Geography Research

Owned by Lucy Orange
Last updated: 27 Nov, 2023 by Rebecca SuttonVersion comment
3 min read

Welcome to the Physical Geography Technician Page.

General Information

Use this page to access services and content relating to physical geography lab and field work.

We can provide the student/researcher with support throughout their project, providing advice and guidance on field/lab techniques for gathering and analysing samples and for storage.

Follow the links provided to explore the topics in more depth...

Admin

Before any field work can commence, researchers must complete the relevant documents to satisfy general departmental compliance requirements. This includes a field work risk assessment. Guidance for this can be found on our field work pages.

Lab work also requires researchers to carry out a lab induction and complete a lab user agreement. They will also need to complete a project specific risk assessment and if necessary a CoSHH assessment. Guidance for these can be found on our laboratory access pages.

Blaine Hancock

Physical Geography Research Technician
Tel: 01904 324788


Responsibilities
  • Providing field and laboratory assistance to support the  physical geography research group
  • Preparation of samples for palaeo-ecological analysis (diatoms, pollen, foraminifera, testate amoebae)
  • Assisting with the installation, operation and maintenance of physical geography field equipment
  • Responsible for the storage and archiving of physical geography research samples
  • Assisting and supporting project students (undergraduate and postgraduate) in the course of their laboratory and fieldwork
  • Training students in the preparation and identification of microfossils
  • Supporting laboratory practical sessions
  • Maintaining a clean, safe and effective working environment for physical geography research
  • Primary contact in the teaching laboratory for geography staff and students 
Lab techniques and methods
Microscopy

Ziess Axiozoom (with the Zen imaging software)

Olympus BX43 (with the CellSens licensed imaging software) (standard operating procedure)

Leica DM400

Nikon Eclipse LV1000

Nikon Eclipse E200 (Aeropollen)

Palaeo-ecological Analysis

Magnetic Susceptibility Meter (standard operating procedure)

Particle size analysis (standard operating procedure)



Luke Andrews

Physical Geography Research Technician
Tel: 01904 324788


Responsibilities
  • Providing field and surveying assistance to support the physical geography research group, specialising in spatial surveying techniques and processing,  data/sample collection and monitoring.
  • Assisting with the installation, operation and maintenance of physical geography field equipment.
  • Responsible for the storage and archiving of physical geography research samples.
  • Assisting and supporting project students (undergraduate and postgraduate) in the course of their fieldwork and laboratory work.
  • Supporting laboratory practical sessions.
Field techniques and methods
Surveying

Surveying is a collection of techniques used to determine the location of points (usually on the surface of the Earth) and then to present these data graphically in survey reports or maps . Standard techniques range in complexity and include the use of optical levels, total stations, satellites (GPS), photogrammetry and LiDAR.

To facilitate you in carrying out your survey the department has a range of surveying equipment including:

We have licenses for the surveying software package Trimble Business Centre (post processing procedure). Also, we have a license for the Agisoft Metashape software which uses photogrammetric processes to deliver 3D spatial data.

Please get in touch if you require any information or training.

Sub-surface sampling

The department has a large selection of equipment and tools for sampling environmental material. There is a substantial selection of corers, gouges and augers. These include:

This equipment can be supplied along with all the relevant ancillary equipment to allow access in a variety of settings, such as: peatlands, saltmarshes and lakes.