Requesting an Assignment Extension

Hi everyone,

May I please remind all of you that you CANNOT request an extension from ANY member of staff if you are falling behind with an assignment. We expect postgraduate (and undergraduate) students to be able to manage their time effectively to ensure they complete assignments in good time. No staff (not even myself as the Programme Leader) has the authority to grant any sort of extension. Scripts that are submitted via the CRO bins have a barcode that is scanned by the CRO themselves - any item not scanned in according to the deadline is logged in the Faculty database as not submitted - and we have no power to override this. Under these circumstances, if you hand in work late (or not at all) you will receive a zero mark for that work.

There may be times however when you are unable to hit a deadline for reasons far more serious than poor time-management. This might include (for example) a family bereavement, pregnancy or other similarly serious event. Being generally unwell (i.e. having a cold), losing a computer disk or feeling stressed etc...is NOT regarded as a valid excuse as these are normal daily pressures on any of us.

If you have a valid, verifiable (by documentation) and serious reason for not being able to submit work on time, you may be eligible for Exceptional Factors. This is where a panel of independent academics assess your circumstances and may (if granted) give you an extension for submitting coursework.

If you feel that you have sufficiently important reasons to apply for Exceptional Factors then you may apply BEFORE the actual deadline for the piece of work you need an extension for. You should not ask a member of academic staff or myself to do this - you must follow a specific procedure:

Form EF1 must be submitted for all Exceptional Factors claims.
Submit the form, along with all necessary documentary evidence, to the appropriate Student Life Office or SIP for all units affected. Your nearest SIP is the one in John Dalton (sipnorth@mmu.ac.uk ). Your academic tutors cannot take the documentation from you. If you delay, you might miss the next available Exceptional Factors panel meeting - and this could affect the way we deal with you at upcoming Boards of Examiner meetings.
The form EF1 and ALL guidance notes for this procedure are clearly presented for download at: http://www.mmu.ac.uk/sas/studentservices/guidance/
If you have any ongoing academic problems - and/or need to discuss these with somebody, then please contact Emma Taylor - the faculty Support Officer. (e.taylor@mmu.ac.uk  /  E29a  /  0161 247 1513 )
If you need to speak with a counsellor - if you have personal issues that are not strictly academic, please contact the MMU Counselling service: http://www.mmu.ac.uk/academic/studserv/counselling/manchester.php

Thanks
Mark

END OF TERM : THIS WEEK !

Hi All,

Please remember that after the classes this week (Wednesday), Friday (14th) December is END OF TERM......and so there will be no more teaching activities until January.....enjoy your Christmas Holiday !

Normal classroom teaching resumes during the week beginning 14th January 2013 - so your first lectures of the Spring Term will be on Wednesday 16th January 2013. The rooms remain the same.

I am away on fieldwork in Malta (along with many other staff and undergraduate students) during the weeks before (3rd - 11th January) - so please don't be offended if you don't get a reply to any emails you send during that period. If you have any urgent emails over the holiday period, please contact either the Student Information Point (SIP) or the EGS Programme Team:

SIP : sipnorth@mmu.ac.uk
EGS Prog. Team : Team4prog@mmu.ac.uk


If I don't see you this week, have a very Happy Christmas and New Year - relax and recharge your batteries !!

Mark

EGS Seminar – Tuesday 11th December 2012

Tuesday 11^th December, Room E419, 4^th floor, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00pm.

Dr Daisy Dent

University of Stirling, UK and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama

 Successional trajectories of regenerating tropical forests in central Panama

 Across the tropics, secondary and degraded forests now cover a larger area than undisturbed old-growth forest. However, processes determining successional trajectories in regenerating secondary forests remain poorly understood. From chronosequence studies we know that secondary forests rapidly accumulate diversity and complex structure but much less is known about compositional changes over regeneration and how well chronosequence results can predict dynamic changes within forest stands. We examine tree species composition and functional traits (e.g. wood density, seed mass and maximum tree height) in secondary forests ranging from approximately 20 to 120 years since land abandonment and nearby old-growth forests. Specifically, we investigate if species and functional composition become more similar to old-growth with forest age across the chronosequence and how composition has changed within each forest stand over the last 16 years.

Better English for Students

Following a successful launch this year, The Writing Project will run again in Term 2. It is an English language support scheme, established to help students improve their written work and therefore their grades and job prospects.


The Writing Project http://www.writingproject.mmu.ac.uk/ - which starts in W/c 7th Jan 2013 - is a free 10-week course in how to write better English and is open to any MMU-enrolled student who would like to improve the way they write.

It covers academic and non-academic spheres and will focus mainly on style, punctuation, grammatical accuracy, organisation and how to paraphrase and summarise effectively.

Students may choose to enrol directly (i.e. self-refer) or they may be referred to the service as appropriate, for example, by academic tutors, student support officers or student experience tutors.

It will run multiple times on all campuses over the three terms of the academic year. There is no credit attached to the course, and no formal assessment. However, students will do exercises in writing during the weekly one-and-a-half-hour face-to-face sessions and for homework, and will be provided with plenty of feedback on their writing as the course progresses.

International students should be referred, as previously, to the existing ELSIS service, which is designed specifically for students whose first language is not English.

Please help your students and us by promoting this service to them, perhaps by posting this message as an announcement on your Moodle area? Feedback from the first course has been excellent. Students have benefitted massively from this much needed course.

For more information, or to book a place on one of the courses, please visit our web site www.writingproject.mmu.ac.uk or contact writingproject@mmu.ac.uk in the Department of Languages.

Anthony Picot
The Writing Project

EGS Seminar – Tuesday 4th December 2012

Tuesday 04^th December, Room E419, 4^th floor, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00pm.

 

Long-term Evolution of the East Greenland Landscape: From Rifts to Glaciers

 

Speaker: Darrel Swift, University of Sheffield

New Units start this week !
Please note that some Rooms have changed since last week.

EG7517 (Air, water and land: science and policy)
Wednesday
1 - 3pm
Rooms E422 (lecture) and E217 (ONLY for those weeks that have a PC Lab)


EG7518 (The Sustainable City)
Wednesday
4 - 6pm
Room E317 (lecture)


The MSc coffee break is now always in room E402 (3 - 4pm)


Thanks
Mark

EGS Seminar – Tuesday 20th November 2012

Tuesday 20th November, Room E419, 4th floor, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00pm.



Toasting Plants: How Extreme Winter Warming Events May Reverse the Greening Of the Arctic
Gareth Phoenix, University of Sheffield


The Arctic is experiencing greatest warming in winter and a greater frequency of extreme climatic events, yet the impacts of winter climatic change and extreme events have been little studied. Of considerable concern are extreme winter warming events, during which temperatures increase rapidly causing snow-melt at landscape scales and subsequently exposing ecosystems to unseasonably warm temperatures. Following warming, ambient cold winter temperatures can return rapidly, exposing vegetation and soils to extreme cold due to the absence of the insulating snow layer. Here I’ll report on consistent findings from both a field simulation study and a natural event that show major damage to plant communities occurring at landscape scales resulting from extreme winter warming events. In summary, single week-long winter warming events (both simulated and naturally occurring) resulted in up to 20 times more shoot death in plants and reduced productivity and carbon sequestration. Using satellite date, the extent of damage from a natural event indicated a 26% reduction in NDVI (a proxy for leaf area) over an area of 1424 km2.

With increasing winter temperatures predicted along with a greater frequency of extreme climatic events, these findings suggest major consequences for the productivity and diversity of Arctic ecosystems. Critically, the damage from these winter events is opposite to the shrub expansion and greening of parts of the arctic currently attributed to summer warming. Given that the arctic is warming more in winter than summer, these impacts place a significant challenge in predicting the future of arctic vegetation in a warmer world.

3pm Coffee Hour VENUE CHANGE

Hi All,
Good news !

The EGS common room has now been emptied and we can use it...so the 3pm coffee break will now be in room E402....just 30 feet down the corridor from the 1-3pm lecture venue....so no need to walk down to the first floor.
I have a kettle...but we are getting a proper water boiler installed - and there will be brand new tables and comfortable chairs arriving in a few weeks time too.

Mark

p.s. PLEASE bring a mug for your coffee/tea

EGS Seminar – Tuesday 13th November 2012

Tuesday 13^th November, Room E419, 4^th floor, John Dalton East Building
from 1.00-2.00pm.

Origin and Importance of Subglacial Basins

Simon Cook, MMU

Closed topographic basins are common beneath modern glaciers and within deglaciated terrain. Deep basins are produced by glacial erosion of rock and/or sediment and are known as ‘overdeepenings’. Subglacial basins have an important control on the routing of water through glaciers, and on the mechanisms and dynamics of ice flow. It is speculated that, in comparison to ice masses with no subglacial basins, those with numerous or very large basins may respond vigorously to climatic changes. In addition, processes of erosion and sediment transfer within overdeepenings are poorly understood, but it is hypothesised that glacial sediment transfer (i.e. sediment incorporated on/in the ice itself) will dominate over glaciofluvial sediment evacuation (i.e. sediment carried within meltwater). Understanding how sediment is exported from subglacial basins is fundamental to assessing the depth of glacier-bed overdeepening. This in turn has important implications for long-term burial of nuclear waste in regions where future glaciations might excavate such waste through bed overdeepening.

ATTENTION: 2011-12 MSc Dissertation Students

To those of you (from earlier cohorts/years) who have either submitted your MSc dissertation and are awaiting your final result...or those who want confirmation of unit marks and/or resits....please read on......

The Tier 2 Board of Examiners meeting takes place on Monday 12th November. Results of awards/unit marks and resits will be compiled and then distributed by the Programme Office. You will be notified by post within 10-14 days.

PLEASE DO NOT ask your supervisor or any course tutors to divulge marks or final results. It is a serious DISCIPLINARY OFFENCE for any member of academic staff to pass on marks and results to students...so please don't send them emails begging for news or turn up expecting to be leaked information. You will all be notified at the same time via the proper channels. Staff who 'cave in' to students demanding results prematurely risk their jobs !

If your address has changed you must notify us - or your awards letter will go to the address we have on file. Any updates to your address should be sent directly to the EGS Programme Office (egsprog@mmu.ac.uk) and NOT tutors (or me).

Good luck
Mark.

Coffee Break this week

Hi All,
As you may know, this week is 'activities week' for the undergraduates. This means many of us (staff) are involved in field trips, practicals and other activities. Sadly, because of my own duties - and those of Kosta, we will not be around for the 3pm coffee session this week. You are still welcome to meet at the usual venue - but without the witty and sparkling conversation that Kosta and myself usually provide.
Normal service will be resumed next week.

Thanks
Mark

FREE Sustainable Aviation Short Course

Hi everyone,
During the last week of November we will be holding the annual Sustainable Aviation Short Course in Room E0.05 next to the CATE Offices. You will see from the attached files* that we will be hosting a number of external speakers – all of whom are very good and spin a good story – Different perspectives of sustainable development as applied to the air transport industry.


*Attached Files:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uoe640hbd96aes8/5974%20Sustainable%20aviation%20V2%20%282%29.pdf

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y4zy1mwugts148s/PROGRAMME%20FINAL%20LANDSCAPE%202012%202013.docx


There are places available on the course. Anyone who would like to attend particular days of the short course should contact Tash n.campbell@mmu.ac.uk and register.


Best Regards
Callum

Part-Time Students

Hi all,
If you are a part-time student....and you just received a snarky email from Moodles automated coursework receipting system about having missed your assignment deadline - PLEASE IGNORE IT.
Currently, Moodle can only store a single deadline date in its database for each unit...and since your deadline date is different to the full-time students, you get the automated email....which doesn't actually apply to you.

Apologies for this.

Mark

EGS Seminar – Tuesday 23rd October 2012

Tuesday 23rd October, Room E419, 4th floor, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00pm


If you would like meet with the speaker before the seminar, please contact this week’s host, Robin Sen.


New Views of the Underworld: Visualising the Structure and Functioning of Soil Communities
Professor Karl Ritz, Cranfield University


Soils have played significant roles in the development of the Earth system, life has evolved in the context of soil systems and civilisations have risen and fallen by virtue of their exploitation and management of the earth they have inhabited. Soils continue to support the needs of contemporary societies, and this requirement will unquestionably prevail. Soils are remarkable materials, constituted of an extraordinarily diverse range of mineral and organic components, a tiny fraction of which are alive, but organised and interactive in particular ways that result in the delivery of the range of ecosystem services upon which sustained functioning of our planet depends. But to most people, soils are ‘out of sight, out of mind’, and indeed even many environmental scientists have a limited appreciation of the fundamental nature of soil systems. Soils are demanding to study because they are opaque to visible light, very heterogeneous, and often disintegrate when they are disturbed, yet function by virtue of their spatial organisation. Furthermore, biodiversity belowground exceeds that aboveground by many orders of magnitude, with tens of thousands of microbial species present in almost any handful of fertile soil. Such opacity and complexity challenges our ability to observe and analyse how soil systems are organised, and how such arrangements relate to function.
This seminar will review some contemporary approaches to visualise the spatial and biological constitution of soils, and how such techniques can provide insights into some of the most basic mechanisms by which soils function.

EG7515 / EG7516 Altered Assignment Dates

Hi Everyone,

A problem was spotted by your eagle-eyed student reps regarding Assignment deadline dates that are incorrect on the Assignment cover sheets....but correct on Moodle itself. Luckily for you, this means you actually have a couple of extra days to complete the assignments:

EG7515 (Kosta's Unit)

Ass 1 Document says Wednesday 24th Oct….but should say Friday 26th Oct
Ass 2 Document says Wednesday 21st Nov…but should say Friday 23rd Nov

  EG7516 (Paul's Unit)
Ass 1 Document says Wednesday 31st Oct….but should say Friday 2nd Nov
Ass 2 Document says Wednesday 28th Nov….but should say Friday 30th Nov

  Part-Time students: Please note that the Guideline Submission Deadline for Part-Time students is one full calendar month beyond the dates set for full-time students......OR the first day back of a new term after any holiday IF that date falls outside of term time (e.g. Christmas or Easter).

TODAY: EGS Seminar – Tuesday 16th October 2012

Tuesday 16th October, Room E419, 4th floor, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00pm


Pores for Thought: Bio-physical Competition and Processes within the Kalahari Epidermis
Dr Stephen Hoon, MMU

The Kalahari Desert comprises a vast semi-arid dryland area of some 900,000 km2 situated within the Kalahari Basin of Southern Africa, much of it containing fossil dunes. Remarkably uniform Kalahari Sand and Calcrete Pan soils predominate, supporting both annual and perennial vegetation, commercial and wildlife grazing. The northern Kalahari is home to the only permanent river: the wildlife-rich Okavango River and delta.

Rainfall whilst limited, characterised by an aridity gradient decreasing from 150mm/yr in the SW to 500mm/yr in NE, supports heterogeneous vegetation which along with biological soil crusts (BSCs) a few millimetres thickness stabilize the Kalahari Sand soil. Dewfall is also an important moisture input.

This talk focuses upon the importance of, and delicate balance within, the soil pores in the soil surface to complementary biotic (microbial and fungal BSC communities) and abiotic (water permeation and CO2 diffusion, heat conduction and light scattering) processes. Healthy pores are a prerequisite for continued soil stabilisation and Kalahari soil fertility in the face of both climatic and land use change.

FREE Study Skills Workshops

Hi All,

There are a series of very useful Study Skills workshops (short courses) being provided by the University free of charge. These cover:

• Harvard Referencing
• Introduction to essay writing
• Introduction to report writing
• Presentation skills

Although these sessions should be of use to all of you, they will be of particular use to overseas students who naturally might need a little extra help with language and writing style. It could help you gain much higher marks in your assignments !

Please download the leaflet HERE

Personal learning Plans (PLPs)

Hi All,

If you have a negotiated PLP, could you please let me know by secure (MMU) email.

Many thanks
Mark

Learn a new language at MMU

“Want to learn a new language or brush up on your existing language skills?


Learn Chinese, Spanish, French or Italian - MMU evening classes.

Starting Wednesday 10th October.


See http://www2.hlss.mmu.ac.uk/languages/evening-classes for more details

A Polite Request

Hi Everyone,

If you are emailing the Programme Office - or making a formal request for suspension of studies or writing-up etc.. can you PLEASE

• Use your MMU Email Address
• Quote your Students ID Number from your ID card

Unless your name is rare and exotic, there are usually dozens of entries in the university enrolment database with students who have (or have had) your name - making it much harder to find your records.

Also...the email address for the EGS Programme Office has changed, it is now:

Team4prog@mmu.ac.uk

Staff-Student Liaison Meeting

Hi All,

The first Staff-Student Liaison (SSL) Meeting will take place on:

Wednesday 17th October 2012 (probably at 3pm)

There are THREE student Reps who will represent your interests at this meeting:

Michael Stiff (EMSD/EMB/SA) MICHAEL.STIFF@stu.mmu.ac.uk
Francis Gasana (GIS) FRANCIS.GASANA@stu.mmu.ac.uk
Ruji Surjan (CM) rujis@yahoo.co.uk

Please let your Reps know of any issues you want to have raised at this meeting. All points raised (good as well as bad!) are minuted and reported to the Head of School.

For example, if you were unhappy about the Admissions, Induction procedures etc...or if there is anything you are especially happy about - please email your Rep (or if you can make the 3pm coffee session, you can speak to them directly). Ruji, as a Countryside Manager, will need to be contacted by email as she is distance-learning and cannot usually make the meeting.

Thanks
Mark

Interesting Research Talk: TOMORROW (2/10/12)

Date/time: Tuesday 2nd October 2012, 6-7pm (refreshments - 5:40pm)

Location: T0.03 (opposite Chester St Entrance to JD Building)

Speaker: Dr Tom Frame, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading

Title: Seasonal forecasting

Abstract:

The ability to make useful predictions of the atmospheric flow several months into the future may have large potential benefits for society.

Seasonal forecasting, as it's known, is now an active field for researchers and forecasters alike and has sometimes proved controversial.

Here we examine both the basic science behind seasonal forecasting and it's application. Addressing how seasonal forecasts are made, what information they provide and who can best make use of this information.

MSc GIS Students

Hi to Francis and Charilous,

Your first GIS weekly session will be at 1pm (after your Research Design & Methods class). Please meet at my office (E411) and we will move on to a PC lab afterwards. This week both James and myself will start you off on your assignments and course material.

Mark

Course Rep Appointments

Hi everyone,

It is customary to appoint a Course Representative for EMSD, EMB, SA and CM degree pathways.

Could any person who wishes to volunteer as a Course Rep please email me BEFORE next Wednesday 26th. If more than one person volunteers we can have a quick mini-election during the coffee break at 3pm.

Being a course rep is a bit like being a union shop steward. You would have to attend a couple of Staff-Student Liaison meetings throughout the year - just to air any comments or problems you might have (on behalf of the students you represent). Any issues raised at the SSL meeting are used to inform Programme policy.

If you are a CM rep, you would normally email the issues you want raising to me and would not have to attend the meetings. A part-time EMSD/EMB/SA student would normally be represented by a full-time student rep who can make the meetings.

Being a rep can sometimes be interesting and useful for your CV.

Thanks
Mark

3pm Coffee Today

Hi All,

Today's venue for our 3pm Coffee Break will be in the Staff Common Room on the first floor (E102). This is easily approached from the staircase opposite my office (E411) down to the 1st floor. It is close to the Programme Office and Head of School's quarters.

Mark

Option Choices: EMB

Hi EMB Students,

I am still waiting for your option choices for units to take (FT) and unit options for Year 1 (PT). Thanks to those who have already sent me this information.

I still need option choices from:
Sally V
Stella K
Annisa C

It is essential I get this information ASAP or you will not have access to material online and Finance will not be able to sort out your fees. Please email me when you have made your choice(s).

Thanks
Mark

NEW: EMB Information Page

Just for MSc Environmental Management & Business students:
http://www.ukscience.org/pg/emb-info.html

Mark

ATTENTION: Years 2 & 3 Part-Time Students

Message from Programme Office:
If you are entering the second or third year of your part-time degree, please note that the Board of Examiner dates have changed....they used to be in October and June...but now they are November (award) and May (resit).

This means that your Year 1/2 results will not be confirmed until November 2012.  Unless you have passed your stage units at the November Board, you will not be able to continue with Year 2/3 of the course.

If you are passing everything then this should have no impact on you.

Mark

ATTENTION: EMB Students

For any NEW Environmental Management & Business students.
Please let me know ASAP which one of the three EG units you have chosen (EG7517/EG7518/EG7519)....and if you are a full-time student only, which one of the additional Business School units you have chosen (5C4100/5D4660/5J4180/5D4560) ASAP so I can ensure your units are enrolled and you can see them on Moodle.

The units run as follows (subject to change):

Leadership Ethics (Term 1)
Full day block sessions on 4th & 5th October and 1st & 2nd November

Organisational Change and Transition (Term 1) – this unit runs in Term 1 and 2 so students would need to specify which term they wish to take the unit.
Full day block session on 11th & 12th October and 8th & 9th November

Organisational Change and Transition (Term 2)
Full day block session on 7th & 8th February and 7th & 8th March

Managing Organisational Performance (Term 2)
Full day block sessions in May (2 days) and June (2 days) – exact dates are still to be confirmed

Accounting Society & Environment (Term 2, w/c 14 January – w/c 18 March)
Tuesdays, 10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00


Unit-Specific Tutors Can Answer Any Questions:
Leadership Ethics Richard Warren (r.warren@mmu.ac.uk or 0161 247 3837)

Accounting Society & Environment Jack Christian (j.christian@mmu.ac.uk or 0161 247 3787)

Organisational Change & Transition Linda Alker (l.alker@mmu.ac.uk or 0161 247 3779)

Managing Organisational Performance Henry Palowski (h.palowski@mmu.ac.uk or 0161 247 3755)

ELSIS class and one-to-one writing consultations timetable

ELSIS (English Language Services for International Students) offers free Academic English Classes and one-to-one writing consultations for MMU enrolled international students in all faculties.


Please check times available for international students:
http://www2.hlss.mmu.ac.uk/languages/english/files/2012/09/ELSIStt2012V1.pdf


ELSIS Induction for International Students

Highly recommended for international students to find out how MMU can help them with their Academic English.

Tue 18th

Science and Engineering

JD E322

2:30-3:30

Best Wishes
Tony Picot
a.picot@mmu.ac.uk

Attention: PART-TIME Students

Hello to all part-time students who will be returning again for the next (or final) stage of your degree.
You should have received a letter from the University. The letters are also available >HERE< in a ZIP archive (PDF files).

Mark

Masters Marketing Feedback

Hi Everyone,

Some (or all) of you may be contacted by the University (marketing) shortly to provide some answers to questions about our MSc courses. I would be very grateful if you could please respond to any brief questionnaires etc...it would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Mark

SEMINAR: Solar variability and influences on climate.

Solar variability and influences on climate.


Professor Joanna Haigh,
Imperial College London.

Tuesday, 19th June 2012, 18:00 (Coffee & tea from 17:40)
Lecture Room T0.03, John Dalton Building,


Abstract: This talk will review some of the observational evidence for an influence of solar activity on the climate of the lower atmosphere and discuss mechanisms which might be responsible. During the most recent solar cycle minimum (2008-9) the Sun was in a state of very low activity and its ongoing behaviour suggests that the next maximum will be of low amplitude. Further, some satellite measurements have suggested that the solar spectrum has been behaving in a strange and unexpected way. The implications of different spectra for radiative forcing and for climate effects through stratosphere-troposphere coupling will be discussed.

Last Session: THIS WEEK!

Hi All,

Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be your last ever timetabled class (at 1pm). It is a very important session - with Dr Steve Hoon, who will kick-start your MSc Dissertation unit (for which he is the unit leader)....please ensure you attend !!

In addition, I will also be handing back your marked Assignment 1 scripts for Sustainability & Global Systems (everyone has passed !).

See you at 1pm sharp in the usual room (E221)

Thanks
Mark

Coffee Room (3pm) Now in E419

Hi All,

Because of undergraduate exams taking place...our coffee room has changed to E419 (lecture theatre!) on the 4th floor.

Thanks
Mark

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey

Hi All,


Some (not all of you) may have received an email from the University asking you to take part in this years national Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey.

I would be grateful if you could please take some time out to complete it - as per the instructions in the email.

Many thanks
Mark

Updated list of projects

Dear all,

Please note some changes on the list of placements and their outlines (Moodle week beginning 02 April).

Three new ideas have come in (project ideas 40, 41 and 42).  However, these new ideas are offered as MSc projects not as placements.

So, those of you who are not doing a placement  may wish to consider doing project ideas 10, 40, 41 and 42 as their MSc projects.  If you are interested please let me know.

Thank you,

Kosta

Student Supervisor List

Hi All,
Thanks to those of you who made it to Dr Lim's lecture today.....especially those who turned up on time!
I gave everyone the list of who their appointed supervisor was.
You can download the list >HERE<.

You should email your supervisor this week and make an appointment to meet up (next week) to discuss your chosen topic. There are only 4 more weeks of taught lectures left (including this week) before you effectively begin the MSc dissertation....there will be a final weekly session with Steve Hoon talking about the MSc dissertation unit after Sustainability & Global Systems finishes.

Thanks
Mark

MSc Dissertation: SUPERVISORS

Hi All,

I will be releasing information about your MSc supervisors this week (which member of staff has been assigned to you) and what steps you need to take soon to prepare yourself for the dissertation stage.

I will see you for about 20 minutes AFTER your EG7519 (Sustainability & Global Systems) lecture...and I will put the documentation up on this Blog and the main PG web page (http://www.ukscience.org/pg/) on Wednesday too.

Cheers
Mark

Research design and methods lecture (18 April) postponed

Dear all,

I am away on the North Wales field trip between 16^th and 20^th of April.

This week on Research Design and Methods we are scheduled for a session on questionnaires and semi structured interviews. However, this session (18 April) will have to be re-arranged.

Once a suitable time and place have been arranged we will let you know. So, just note that this week’s session has been postponed.

Keep an eye on this space for the announcement of new arrangements.

Thank you,

Kosta

EGS Seminar – Tuesday 20th March 2012

Tuesday 20th March, E0.05, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00pm.

Sandwiches, coffee and tea are available from 12.30 pm in room E402.


Invasive Plant Species: Impacts on Critical Ecosystem Processes
Dr Lindsay Banin, University of Ulster


Invasion by exotic species has been identified as one of the greatest agents of environmental change and threats to biodiversity loss. At small spatial scales in particular, invasive plant species often substantially alter the community and physical structure of vegetation. Riparian habitats are especially prone to plant invasions as they tend to be disturbed, nutrient-rich environments and the water provides a vector of transport for seeds and tissues capable of regeneration. In the British Isles, three herbaceous species, Fallopia japonica, Heracleum mantegazzium, and Impatiens glandulifera, have spread rapidly along water courses and posed a significant and costly management problem.


Considerable research effort has focussed on predicting which species might be invasive, which communities might be vulnerable, and the effects of invasion on diversity of plants and other taxa. The impacts of plant invasion on critical ecosystem processes, for example nutrient and carbon cycling, also warrant attention: to what extent do these community changes engender shifts in ecosystem functioning? There is also a lack of understanding of the mechanisms by which plants exclude their native counterparts in a given habitat, which impedes our ability to rehabilitate invaded communities. Our research, part of the EU-funded CIRB (Controlling Priority Invasive Species and Restoring Native Biodiversity) project, seeks to identify some of these impacts and mechanisms to enable better management of these systems, and in the talk I present our preliminary findings.

Exceptional Factors & Support - a reminder

Hi All,

If you think that you cannot make an assignment deadline date because of serious and/or unpredictable events in your life....you must apply for Exceptional Factors AS SOON AS POSSIBLE:

1) Form EF1 must be submitted for all claims. Submit the form, along with all necessary documentary evidence, to the appropriate Student Life Office or SIP for all units affected. Your nearest SIP is the one in John Dalton (sipnorth@mmu.ac.uk ). Your academic tutors cannot take the documentation from you. If you delay, you might miss the next available Exceptional Factors panel meeting - and this could affect the way we deal with you at upcoming Boards of Examiner meetings. The form EF1 and ALL guidance notes for this procedure are clearly presented at HERE

2) If you have any ongoing academic problems - and/or need to discuss these with somebody, then please contact Emma Taylor - the faculty Support Officer. Click HERE for more information.

3) If you have need to speak with a counsellor - if you have personal issues that are not strictly academic, please contact the MMU Counselling service. Click HERE for more information.


Mark

EGS Seminar – Tuesday 6th March 2012

Tuesday 06^th March, *E0.05, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00pm. Sandwiches, coffee and tea are available from 12.30 pm in room *E402.

Geochemical Mapping of Urban Soils and Road Dusts: Towards Improved Risk Assessments

Raquel Cardoso, MMU

Urban soil quality is of concern under current UK contaminated land legislation in terms of potential impacts on human health and the need for sustainable development. Another environmental media that is a likely source of potentially harmful substances (PHS), with possible deleterious human health effects due to close proximity to the receptors, is road dust sediment (RDS). Studies of PHS in RDS and soils of urban areas have been published; yet little is known about the spatial, geochemical and mineralogical linkages between these two different media - urban agglomerations tend to grow exponentially and so does the importance of RDS and soil characterization and monitoring. The aim of this research is to characterize PHS presence in these media, explore the spatial, geochemical and mineralogical linkages, and produce novel mineralogical data on the PHE/particulate relationships within and between soils and RDS.

Geochemical datasets are composed of 144 RDS and 300 soil samples, collected across 75 Km2 of Manchester urban centre. PHE maximum and average concentrations, determined by XRF, are generally higher in soils than in RDS. Geographic information systems (GIS) allowed the spatial detection of contamination hotspots for these media, where PHE concentrations (namely for Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, As and Cd) were in excess of the regional 90th percentile. Spatial analysis pointed to localised contamination sources as main influences on RDS composition, which vary considerably over short distances. However, spatial distribution of PHE in soil highlighted broader areas with systematically high concentrations. Principal component analysis (PCA) has evidenced important PHE associations both for soils and RDS. PCA of grain size data obtained by laser diffractometry revealed that, in RDS, the 63-125µm fraction might act as hosts for PHE. SEM-EDS analysis supported this observation, but the source(s) of these grains still needs further investigation.

This detailed geochemical and mineralogical characterization of both soil and RDS, as well as their spatial associations, will allow a better understanding of PHE dynamics in urban systems and add vital knowledge on the risks posed to human populations by PHE exposure.

Emma Rayner has evolved into Emma Taylor

Hi all,

Emma Rayner (your Faculty Support Officer) has got herself married.......and so her name is now Emma Taylor and her updated email address (should you need to contact her) is e.taylor@mmu.ac.uk

Mark

Remember: EG7519 Room

Hi Folks,

A reminder that the EG7519 lecture is in E221 tomorrow
Mark

TODAY: EGS Seminar – Tuesday 28th February 2012

Tuesday 28th February, E34, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00pm.

Sandwiches, coffee and tea are available from 12.30 pm in room E324.


Predicting Species Diversity: Woody Plant and Bird Species Richness in Kenya
Dr Richard Field, University of Nottingham


There is widespread misuse of the word ‘prediction’ in biogeography, particularly when talking about the fitted values of correlational statistical models. There has been surprisingly little emphasis on prediction in biogeographical research, despite the increasing concern over how the biotic world will respond to environmental change. Where this is attempted, various approaches are used, but recently the most common by far is using species distribution models. While I will discuss these, my focus will be on work I have done, with colleagues from Oxford and Mainz (Germany), on predicting emergent species richness and its patterning. The main geographical focus is Kenya – its birds and trees. In presenting this empirical work, I will discuss the associated challenges for predicting species diversity both generally and for species distributions models specifically.

Staff-Student Liaison Student Meeting this week

Hi All,
There is a Staff-Student liaison meeting this wednesday. If you want to communicate any good/bad feedback to us, please let your student rep know:

Marian Oprea (marian.oprea88@gmail.com) EMSD and EMB
Jon Leyland (jon.Leyland@btinternet.com) CM

Thanks
Mark

EGS Seminar – Tuesday 14th February 2012

Tuesday 14th February, E34, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00pm.
Sandwiches, coffee and tea are available from 12.30 pm in room E324.

Moving the Aviation Sector to a More Sustainable Future: The Importance of Stakeholder Participation in UK Airport Master Planning

Rebecca Rawson, MMU

 In 2003 the UK Department for Transport (DfT) invited airports forecast to have a minimum of 20,000 air transport movements per year by 2030 to produce a master plan that documented their development proposals and how any subsequent social and environmental impacts would be managed. The DfT guidance stated that airports should engage with stakeholders throughout this process with the aim of balancing local concerns with national interests, in the hope of increasing public trust and reducing the likelihood of stakeholder opposition.
This research has critically assessed the master plan participatory processes of four major UK airports, analysed the content of their planning documentation, drawn on interviews with key actors to identify their current practice, and has concluded that due to the “non-statutory nature” of the DfTs planning proposal and ambiguity within the guidance, airports have failed to fully embrace interactive public participation and engagement in a way that is likely to increase public trust and reduce stakeholder opposition. The research proposes a series of recommendations that will necessitate a change in airport behaviour in order to deliver a more sustainable planning outcome.

Change of 3-4pm Coffee Room

Hi all,
I didn't like our new coffee room venue - it was a bit cramped and the previous occupiers would often refuse to budge until around 3:15pm......so I have booked us another venue:

Our coffee session will now take place in JD E423 every Wednesday from 3-4pm for the following dates:

• 15th Feb – 21st March
• 18th & 25th April

For the dates 2nd – 30th May, all the classrooms are booked out for the Summer Exams so we will use the lecture theatre E419 for these dates.

EGS Seminar – Tuesday 31st January 2012

Tuesday 31st January, E34, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00 pm.

Sandwiches, coffee and tea are available from 12.30 pm in room *E324 (please note change)


If you would like to chat informally with the speaker before the seminar, please contact this week’s host, Jonathan Lageard.


Sun, C, and the Torneträsk Tree-ring Chronology


Dr Neil Loader, Prifysgol Abertawe/Swansea University


Natural archives of environmental change provide a means for extracting past climatic information beyond the period of instrumental observations. Tree-rings represent such an archive and are capable of providing palæoclimatic data throughout the late Holocene for a range of geographical environments.


The application of isotopic techniques to the analysis of tree-rings is a rapidly developing field that provides new opportunities in Quaternary Research. A millennial length tree-ring chronology for the Torneträsk region of northern Fennoscandia is presented. The development of the record is described with specific reference to current challenges in high-resolution palæoclimatology, and outlines how, through a multi-parameter approach, new insight may be gained relating to climatic change in the Arctic.

Leaving rubbish in E324

Hi All,

A polite request...please don't leave your rubbish in E324 when you exit the coffee break to go to your next lecture. I had to clean up plastic Coke bottles, paper and unwanted handouts yesterday - which isn't my job. The room is a teaching room and could be used by another class after we leave. There are bins located on every floor - they are easy to use.

Thanks
Mark

Full-time Students: PROGRESS TUTORIAL SLOTS

Hi All,

Please note the dates and times of the compulsory progress tutorials...you each have a half hour slot with me in my office (E411):
ALLEN ALEXANDRIAL AINA MISS 6906 Tuesday 7th February 2012 10am - 10:30am
BARRETT LUCY JAYNE MISS 6906 Tuesday 7th February 2012 10:30am - 11am
BENDE MELINDA MISS 6906 Tuesday 7th February 2012 11am - 11:30am
BODSWORTH STUART ANDREW MR 6906 Tuesday 7th February 2012 11:30am - 12pm
DOWNES STACEY MISS 6906 Tuesday 7th February 2012 12pm - 12:30pm
FREEMAN SARAH JOANNE MISS 6906 Tuesday 7th February 2012 12:30pm - 1pm
HAMEED ADBULRAZAK AYODELE MR 6906 Tuesday 7th February 2012 1pm - 1:30pm
INKO-TARIAH LESLIE TONYE IBISO MR 6906 Tuesday 7th February 2012 1:30pm - 2pm
KANTSADIS THEOFYLAKTOS MR 6906 Thursday 9th February 2012 10am - 10:30am
KIZILDAGLI SELINA SEMA MISS 6906 Thursday 9th February 2012 10:30am - 11am
MIRFIN SAMUEL DAVID KANE MR 6906 Thursday 9th February 2012 11am - 11:30am
OPREA MARIAN MR 6906 Thursday 9th February 2012 11:30am - 12pm
ROWLEY-NEALE SAMUEL MR 6906 Thursday 9th February 2012 12pm - 12:30pm
SAEEDHA FATHIMATH MRS 6906 Thursday 9th February 2012 12:30pm - 1pm
ANDERSON FERGUS MR 6902 Thursday 9th February 2012 1pm - 1:30pm
HOUSE JODIE SAMANTHA MISS 694J Thursday 9th February 2012 1:30pm - 2pm
KHUDADAD EMAN ABDULREDHA MISS 694J Thursday 9th February 2012 2pm - 2:30pm


This tutorial will review course engagement, attendance, marks received so far, attendance at research seminars and any general issues. Confirmation of eligibility for a placement will also be on the agenda.

 Please arrive on time as I only have half an hour per student for each tutorial

Thanks
Mark

EGS Seminar – Tuesday 24th January 2012

Tuesday 24^th January, E34, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00 pm.

Sandwiches, coffee and tea are available from 12.30 pm in room *E324  (please note change)

If you would like to chat informally with the speaker before the seminar, please contact this week’s host, Andrew Thomas.

Challenges and Opportunities for Carbon Management in Malawi and ZambiaDr Lindsay Stringer, University of Leeds

 Policy initiatives to manage carbon are increasingly linking climate change mitigation and adaptation with efforts to reduce poverty. This presentation analyses the challenges and opportunities faced by national policymakers and other key stakeholders in achieving these multiple wins in Malawi and Zambia. Multi-stakeholder partnerships are increasingly required in integrated carbon management-poverty reduction activities stemming from international level policy agreements and voluntary carbon market initiatives. We critically reflect upon these partnerships and the challenges and opportunities linked to building and mobilizing capacity to translate policy rhetoric into on-the-ground action at national and local levels.  Situating the progress made in Malawi to date within the regional context through a comparison with neighbouring Zambia, we outline the opportunities for, and barriers to, future initiatives in the region that aim to enhance carbon storage and reduce poverty through land management.

Classes THIS WEEK !

Dear all,
The Sustainable City class will be 1.00-3.00pm just for this week, as Steve Millington is leading the Mancunian Way walking tour, and we need daylight. Meet in E422.  We will be back for the coffee break (E324) though we may be back a bit later than 3.00.

The class for Air, Water and Land will now take place 4.00 - 6.00pm, just for this week, again in E422.

I hope this doesn't cause anyone any problems.

Regards,

Ros

Ros Howell

Senior Lecturer in Ecological Economics and Sustainability
MMU Task Leader for Education for Sustainable Development

Support Sessions Available

The Faculty study skills workshop schedule is now available at  http://www.sci-eng.mmu.ac.uk/student_support/officer.asp. I have also attached a poster which you may wish to use.

Also, a reminder that I am available for one-to-one appointments with students. Please do not hesitate to refer students who you feel may benefit.

Best wishes
Emma

Emma Rayner

Faculty Student Support Officer