools, nationwide from: Friday 14th September – Friday 21st December 2012. The Medical Research Council (MRC) is inviting UK primary school children to exhibit their ideas about future through a forthcoming public installation at Imperial College London.

@Debatingmatters Regional round judging

As per the motto of the University of East Anglia, I did something different last night.

IFR hosted the Norwich qualifying round of Debating Matters and I was privileged to be on the judging panel.
There were a few hiccups (one school pulled out beforehand reducing us to 3 schools & accidents/roadworks delaying teams (and our caterers)  getting to IFR) but Jason (our chairperson) pulled out all the stops to get us going and kept us on time.
We had judges with a wide range of experience (albeit all but one were DM judge newbies - myself included).
The three topics (minimum pricing of alcohol, copyright protects the arts & state regulation of party political funds) were challenging and were strongly contested.
This certainly made judging a non-trivial task but eventually the Langley School were declared the winners and go through to further rounds (Read their blogged report here).

Regardless of whether they won or not, I hope that all the teams enjoyed themselves on the night and found the experience useful. I was genuinely impressed with the ability of all the pupils and wish them well.

Review of #scienceclub

Watched the first episode of the BBC's new science series "Science Club" last night (it's viewable on Iplayer here and is broadcast on BBC2 on Tuesdays at 9pm).  The post programme web-chat is available here.

Dara O'Briain was the host with four additional presenters. This episode was themed on the science of Genetics and started with a brief gentle introduction to how our understanding has grown from the Greek era to modern day. There was then a discussion of how genetic diversity has increased due to ability to travel wider to find mates (starting with the bicycle and moving on to air travel).
This was followed by a brief appreciation of that ground-breaking invention - the bike.
There then was an investigation of the audiences parental diversity with some interesting results.
Another experiment tried blending the audiences faces to get an 'average' face that according to one theory should be more attractive as it lacks asymmetry. This was dismissed at the end of the programme when the resulting images were displayed...

Next there was a consideration on the number of genes in different organisms and similarities between species. A simple test using Boar scent illustrated that certain people had a gene that enabled them to smell it (either nice or nasty) which was reminiscent of the IFR Taste & Flavour activity.

It was followed up by a critical evaluation of the Human Genome project and illustrated the difficulty in explaining to non-scientist politicians why an area of science should be publicly funded.
Next the team extracted human DNA from cheek cells using washing up liquid (fat dispersant), pineapple juice (protease) and 88% proof Polish vodka (With due deference to our Polish PhD student, Dara demonstrated that DNA extraction was a better use for this than drinking it :-)).

This was followed up by a report on how the sequencing of Neanderthal DNA illustrated that before they died out, there was some inter-breeding with homo sapiens.

The equivalent of the "Top Gear Cool wall" was displayed with pictures of scientists who have made significant contributions to genetics.

Another aspect of genetics was then explored - epi-genetics which illustrates that diet and lifestyle CAN affect expression of our genes. Results seemed to indicate that effects our diet & lifestyle could be passed on affecting even our grandchildren. Sadly, it stopped short of exploring our extended genome provided by the commensual bacteria in our gut (An area of interest to scientists at the Institute of Food Research).

To summarize, a very good and promising start at a very accessible general science programme.

4Growth - petition to invest 4G auction proceeds into hi-tech growth

4Growth - Reinvest the 4G auction proceeds in unlocking high-tech growth

4Growth - Reinvest the 4G auction proceeds in unlocking high-tech growth

Please SUPPORT, SIGN and SHARE!

The Government is about to receive up to £4bn from the upcoming 4G spectrum auction. We need your help in arguing that the money, which is a return on past generations’ investment in science and technology, should be reinvested in helping the UK become a growing, high-tech economy.


The ‘4Growth’ campaign is led by the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) and Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation.


A number of leading figures who have joined forces in support; physicist, Brian Cox; former Astronomer Royal and President of the Royal Society, Lord Rees; former Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Science Minister, Lord Waldegrave; British doctor and science writer, Ben Goldacre; and Nobel laureate Andre Geim.

You can find out more about the campaign on: www.its4growth.org.uk

You can sign the petition at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/40019


After signing the petition, please ask colleagues and contacts in your networks to do the same. It would also be great if you could help promote through any comms channels (websites/e-newsletters/blogs/social media).

You can find the campaign on twitter at: @its4growth / #4Growth

Frame Training School on stats & experimental design

The following may be of interest to research scientists:

Latest Training School

FRAME's training schools in Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis of Biomedical Experiments are recognised internationally. They aim to provide research scientists with the tools they need to minimise the number of animals they use and maximise the data they obtain through their work.

The latest school will take place at the University of Nottingham, UK on 8 - 10 January, 2013. Closing date for applications is November 30, 2012.

Accommodation will be provided in central Nottingham and transport arranged between the hotel and the University.

Getting to Nottingham is easy. It is within easy reach of East Midlands Airport, with frequent Skylink bus services to the city centre. The city is also served by a mainline rail station, which is a short walk from the centre.

General Information

Training School flyer
Draft programme
Application form
Training for Reduction EPAA Award winning poster about the course

Useful Information for Attendees 

This information will be added when places have been allocated
Final programme

Some useful background reading

FRSC History
More is Less
Planning for Reduction

  

Other useful information

 Useful information

Free Minibeasts posters from RSPB

Free Marvellous Minibeasts poster. Schools can email education@rspb.org.uk to request a copy of the new poster, in English or Welsh
Also downloadable from here 

Free Wartime farm booklet from the Open University

Those interested in the history of War-time Britain or the topic of Food Security, may find this of interest from the OU (A free printed booklet or download as a printable PDF file):

Order your free Wartime Farm booklet

Posted under TV, Social & Economic History

How did a hungry island remain fed during a long, wearying conflict? Order your free Wartime Farm booklet to find out.

29 Aug

2012

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Order your free Wartime Farm booklet

In the booklet, you'll discover:

• the effect rationing had on hospitality during the war
• why the British government stepped in to run restaurants for war workers
• the agricultural legacy of the conflict

... and much more. Order your free copy of the Wartime Farm booklet now.
If you have any problems ordering online, you can also request a booklet by calling 0845 366 0257 (local rate).

Get closer to the Wartime Farm

OU on the BBC: Wartime Farm

Feeding a nation under fire: How did agriculture cope with the changing demands of a wartime economy? Ruth, Alex and Peter travel back to the...  Read more : OU on the BBC: Wartime Farm

4th-10th October is World Space Week

Those interested in space and European efforts especially may find this of Interest:

 

4th-10th October is World Space Week. The UK Space Agency are holding a series of 'Tweet the Expert' one hour twitter Q&As each day from 15.00-16.00. Twitter followers are invited to tweet a range of space experts, including European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake, who will be answering questions on their areas of expertise each day.

Please join us on twitter (@spacegovuk) for the event where ever you are and feel free to pass round details to anyone you think might be interested.

During the live period, simply tweet your question to @spacegovuk and the @ of the expert you want to ask, e.g. “@spacegovuk @astro_timpeake What is your daily routine? #wsw2012”.

Or send us your questions now either via twitter @spacegovuk, facebook or email steven.watson@ukspaceagency.bis.gsi.gov.uk and we will put them to our experts via twitter. Again, please make sure you indicate who you want to ask.

The hashtag for the event will be #wsw2012.

You can find more information on our website here: http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/news-and-events/2012/Sep/tweet-the-expert-world-space-week-4th-10th-october-2012  

I hope you can join us!

Best wishes,

Madeleine

Madeleine Russell | Projects and Events Officer | UK Space Agency | Department for Business, Innovation & Skills | madeleine.russell@ukspaceagency.bis.gsi.gov.uk | http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency | http://twitter.com/spacegovuk | http://www.youtube.com/user/spacegovuk

The UK Space Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and is at the heart of the UK efforts to explore and benefit from space.

Thursday 4th October - Space Science - Prof Matt Griffin @ Principal Investigator for the Herschel-SPIRE instrument

Friday 5th October - The ESA Astronaut Corps - Tim Peake @astro_timpeake European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut

Saturday 6th October - Space Exploration - Ralph Cordey @RalphCordey Head of Robotic Exploration Business Development

Monday 8th October - Space Security and Near Earth Objects - Richard Crowther @spacegovuk Chief Engineer at the UK Space Agency

Tuesday 9th October - Space Careers - Emma Lord @spacegovuk Director of Policy and Operations at the UK Space Agency

@ScienceGrrl Calendar 2013 - to encourage young women into science & engineering

For good role-model images of women in science and engineering careers, this might be a good resource:

 

ScienceGrrl is a network of (mostly) female scientists who are

passionate about passing on their love of science, technology,

engineering and mathematics (STEM) to the next generation

(www.sciencegrrl.co.uk, @Science_Grrl).

We're currently working on producing the ScienceGrrl Calendar 2013,

which celebrates the work of female scientists, and will be sold to our

peers, colleagues, friends and beyond. The proceeds will be invested in

projects that enable girls and young women to engage with STEM role

models, to encourage their aspirations and open their eyes to the range

of potential futures available to them within STEM. These projects

include "Breakthrough: the gender stereotypes project" and funded places

at the Mission Discovery summer school.

The calendar will feature 13 stunning images of female scientists from

a diverse range of backgrounds, showcasing a variety of science-related

careers. Three engineers on a London rooftop overlook a striking

cityscape, showing the structural impact of STEM all around us. A

medical physicist explains her work to a busy group of colleagues and a

patient in University of Manchester’s PETCT scanner. In Bristol, an

epidemiologist is surrounded by a blur of pedestrians as she examines

data for a link between cannabis-smoking and mental health. And there

are many more...

The calendar will be launched on 18 October 2012 and is available for

pre-order now:

https://sciencegrrl.wufoo.eu/forms/sciencegrrl-online-shop/.

Please share this information on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and by any

other means with colleagues, friends and family and anyone else you

think would benefit from knowing more about ScienceGrrl.

Best wishes,

Lucy Harper

Press Manager

Science Grrl Calendar 2013