This Saturday (12th March), Cape Farwell will be hosting free
science and wildlife workshops as part of Dorchester Science Festival. We have
some fantastic activities lined up for you! Join our experts to explore the
incredible microscopic world onsite, learn about the health of wildlife in
Sydling Water, listen to the magic of underwater sound and identify birds and
their call sounds. We look forward to seeing you there.
Where: The Watershed, Sydling St Nicholas, Dorset DT2 9NS
We are excited to announce that on Sunday 13th March 2022 we
will be hosting the second Family Science Fair in Dorchester. We are delighted
to be able to host our first in person event in Dorchester since 2019, and we
can’t wait to show you what we have planned.
Come and join us and talk to real scientists! There will be a range of
interactive activities for all the family to get involved in. This includes host
stands looking at microscopic life, wildlife conservation, electrical brain
activities, local natural history and much more.
A free
event, aimed at children aged 4 plus, but with something for people of all
ages to enjoy. Everyone is welcome.
We will be running two slots: 11am – 1pm and 2pm – 4pm. Booking is
essential for both events. For more information visit
dorsetmuseum.org/event/family-science-fair
Dr Luciana Esteves will be at Cafe Scon Tuesday 2 November from 7.00pm until 8.30pm.
For an increasing number of people, coastal flooding and erosion are a real threat to property, the local economy and, in some cases, life. With the effects of climate change, this threat is quickly growing. Should coastal communities at risk be relocated before they are forced from their homes? Or could engineering and nature-based solutions provide the defences they need?
Join Café Scientifique to discover the challenges faced by coastal communities in an uncertain climate future, and what society could do to address them.
On the 3rd October, Genoveva Esteban and Katie Thompson from the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Interreg EU-funded project SAMARCH (http://theceesresearchgroups.org/samarch) took part in the first ever Weymouth Family Science Festival. They ran three interactive activities at the spectacular location: The Nothe Fort. These included learning about insects, the wonderful life cycle of the Atlantic Salmon as well as the microbial world. They were delighted with the turnout and look forward to more face-to-face events. If you have any questions, please email Katie on thompsonk@bournemouth.ac.uk or Genoveva on gesteban@bournemouth.ac.uk
To celebrate World Ocean Day, High School students from Thomas Hardye School participated in a River Ecology Workshop at The River Laboratory in Dorchester. The students learnt about the importance of freshwater ecosystems and Atlantic Salmon Conservation. It was fantastic to see the students getting invovled!
Genoveva Esteban and Katie Thompson are excited to announce the launch of a new website, Snapshot Science. They developed this website to virtually showcase the fantastic work of staff and students within the Life and Environmental Science Department (LES) in SciTech. They are will also use this platform as part of a public engagement and outreach event on 9th March 2021 during the British Science Week 2021 along with the WildlifeCraftClub. You can follow The Wessex Portal to keep updated on this new project…and give us a like on Facebook!
Thank you to LES staff and students that contributed to the website.
Across the world, natural ecosystems are becoming increasingly degraded and fragmented. As a consequence, preservation of remaining intact habitats is likely to be insufficient for many species. Instead, the United Nations has identified restoring wild places as a global priority in its upcoming decade on ecosystem restoration.
In response to this, former Bournemouth Life and Environmental Sciences alumnus, Lindsay Biermann, has helped found the Little Environmental Action Foundation (LEAF for short) alongside thirteen fellow young conservationists. LEAF’s mission is to restore some of the most threatened ecosystems across the tropics, whilst using research-driven approaches and 100% native species.
LEAF’s first project is focused on cultivating and planting indigenous trees in coastal Kenya. Situated in the East African Coastal Forest Biodiversity hotspot, this project aims to save the region’s endemic trees that are all predicted to go extinct by 2050 without intervening action. LEAF is working in partnership with Pwani University to recover seeds, grow seedlings and plant out these threatened endemic species around fragments of ancient forest sites called relics. These relics are incredibly important to the future of this region, as currently 96% of native trees have been lost to monoculture plantations and farming.
Using research and expertise, LEAF has begun by employing local graduates and implementing ex situ conservation on the university grounds. From here, we plan to expand our efforts to plant trees close to pre-existing relict sites, educate local people on how to protect these forests and show why their ecosystem services are invaluable. By focusing on native tree species, we aim to increase the survival rates of planted trees and also the long-term recovery of these forests. Collaborative research with university students is also helping to maximise survival rates by studying salt and drought tolerance, as well as optimal planting times.
LEAF is set to officially launch in National Tree week running from 28th November to 6th December. As part of the launch, LEAF is aiming to raise funds to build a new seedling nursery that can propagate and grow rare and endangered tree species. From these donations, LEAF hope to transform the nursery to provide sufficient capacity for future forest restoration projects.
The LEAF charity is remains in its infancy but has ambitious plans to expand its restoration work into ten countries by 2030. Potential projects in Rwanda and India have already been identified, whilst a UK-based school outreach programme is being developed. If you would like to learn more about LEAF’s work, visit their website – www.theleafcharity.com – or follow them on social media @wearetheleaf.
Join the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for an exciting presentation on the latest developments in the Bloodhound Land Speed Record project, presented by Mike Ford. The Bloodhound project is a ten year attempt to break the land speed record for a car. This is a real, modern day story of design challenges, funding woes and the will to ultimately succeed.
Mike Ford has worked in many different engineering sectors. These sectors include, marine engineering, nuclear power and food manufacturing. He is now working alongside Bloodhound LSR, the land speed record team who are designing and building the first 1000 mph car. Mike has worked for major blue chip companies culminating in positions up to director level and has also run his own successful engineering consultancy business.
This lecture free and open to the public with Tea & Coffee available on arrival. Free parking is also available.
Tuesday 12th November 2019
6.30pm for 7pm
Share Lecture Theatre, The Fusion Building, Bournemouth University Talbot Campus Poole. BH12 5BB
For more information please contact: John Kent Tel: 01202693279 Mob: 07715050310 kentjekent@btinternet.com
To register attendance: http://nearyou.imeche.org/near-you/UK/Wessex/Bournemouth-Area
For more information about the Bloodhound project: http://www.bloodhoundlsr.com/
A PhD student has amassed over 55,000 followers and millions of views on Instagram after sharing incredible images and videos of microscopic creatures magnified 40 to 1000 times.
Hunter N. Hines posts photos and footage of the organisms he studies during his PhD research under his microscope, including single-celled organisms like ciliates and micro-animals like worms and tardigrades (known as water bears).
He was also first author on a piece recently published in Nature, highlighting the importance of using social media in science outreach.
Hunter said: “The videos and photos on my Instagram show these awesome creatures in their natural state as they are behave and move, rather than just drawings from a textbook.”
Hunter is currently studying for his PhD at Bournemouth University, conducting research in Florida on single-celled organisms called ciliates, looking at their biodiversity and biogeography in freshwater ecosystems.
Alongside ciliates, his Instagram account @microbialecology shows microscopic creatures including worms, larvae and micro crustaceans doing everything from laying eggs to eating each other.
At one point the account received over 1.4 million views in a single week.
Hunter said: “These are organisms at the foundation of foodwebs and important for ecosystem health. I collect them from freshwater habitats, such as ponds, in Florida, and some are from soil.
“For many viewers this is the first time they are seeing these creatures from the micro world as living things.
“I hope that my posts can reach a global audience, and show microbiology in a positive light, while inspiring interest in science to anyone with internet access.”
