An overview of research activities and achievement in Geotechnics from the Scottish Universities Geotechnics Network (SUGN)

ABSTRACT: Design of geotechnical systems is often challenging as it requires the understanding of complex soil behaviour and its influence on field-scale performance of geo-structures. To advance the scientific knowledge and the technological development in geotechnical engineering, a Scottish academic community, named Scottish Universities Geotechnics Network (SUGN), was established in 2001, composing of eight higher education institutions. The network gathers geotechnics researchers, including experimentalists as well as centrifuge, constitutive, and numerical modellers, to generate multiple synergies for building larger collaboration and wider research dissemination in and beyond Scotland. The paper will highlight the research excellence and leading work undertaken in SUGN emphasising some of the contribution to the geotechnical research community and some of the significant research outcomes. RÉSUMÉ: Conception de systèmes géotechniques est souvent difficile car elle nécessite la compréhension du comportement des sols complexes et son influence sur la performance échelle du champ de géo-structures. Pour faire avancer la connaissance scientifique et le développement technologique en ingénierie géotechnique, une communauté universitaire écossais, nommé écossais universités Géotechnique réseau (SUGN), a été créé en 2001, la composition des huit établissements d'enseignement supérieur. Le réseau réunit géotechnique chercheurs, y compris les expérimentateurs ainsi que centrifugeuse, constitutif, et les modélisateurs numériques, de générer des synergies multiples pour la construction de plus grande collaboration et une plus large diffusion de la recherche en Ecosse et au-delà. Le document mettra l'accent sur l'excellence de la recherche et de diriger le travail entrepris dans SUGN soulignant certains de la contribution à la communauté de recherche en géotechnique et certains des résultats importants de la recherche

Track D Social Science, Human Rights and Political Science

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138414/1/jia218442.pd

The movement responses of three libellulid dragonfly species to open and closed landscape cover

This is an accepted manuscript originally published by Wiley.The land cover between habitats (i.e. matrix environment) can affect connectivity by impacting organismal movement. Many animals, however, have preferences for specific matrix environments, which can affect their movement through the landscape. We examined how different terrestrial matrix environments impacted the fine‐scale movement of adult dragonflies. Based on previous studies of adult dragonfly dispersal and larval distributions, we hypothesised that dragonflies would prefer to enter fields rather than forests and that forests would be a barrier to dragonfly movement, due to forests’ structural complexity, low understory light availability, and lower air temperatures. To test how adult dragonflies responded to various terrestrial environments, we released 108 Leucorrhinia intacta, a mixture of 108 Sympetrum rubicundulum and obtrusum/rubicundulum hybrids, and 108 Sympetrum vicinum, at field‐forest ecotones and assessed their preferences for fields or forests. Individual behavioural responses were recorded, including their probability of taking flight, their direction of movement with respect to the two matrix types, and flight time. The likelihood of adult dragonflies taking flight was species‐specific in response to release location. Adults moved more frequently towards fields than forests when released at a forest edge. Individuals released within forests had shorter flight times, but again this response was species‐specific. The presence of an open matrix (field or meadow) is likely important for facilitating movement in dragonflies; however, forests are not movement barriers for all dragonfly species. Integrating assays of matrix and habitat preferences can provide insight into how landscape connectivity can be maintained for actively dispersing species.The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund of the American Museum of Natural History and Queen Elizabeth II/Pfizer Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology with funding from the Departments of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto and the Department of Biology at University of Toronto Mississauga awarded to SKF. The Canada Foundation for Innovation, Ontario Research Fund (31974), and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN435614) awarded to SJM

An Overview of Research Activities and Achievement in Geotechnics from the Scottish Universities Geotechnics Network (SUGN)

Design of geotechnical systems is often challenging as it requires the understanding of complex soil behaviour and its influence on field-scale performance of geo-structures. To advance the scientific knowledge and the technological development in geotechnical engineering, a Scottish academic community, named Scottish Universities Geotechnics Network (SUGN), was established in 2001, composing of eight higher education institutions. The network gathers geotechnics researchers, including experimentalists as well as centrifuge, constitutive, and numerical modellers, to generate multiple synergies for building larger collaboration and wider research dissemination in and beyond Scotland. The paper will highlight the research excellence and leading work undertaken in SUGN emphasising some of the contribution to the geotechnical research community and some of the significant research outcomes