Broadening access to earth science information for education in the UK

The presentation describes strategies for enhancing earth science teaching through inspiring role-play and long-term experiments. Over the past decade there has been a growing concern that earth sciences are often poorly served in UK schools. In parallel with this there has been a general decline in the number of students choosing science. The government's response has been a number of initiatives designed to stimulate interest in scientific careers and enhance the learning experience. Over the same period, UK and European government alongside popular campaigns have encouraged the release of national datasets for educational purposes. The British Geological Survey (BGS) has an international reputation in the delivery of data for professional geologists and is now building a portfolio of projects based on free, convenient access to digital data alongside face-to-face contact with inspirational role models with the aim of introducing exciting, relevant science to schools. The UK-wide School Seismology Project provides a specially designed instrument records earthquakes from anywhere on the globe and the data may be shared through a web portal. Schools receive training, sponsorship and practical support. Students benefit from the experience of collecting unique data and opportunities to report their findings via local press and TV. Sister projects are running in Ireland and Africa. STEM Ambassadors provide a wide range of in-school support, from simple experiments to careers advice and mentoring. Our most requested activities include 'Seconds from Catastrophe?' and 'Quarry or Not?'. In these, students take on the roles of scientists, government officials and residents and vigorously debate, respectively, the issues involved in planning an emergency response to a volcanic eruption and the environmental impacts of the extractive industry. Real data are analysed and an important feature is that the facilitators have genuine experience of the scenarios

Parallel integer relation detection: techniques and applications

For guidance on citations see FAQs. c ○ [not recorded] Version: [not recorded] Link(s) to article on publisher’s website

Combining motility and bioluminescent signalling aids mate finding in deep-sea fish: a simulation study

We present a model to estimate the mean time required for mate finding among deep-sea fish as a function of motility and the extent of bioluminescent signalling. This model differs from those of previous works in 3 important ways by including (1) sex differences in motility, (2) a maximum detection range of bioluminescent signals derived from a recently published mechanistic model based on physical principles and the physiology of vision, and (3) a novel consideration of the likelihood of individuals passing within detection range only in the interval between flashes and hence, failing to detect the signaller. We argue that the flash rates required for effective detection are low, with rates of less than 1 per minute being entirely plausible, and that predation pressure may further encourage low flash rates. Further, even at high flash frequencies, the energetic cost of bioluminescent signalling is argued to be a trivial fraction of resting metabolic rates. Using empirically derived estimates for parameter values, we estimate that a female will be detected and reached by a male within 2 to 4 h of beginning to signal. Hence, we argue that mate finding may not seriously restrict reproductive success in species that can exploit this signalling system. We further argue that where male motility allows bioluminescent signalling, this may have some advantages over chemical-based signalling. Bioluminescent signalling may, therefore, be more important to mate finding in the deep sea (relative to chemical signals) than some previous works have suggested

Continuing social presence of the dead: Exploring suicide bereavement through online memorialisation

© 2014 The Author(s). The last 10 years have seen a rise in Internet sites commemorating those lost to suicide. These sites describe the life of the deceased and the afterlife of relatives, parents, friends or siblings who have been termed the "forgotten bereaved". It is clear that such sites have implications for continuing bonds and for what many commentators refer to as the continuing social presence of the dead.This paper presents interim findings from ongoing research which focuses on two aspects of suicide memorial websites. First, we explore the extent to which such sites help us understand how the Internet is enabling new ways of grieving and is, in effect, making new cultural scripts. Second, although there is a large body of writing on the management of trauma there is little evidence-based research. The paper draws on face-to-face interviews with owners of suicide memorial sites (family members and friends) and explores how the establishment and maintenance of such a site is an important part of the therapeutic process and how, for grieving relatives, making or contributing to such sites provides ways of managing trauma in the aftermath of a death by suicide

‘We do it to keep him alive’: bereaved individuals’ experiences of online suicide memorials and continuing bonds

This paper presents draws on interviews with individuals who have experience of creating, maintaining and utilising Facebook sites in memory of a loved one who has died by suicide. We argue that Facebook enables the deceased to be an on-going active presence in the lives of the bereaved. We highlight the potential of the Internet (and Facebook in particular) as a new and emerging avenue for the continuation of online identities and continuing bonds. Our study offers unique insight into survivors’ experiences of engaging with the virtual presence of their deceased loved one: how mourners come and go online, how this evolves over time and how the online identity of the deceased evolves even after death. We discuss how Facebook provides new ways for people to experience and negotiate death by suicide and to memorialise the deceased, highlighting the positive impact of this for survivors’ mental health. Finally, we describe the creation of tension amongst those who manage their grief in different ways