date: Mon, 5 Feb 2001 17:21:33 -0000 from: "Simon Torok" subject: In Tyndall to: "simon" In Tyndall: The Tyndall Centre internal newsletter 1. Tyndall PhD Studentships Programme The guidelines for the Tyndall PhD Studentships Programme are available online for members only at http://www.tyndall.uea.ac.uk/members/phd.htm (contact Gillian Watson at G.Watson@uea.ac.uk for information on access to the Members area). If you're interested in putting together a proposal for a Tyndall Studentship, please discuss your ideas with the relevant Research Programme Manager or one of the Centre Directors. Gillian is currently finalising the application form and associated guidance notes, which will be available very soon. 2. Arranging a Tyndall meeting in London? The Tyndall Centre is now able to use meeting rooms at the Medical Research Council for Tyndall meetings. Rooms will be available free of charge, but we will be invoiced for any catering provided. The MRC is located in central London, close to Regents' Park. If you would like to book a room for a Tyndall meeting please contact the Tyndall Centre Administrator, Ms Samantha Jones, at samantha.jones@uea.ac.uk. Please do not contact the MRC directly. 3. EU Marie Curie Fellowships A reminder that the deadlines for applications for Marie Curie Fellowships are approaching fast. Proposals for the Energy sub-programme (ENERGIE) must be in Brussels by 9 February 2001 (with the next deadline in December 2001) and the deadline for the Environment and Sustainable Development (ESD) sub-programme is 21 March 2001 (with the next opportunity in March 2002). 4. Prestigious prize for UEA/Tyndall researcher The Leverhulme Trust has awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize to Neil Adger. The £50,000 prizes are a spectacular and unprecedented recognition of research achievement by young scholars and were awarded to 35 researchers in seven areas in 2001. They recognise the world-class achievement of outstanding young research scholars who have made substantial and original contributions to fundamental knowledge. Awards will continue in future years. 5. Seeking Integrated Assessment funding A new round of funding for the European Forum on Integrated Assessment (EFIEA) is currently being sought, coordinated by Pier Vellinga at Free University, Amsterdam. The UMIST School of Management will represent the Tyndall Centre on this networking bid (contact clair.gough@umist.ac.uk for more info). 6. Foundation for Science and Technology Climate Change Evening Last week the Tyndall Centre co-sponsored a climate change meeting at the Royal Society, hosted by the Foundation for Science and Technology and attracting more than 200 people. The event concentrated on national, regional and international policy issues associated with climate change, rather than on the underlying science. The main speakers were Environment Minister Michael Meacher, Imperial College Professor Michael Grubb and Nick Otter from ALSTOM Power (and member of the Tyndall Centre Advisory Board). The Tyndall Centre was represented by a display at the venue, as well as Mike Hulme, Brian Launder, John Shepherd, Trevor Davies, Franz Berkhout, Peter Liss and Gillian Watson. 7. Tyndall media appearances Mike Hulme starred in the media over the last fortnight, commenting on the Tyndall Centre's first round of projects, the IPCC report, and El Niño, as well as doing book reviews. Jean Palutikof spoke about East Anglia and rising sea levels, while Simon Shackley talked to a Belgian journalist about his research project on carbon sequestration. If a Flemish article doesn't sound exotic enough for you, the country-by-country analysis done by Mike Hulme and Tim Mitchell appeared in Uzbekistan's Almaty Herald. 8. IPCC Report The agreed post-Shanghai IPCC Working Group I text for the Policymakers Summary is now available on-line (http://www.ipcc.ch). 9. Tyndall North Seminar The first Tyndall North Seminar will be held at UMIST on 22 February. The seminar will be introduced by Brian Launder, followed by presentations from Tom Choularton, Simon Shackley and Nick Jenkins and a discussion. The seminar is open to anyone who wishes to attend (for further information contact clair.gough@umist.ac.uk). 10. Tyndall Seminar in Norwich Meanwhile, Geoff Levermore is travelling down from UMIST's Department of Building Engineering to give the first Tyndall Headquarters Seminar. The seminar, held jointly with the UEA's Climatic Research Unit, will take place in the Tyndall Centre's Callendar Room on Wednesday 28 February from 2 to 3. 11. Wave Power The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has invited contributions to an inquiry on wave and non-barrier tidal energy in the UK. The technological and commercial viability of power generation, the implications for marine life and the role that wave and tidal energy generation should play in the government's renewables strategy are among the specific issues identified for discussion. Written evidence should be submitted by 12 February to the clerk of the committee. Telephone 020 72192118 for more details. 12. Conferences and meetings Conferences announced in In Tyndall are now archived at http://www.tyndall.uea.ac.uk/resources.htm#events * Putting CO2 Storage on the Policy Agenda, Trondheim, Norway 13-14 March 2001 (More information available from John Gale, IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, e-mail: johng@ieagreen.demon.co.uk) 13. Worth a surf * http://www.thecarbontrader.com claims to be "the worlds leading reporter, library and commercial services intermediary within the emerging Carbon Credit Market". Based in Australia, it seeks to act as agent in the raising of wholesale capital for companies anywhere in the world planning to enter the green energy market. * http://www.studyworksonline.com/cda/explorations/main/0,1023,NAV2-79,00.html is a well-constructed, useful teaching tool, albeit for an American audience. The site encourages students to think critically about the issue and the way it is presented in the media. 14. Tyndall Centre Projects: First round Research Programme 1: Integrated Assessment · Technology and the economy-energy system in an integrated assessment of climate change. Lead investigator - Dr J Koehler, Cambridge (j.koehler@ecom.cam.ac.uk) · Evaluation of approaches to integrated assessment: A blueprint approach. Lead investigator - Dr J Palutikof, UEA (j.palutikof@uea.ac.uk) · Developing discourse coalitions to incorporate stakeholder perceptions and responses within the Tyndall IA Lead investigator - Dr S Shackley, UMIST (simon.shackley@umist.ac.uk) · Planning & prototyping a climate module for the Tyndall integrated assessment model. Lead investigator - Prof. J Shepherd, Southampton Oceanography Centre (j.g.shepherd@soc.soton.ac.uk) Research Programme 2: Carbon Management and Reduction · Evaluating policy options for the clean development mechanism: A stakeholder multi-criteria approach. Lead investigator - Dr K Brown, UEA (k.brown@uea.ac.uk) · Carbon sequestration: A pilot stage multi-criteria evaluation of biological and physio-chemical approaches. Lead investigator - Dr S Shackley, UMIST (simon.shackley@umist.ac.uk) · Sustainable building form: The role of architecture and urban planning with respect to climate change. Lead investigator - Dr K Steemers, Cambridge (kas11@cam.ac.uk) Research Programme 3: Renewable and New Energy Technologies · The hydrogen energy economy: its long-term role in greenhouse gas reduction. Lead investigator - Dr G Dutton, RAL (a.g.dutton@rl.ac.uk) · Fuel cells: Providing heat and power in the urban environment. Lead investigator - Dr J Halliday, RAL (J.A.Halliday@rl.ac.uk) · Integrating renewables and CHP into the UK electricity system. Lead investigator - Prof. N Jenkins, UMIST (n.jenkins@umist.ac.uk) · Microgrids - distributed on-site generation. Lead investigator - Dr T Markvart, Southampton (t.markvart@soton.ac.uk) Research Programme 4: Extreme Events and Rapid Climate Change · Scenario development methods for the estimation of future probabilities of extreme weather events. Lead investigator - Dr M Hulme, UEA (m.hulme@uea.ac.uk) · Accuracy of modelled extremes of temperature and climate change and its implications for the built environment in the UK. Lead investigator - Dr G Levermore, UMIST (geoff.levermore@umist.ac.uk) · Integrated assessment of the potential for change in storm activity over Europe: Implications for insurance and forestry. Lead investigator - Dr J Palutikof, UEA (j.palutikof@uea.ac.uk) Research Programme 5: Managing Coastal Zones · A CFD study of the potential for offshore sea guides and self-accretion mechanisms to alleviate coastal erosion. Lead investigator - Prof. B Launder, UMIST (brian.launder@umist.ac.uk) · The effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the coasts of UK. Lead investigator - Dr M Tsimplis, Southampton Oceanography Centre (mnt@soc.soton.ac.uk) · Predicting the impact of sea level rise on regional coastal biotas. Lead investigator - Prof. A Watkinson, UEA (a.watkinson@uea.ac.uk) Research Programme 6: Enhancing the Options for Mitigation and Adaptation · New indicators of vulnerability and adaptive capacity. Lead investigator - Dr N Adger, UEA (n.adger@uea.ac.uk) · Behavioural response and lifestyle change in moving to low carbon transport futures. Lead investigator - Dr A Bristow, ITS (Leeds) (abristow@its.leeds.ac.uk) · Business and climate change: Measuring and enhancing adaptive capacity. Lead investigator - Prof. D Gann, SPRU (Sussex) (d.gann@sussex.ac.uk) The next internal newsletter will arrive on 16 February 2001. Please send to s.torok@uea.ac.uk any interesting news, announcements, classifieds, Web sites, publications, media appearances, or grant and conference alerts. Back issues of In Tyndall are archived at http://www.tyndall.uea.ac.uk/members/InTyndall/archive.htm