Staff Newsletter 8 December 2023
- Annabel Jackson (Deactivated)
Good morning everyone 🗺️ It was great to see so many of you at the second professorial Inaugural session yesterday - stay tuned for details of further sessions in 2024!
We hope to see you all at the international festive potluck/moving feast next Thursday 🎵
Annabel Jackson - PA / Admin to EGLT
Policy for UG Post Offer Visit Days / Open Days Rota System now on Wiki
Thank you all very much for your engagement with the new rota system for our UG open days. Our Programme Leads are now sifting through all of the preference / restraint form responses and the draft rota is due to be circulated by Wednesday 20th December.
Please visit the Wiki to view the UG POVD / Open Day Rota System Policy.
🎄 DEG Festive Potluck/Moving Feast! Thursday 14th December, 13:00 - 16:00 🎄
Please join us for a couple of hours on Thursday 14th December between 13:00 and 16:00 to celebrate the festive season and eat some wonderful food!
Find out what part of the 'menu' (drinks / starters / main courses / desserts) your floor has been allocated below 
We hope to see you all there
 | The Festive Potluck / Moving Feast is BACK! Starting on the Third Floor with Drinks, each floor has been allocated a particular part of the Feast as follows:
We would love to see as many dishes as possible but if providing a dish/drink is an obstacle for you, please still feel free to attend - we would love to see everyone there! There will be Christmas tunes and we actively encourage Christmas jumpers/festive attire! Please note that it is super important that you place a sign/label in front of your dish/drink on the day stating the following:
We ask that everyone tries to be as environmentally friendly as possible by bringing along your own cups/plates etc if you can. Even if you are only able to come to a small part of the Feast, we hope to see you all there! Happy cooking/baking! 🥄 |
DEG SeminarClick here to watch the recording of this week’s DEG Seminar entitled ‘The rise of complex life: Environmental controls on the early fossil record.’ Passcode: w.nt1S5T |
Sustainability Education Conversation
Location: Zoom - click here to join Speaker: Prof Zoe Robinson Title: Living labs and energy systems at Keele University. Professor Zoe Robinson from Keele University will be talking about Living labs and energy systems. Zoe plays a leading role in the sustainability agenda at Keele University, and specifically has a University role as Director of Education for Sustainability, with responsibility for embedding sustainability in the curriculum and wider student experience. |
| 🧵 Crafty lunch! 🧵Crafty lunch is returning! From Wednesday 17th Jan 24 crafty lunch will be returning. Come along to the Heartspace in the Environment Building between 1 - 2pm. Bring your current projects or get started with a new one. Supplies will be provided but donations of crafty bits are welcome. For more info email Jenny Pollard via jenny.pollard@york.ac.uk We hope to see you there |
Tropical Ecosystems Network event: Identifying the Most Pressing Questions for NbS in the Tropics
Wed 13 December 2023, 1 - 4pm, D/L/036, Derwent College, Campus West
Join YESI for the 14th Tropical Ecosystem Network (TEN) meeting where we will kick-start a collaborative process to identify the most important practical or research-focused questions that, if answered, would have the greatest positive impact on ensuring successful Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the tropics. More information on the TEN meeting.
YESI Scholars: Interdisciplinary Research Training
Thursday 18 January 2024, 10:00 - 14:30, H/G21 Eynns Room, Heslington Hall
Big environmental problems can’t be solved by siloed researchers working independently; an interdisciplinary approach is needed. Working across disciplines, however, can throw up unexpected challenges which training within disciplines doesn’t prepare you for.
This interdisciplinary training workshop aims to help participants think more broadly about solutions to a research problem by understanding each other's values, root methods and concepts. The workshop will focus on addressing problems in the area of environmental sustainability. PhD and early career researchers from all academic disciplines are very much encouraged to apply. Apply here.
Research Coding Club Drop-in Code Clinic
Research Coding Club will be holding our regular drop-in Code Clinic next Wednesday, 13th December, 14:00-16:00 in SLB/106.
Feel free to come along at any point during the session to ask our team of friendly RSEs about any coding or research software problems you might have, whether it's ideas for improving performance, or just how to install a tricky library, we have experts who can help!
Our wonderful Director for Students, Samarthia Thankappan is back with her weekly audio messages for students. Click here to listen to Samarthia's message for this week.
Ed Garrett gave an invited poster at the Yorkshire Geological Society annual meeting on the Storegga tsunami.
Ed Garrett and Roland Gehrels along with former E&G PGR Lucy McMahon, are coauthors on a new paper in Frontiers in Marine Science that quantifies the amount of carbon stored in saltmarshes in Great Britain.
Sohail Ahmad presented a paper "The efficiency of cities in using land: A comparison of Africa and Asia" at the 5th International Conference on Natural Resource Management and Public Policy (Online) organised by the Huazhong Agriculture University, China. Sohail also took part in a 3-day virtual workshop on climate change and cities that aims to bring the world’s leading academics on cities and climate change together to jointly map recent developments, research gaps and opportunities for systematic research on cities and climate change, organised by the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change and TU Berlin. This workshop was the part of What Works Climate Solutions Summit.
Sarah Bridle was a speaker at the Cosmic Shambles annual Christmas show (Nine Lessons and Carols for Curious People) in Manchester. She spoke about food and climate change - and what change needs to happen.
Bryce Stewart spent 2 days in London as the UK representative on the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Stakeholder Advisory Council. MSC is the largest eco-labeller of seafood in the world, currently certifying about 15% of all seafood.
Dave Shaw, with Nic Carslaw, produced a new paper on 'Long-term prediction of the effects of climate change on indoor climate and air quality' in Environmental Research.
Xun Zhou presented a co-authored research with Yuan Liu (graduated EEEM student) titled "Impact of Ecological Compensation on Water Quality: Evidence from the Chishui River Basin, China" in a Special Session on Spatial Governance and Rural Development at the China-UK International Cooperation Project Meeting on the 5th International Conference on Natural Resource Management and Public Policy hosted online by Huazhong Agricultural University, China on 1 December 2023.
On 6 December, Sam Buckton and Ioan Fazey organised and co-facilitated an all-day workshop led by futures practitioner Bill Sharpe to develop and test methods and tools for bringing regenerative system concepts into futures practice to encourage more transformative action for systems change. These methods drew on Sam's recently published PhD paper on regenerative systems. A range of academics and practitioners participated in the workshop, including Angela Crossland (North Yorkshire Council), Victoria Hughes (Joseph Rowntree Foundation) and Adrian Lovett (One Planet York). Academics included Rebecca Newman, Suzanne Om, Matthew Darby and Christopher Lyon from Environment & Geography. This work is likely to lead to some online tools published by Future Stewards, and participants expressed a desire to work further with Bill and Sam on developing these kinds of methods.
Sohail Ahmad presented a paper "The efficiency of cities in using land: A comparison of Africa and Asia" at the 5th International Conference on Natural Resource Management and Public Policy organised by the Huazhong Agriculture University, China.
The Employability team hosted a very succesful Employer Showcase on 29th November with speakers and alumni from organisations including Redrow Homes, Envams Consultancy, Thomson Environmental Consultants, Natural England and Jacobs/Transpenine Route Upgrade. Over 70 students attended the Showcase and networking opportunity and there were some great connections made by our students. Well done to the Employability Team (Angela, Jenny, Felicia and Marie) with additional thanks to Beth Roberts and Rachel Vonderdell for their help with the event set up.
Naomi Holmes (along with Lynda Yorke, Bangor University) has delivered professional development workshops for GCSE Geography teachers on 'Building accessibility and inclusivity into geography fieldwork' through the WJEC / CBAC exam board.
Kgato Selwe, along with Brett Sallach and Caroline Dessent, published a paper on the Non-targeted screening of Contaminnats of Emerging Concern in the Glen Valley Wastewater treatment plant, Botswana.
Well done everyone on your fantastic achievements 👏
YESI Scholars: Intersdisciplinary Research Training
YESI has launched its first YESI Scholars Interdisciplinary Research Training workshop. This interdisciplinary training workshop aims to help participants think more broadly about solutions to a research problem by understanding each other's values, root methods and concepts. The workshop will focus on addressing problems in the area of environmental sustainability. PhD and early career researchers from all academic disciplines are very much encouraged to apply.
Application to attend the training course can be made using the Google Form.
Deadline: Monday 8 January 2024, 12:00 noon.
BBSRC Innovate UK Centre for Alternative Proteins
BBSRC and Innovate UK have announced a call for a £15m Alternative Proteins Innovation and Knowledge Centre, with a deadline of 28th February for outline proposals.
This investment from BBSRC and Innovate UK will support the development of an Alternative Proteins Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) that will bring together the community to address research and innovation challenges spanning discovery research and pre-competitive opportunities through to proof-of-concept and commercially-focused activities.
Institutions can only lead on one proposal. If you are wishing to lead on a proposal, please contact Robyn Cooper Inglis (robyn.inglis@york.ac.uk) by end of day on Wednesday 13th December.
Northern Accelerator Proof of Feasibility Funding Call to Support Commercialisation Activities
The Commercialisation Team is running a call for Proof of Feasibility funding to support commercialisation activities as part of the Northern Accelerator collaboration. This call is open to all schools/departments/research centres.
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to assist in the development of commercialisation projects that may have the potential to progress through spinout formation, although projects suitable for licensing will also be considered.
Feasibility Awards are expected to typically be £10,000, however larger awards will be considered where there is strong case.
Northern Accelerator’s purpose is to bring a suite of support opportunities to help promising research outcomes reach commercial markets. Examples of activity are given below. This is not a definitive list, however, please note if your activities appear to be an extension of the existing research without a tangible commercial goal the application is not likely to be successful.
Example of activities that Feasibility Awards can be used for include understanding market requirements, meeting potential commercial partners, demonstration projects for potential partners, travel and accommodation to attend trade events in the promotion of commercial outcomes, the development of a prototype device, trial trading activity to assess market demand and purchase of minor equipment and consumables needed to prove feasibility.
The initiative will specifically not fund ‘blue sky’ research, longitudinal and life course research or longer-term public health studies, applied research for companies, purchase of significant equipment or capital assets or patent costs. Application forms and a guidance document can be found on the commercialisation support webpage.
Applications should be developed with the support of the commercialisation team. If you have any questions about the process please get in touch with the team (commercialisation@york.ac.uk).
Completed applications should be sent to commercialisation@york.ac.uk by the application deadline of 18th January 2024. Decisions will be communicated w/c 29th January 2024.
Call for Applications | Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust
Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust has launched two funding calls.
Eligible organisations can only make one application to either the Research Infrastructure Fund or Innovation & Improvement in Care Fund per calendar year. If we have more than one potential application, an internal triage will be required to select an application to submit.
If you are interested in applying to either fund, please contact Sharon Godwin (sharon.godwin@york.ac.uk) and your department's research support team by 12th January 2024.
Grant Values range from £100,000 to £500,000.
The Research Infrastructure Fund supports investment in equipment and facilities to accelerate translational medical research. The Research Infrastructure Fund supports capital investment that will accelerate internationally competitive research in UK universities and/or NHS organisations. Applications may address any discipline or disease area but must demonstrate that the investment will translate into improvements in healthcare for patients.
Preliminary proposal deadline: 29th February 2024 Full application deadline: 30 August 2024.
Innovation and Improvement in Health and Care Fund - Supporting the development of new models of care and the integration of health and care services.
This grant programme supports the development of new models of health and care to improve outcomes for people living with serious long-term or life-limiting conditions. Applications may address care for any area of physical or mental health, physical or learning disability, or end-of life care. The Trust will prioritise projects which support the integration and resilience of health and care services, improved access to services and areas of unmet need.
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