2007 news
Print versionChinese Award for King's
Simon Gosling has returned from a visit to Nankai University, Tianjin, China, where he attended the 10th Challenge Cup Competition. He presented work from his PhD research on the impacts of climate change on heat-related mortality. Simon was one of six members of a team selected to represent King’s.
They were awarded a shield for their contribution to international co-operation which was presented at the closing ceremony at Tianjin Olympic Stadium. The Challenge Cup takes place every other year. There were more than 1,000 entries for the 2007 competition, from which about 300 were selected to be presented. Around 5,000 students attended the final round in Nankai.
They were awarded a shield for their contribution to international co-operation which was presented at the closing ceremony at Tianjin Olympic Stadium. The Challenge Cup takes place every other year. There were more than 1,000 entries for the 2007 competition, from which about 300 were selected to be presented. Around 5,000 students attended the final round in Nankai.
"Young Researcher of the Year"
Professor Martin Wooster has been honoured with this award which recognises an academic under 40 whose research has made a significant and potentially extraordinary impact in the field. Professor Wooster has led the study of global biomass burning using new satellite-based approaches. Worldwide, the burning of vegetation and organic soils is annually thought to represent a land-atmosphere carbon flux equivalent to perhaps one third to one half of that from fossil fuel burning.
A large part of this research is aimed at improving our current knowledge of the strength, variability and characteristics of biomass burning, which is required if we are to better understand the mechanisms controlling changes in the interannual growth rate of CO2 (that is helping to warm climate).
Also for helping to forecast what might happen under future climate change, for example in terms of the possibility of increased fires, CO2 fluxes and vegetation change in some areas. Much of the work of Professor Wooster is conducted with his research team at King's, and he would like to acknowledge that without this team much of this work would have been impossible."
A large part of this research is aimed at improving our current knowledge of the strength, variability and characteristics of biomass burning, which is required if we are to better understand the mechanisms controlling changes in the interannual growth rate of CO2 (that is helping to warm climate).
Also for helping to forecast what might happen under future climate change, for example in terms of the possibility of increased fires, CO2 fluxes and vegetation change in some areas. Much of the work of Professor Wooster is conducted with his research team at King's, and he would like to acknowledge that without this team much of this work would have been impossible."
NERC 'QUEST' research grant
Martin Wooster has been awarded a NERC 'QUEST' research grant for "global fire modelling and fire forecasting" - total is £414,00 and it is split almost equally between King's and University of Reading Meteorology.
The Mayor's Thames Festival
Professor Angela Gurnell, Dr David Green and Dr Tony Bark have recently been involved in a project for The Mayor's Thames Festival.
US National Science Foundation grant
Professor Sue Grimmond has been awarded a grant by the US National Science Foundation for research on 'the Influence of urbanization on weather in the arid Phoenix metropolitan area'. This grant has been given to Sue and two other Co-PI's and is worth just under 500,000 USD.
Royal Geographical Society with IBG Annual Conference 2007
Professor Angela Gurnell is Chair of the Royal Geographical Society with IBG Annual Conference 2007. This is the major annual UK conference for the discipline of Geography and it attracts a large international and national audience.
This year the theme of the conference in 'Sustainability and Quality of Life', with sub-themes focusing on 'Sustainable Cities', 'Landscape Design' and 'Development and Environment'.
The opening address on 'Life-style politics: the new agenda' will be delivered by Professor Lord Anthony Giddens. King's College academic staff and research students are providing major inputs to the conference, covening nine sessions and contributing to over 20 papers and panels.
This year the theme of the conference in 'Sustainability and Quality of Life', with sub-themes focusing on 'Sustainable Cities', 'Landscape Design' and 'Development and Environment'.
The opening address on 'Life-style politics: the new agenda' will be delivered by Professor Lord Anthony Giddens. King's College academic staff and research students are providing major inputs to the conference, covening nine sessions and contributing to over 20 papers and panels.
Biodiversity of the River Thames
Rob Francis, Angela Gurnell, Tony Bark and PhD researcher Simon Hoggart are working with environmental charity Thames21 to investigate the biodiversity of the River Thames through central London, and to test novel methods of habitat improvement in this important urban ecosystem. The research is funded by Thames21 and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation (£92,000) and is linked to the Centre for Environmental Assessment, Management and Policy at King’s College London.
The NERC research conducted by Dr Andreas Baas and Joanna Nield is featured in a major article in a recent edition of Science News (vol.172 no.5), which is a well-known US news magazine of science.
The NERC research conducted by Dr Andreas Baas and Joanna Nield is featured in a major article in a recent edition of Science News (vol.172 no.5), which is a well-known US news magazine of science.
King's wins Green Gown Award!
The College has won a prestigious Green Gown Award. In the ‘Sustainable Construction' category, King's won for transforming the Grade 1 Listed Building on the Strand Campus.
NERC grant application "Quantifying pyroconvective injection heights ... assessing the impact on forward and inversion modelling" was successful. FEC value of the award is £510,000 and investigators are PI Wooster (King's Geography), co-I Papadakis (King's Engineering) and co-I Palmer (Geosciences Edinburgh).
Rob Imrie has been awarded a grant of £77,000 from the British Academy to develop a project entitled 'The significance of building control and the process of urban design'. The project will start in October 2007 and run for 12 months.
NERC grant application "Quantifying pyroconvective injection heights ... assessing the impact on forward and inversion modelling" was successful. FEC value of the award is £510,000 and investigators are PI Wooster (King's Geography), co-I Papadakis (King's Engineering) and co-I Palmer (Geosciences Edinburgh).
Rob Imrie has been awarded a grant of £77,000 from the British Academy to develop a project entitled 'The significance of building control and the process of urban design'. The project will start in October 2007 and run for 12 months.
