2008 news
Print versionLondon Knowledge Transfer Awards 2008
A research group lead by Professor Martin Wooster were awarded first place in the "London Knowledge Transfer Awards". The research group (Martin Wooster, Gareth Roberts, Weidong Xu and Patrick Freeborn, together with Scientific Computing Specialist Jiang-Ping He) work on the estimation of biomass burning smoke emissions from geostationary satellites.
The research group attended an award ceremony for the finalists at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensignton. The award was based on the "realization of their original NERC-funded idea to generate biomass burning emissions information from geostationary meteorological satellites, and then more recently in turning that into a real time product to help with operational and pre-operational atmospheric forecasting services run by the Met Office and ECWMF".
The Environmental Sciences category acknowledges successful activities in the arena of the environmental sciences: climate change, environmental influences on human health, the genetic make-up of life on earth, etc. The group were also one of three or four finalists in the overall "Knowledge Transfer of 2008" award.
The research group attended an award ceremony for the finalists at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensignton. The award was based on the "realization of their original NERC-funded idea to generate biomass burning emissions information from geostationary meteorological satellites, and then more recently in turning that into a real time product to help with operational and pre-operational atmospheric forecasting services run by the Met Office and ECWMF".
The Environmental Sciences category acknowledges successful activities in the arena of the environmental sciences: climate change, environmental influences on human health, the genetic make-up of life on earth, etc. The group were also one of three or four finalists in the overall "Knowledge Transfer of 2008" award.
New European Union FP7 funded PhD studentship
This three year PhD position will receive three years of fees (£19,000 per year). The student will work with others at King’s on two European Union FP7 funded research projects to evaluate urban surface energy, water and carbon exchanges through in situ observations, remote sensing analyses and modelling. The post holder will work with Professor Sue Grimmond, Professor Martin Wooster and their existing research teams to deliver cutting-edge research into urban surface energy, water and carbon exchanges. For more information please visit the PhD studentship page.
New CASE PhD studentship
Part of a multi-disciplinary team project on the suburban water cycle, the student will be based at CEH Wallingford and King’s College London where they will work with Professor Sue Grimmond. With fieldwork in southern England the project requires a combination of micrometeorological and plant physiological field instrumentation, data analysis and modelling, training will be given. A background in physics, meteorology, engineering, ecology and/or geography with good numeracy is desirable. For more information please visit the PhD studentship page.
Professor Sue Grimmond awarded Helmut E Landsberg Award
Professor Sue Grimmond has been awarded the Helmut E Landsberg Award by the American Meteorological Society.
The citation reads: ‘for numerous important contributions that have greatly advanced urban meteorology and urban climate sciences and for sustained and effective leadership that has energised the urban climate research community’
This is one of the top awards of the AMS and is a real tribute to Professor Grommond's work on both sides of the Atlantic.
The citation reads: ‘for numerous important contributions that have greatly advanced urban meteorology and urban climate sciences and for sustained and effective leadership that has energised the urban climate research community’
This is one of the top awards of the AMS and is a real tribute to Professor Grommond's work on both sides of the Atlantic.
Podcast of Tony Allan's seminar on Virtual Water
A podcast of Tony Allan's seminar on his award winning concept of Virtual Water is now available from the department of geography.
In 1993, Professor Allan made a major breakthrough in how to demonstrate the measurement of water that is embedded in the production of foods and industrial products, by introducing the concept of “virtual water,”
To listen to the podcast, you can either click on the link and listen on-line or you can right-click on the link and save the podcast into your i-tunes or equivalent software to listen to on your mp3 player.
In 1993, Professor Allan made a major breakthrough in how to demonstrate the measurement of water that is embedded in the production of foods and industrial products, by introducing the concept of “virtual water,”
To listen to the podcast, you can either click on the link and listen on-line or you can right-click on the link and save the podcast into your i-tunes or equivalent software to listen to on your mp3 player.
John B. Thornes medal
In memory of John, the Department has decided to establish a John B. Thornes medal to be awarded to the student with the best performance in physical geography in the final year.
If you were unable to come to the memorial service held on 21 October, but would like to make a contribution, could you please send cheques payable to ‘King’s College London’ to Rob Hydon, Department of Geography, King’s College London, Strand, WC2R 2LS.
If you were unable to come to the memorial service held on 21 October, but would like to make a contribution, could you please send cheques payable to ‘King’s College London’ to Rob Hydon, Department of Geography, King’s College London, Strand, WC2R 2LS.
Supervisory Excellence Awards
Professor of Human Geography at King’s College London, Loretta Lees has been made a supervisory excellence award by the Graduate School.
Each year, on average, 400 postgraduate research students complete their degrees and graduate from King's. The award recognises the important role that supervisors play in these success stories, and reward excellence in supervisory practice.
Loretta will be awarded with £1,000 which will be paid into her personal research account.
The Graduate School will select one of the winners who will be presented with the award at the College Award Ceremony in September.
Each year, on average, 400 postgraduate research students complete their degrees and graduate from King's. The award recognises the important role that supervisors play in these success stories, and reward excellence in supervisory practice.
Loretta will be awarded with £1,000 which will be paid into her personal research account.
The Graduate School will select one of the winners who will be presented with the award at the College Award Ceremony in September.
Research grant
Dr Andreas Baas is Co-Investigator on a newly NERC-funded research grant with Dr Derek Jackson (Principal Investigator) and Professor Andrew Cooper (CI) from the University of Ulster for a 3-year project entitled "Secondary airflow patterns under offshore winds over coastal foredunes: implications for aeolian sediment transport".
The work will involve a number of fieldwork campaigns at Magilligan Strand, NI, a postdoctoral researcher based at Ulster, and computational fluid dynamics modelling with a commercial partner (RWDI, Canada). The award contribution to King's is £28,000 out of a total budget of £460,000, including access to £170,000 of new instrumentation at Ulster.
The work will involve a number of fieldwork campaigns at Magilligan Strand, NI, a postdoctoral researcher based at Ulster, and computational fluid dynamics modelling with a commercial partner (RWDI, Canada). The award contribution to King's is £28,000 out of a total budget of £460,000, including access to £170,000 of new instrumentation at Ulster.
2008 Stockholm Water Prize
A pioneer in the development of key concepts in the understanding and communication of water issues and how they are linked to agriculture, climate change, economics and politics, Professor Tony Allan of the King's Geography Department, was named the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate on 19 March 2008.
Progressive Governance Conference 2008
On Friday 4 April, Michael Redclift, professor of international environment policy in the department of Geography, Kings College London, presented at the Progressive Governance Conference 2008 on the paper Living Sustainably: Approaches for the Developed and Developing World. The Prime Minister Gordon Brown hosted the Progressive Governance Conference, organised by the thinktank Policy Network at a venue just outside London.
Professor Michael Redclift and Emma Hinton, a researcher in the Department of Geography, King’s College, London say “The assumptions underpinning policy on growth and economic development at the national and international level will have to be radically reversed for countries in the developed and developing world to effectively tackle climate change. There are clear gains in reversing previous approaches and viewing climate change policy as the driver of social change, rather than an obstacle in the way of social advances.”
The Prime Minister was joined by over 15 fellow world leaders at the conference, one of the most significant gatherings of international leaders this year. The conference aimed to tackle four of the most crucial contemporary challenges posed to all countries by globalisation: economic and social change, climate change, poverty and international development, and the reform of international institutions.
The discussion was informed by eleven especially commissioned papers from international experts, and will aim both to share perspectives from across the developing and developed world, as well as to identify ways to promote greater international cooperation across nations and international institutions.
Professor Michael Redclift and Emma Hinton, a researcher in the Department of Geography, King’s College, London say “The assumptions underpinning policy on growth and economic development at the national and international level will have to be radically reversed for countries in the developed and developing world to effectively tackle climate change. There are clear gains in reversing previous approaches and viewing climate change policy as the driver of social change, rather than an obstacle in the way of social advances.”
The Prime Minister was joined by over 15 fellow world leaders at the conference, one of the most significant gatherings of international leaders this year. The conference aimed to tackle four of the most crucial contemporary challenges posed to all countries by globalisation: economic and social change, climate change, poverty and international development, and the reform of international institutions.
The discussion was informed by eleven especially commissioned papers from international experts, and will aim both to share perspectives from across the developing and developed world, as well as to identify ways to promote greater international cooperation across nations and international institutions.
