SCI-FUN Shows
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The Hot Topics show is intended to introduce pupils to some of the current research that is underway at a University such as Edinburgh.
There are thousands of different projects going on, in all of the different departments in the University, across all of the sciences, technology, maths and computing. There's enough time in the show to (briefly) tell pupils about three or four such projects, and we hope to change these throughout the year, keeping the show (and our presenters) fresh. We’re using Edinburgh as our example, because of course that’s what we’re familiar with, but the same kind of stories could be told for all of the other Universities in Britain, where new discoveries are made, which may have an impact on all of our lives. And perhaps some of our audience will take part in these discoveries in the future. Note that, of course, each of the topics listed below is covered for only five or so minutes: we can only introduce pupils to the subject, and guide them to the links presented below, for further information. |
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Carbon capture and storage
From the Edinburgh Centre on Climate Change:
As described in our research presentation, CO2 release into the atmosphere and ocean is one of our great environmental problems. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) could form a significant part of future remedies. The diagram below (and those later on this page) are made available for you to download. (Click on each image thumbnail for a larger version.) In collaboration with the School of Engineering and the Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage, and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the FUSION outreach group has designed and built an interactive CCS model (CCSI), which demonstrates the CCS chain from removal of CO2 to injection. The unit is being taken to schools throughout Scotland as part of the research presentation.
The links above take you to a short film clip (rendered in a variety of formats), summarising the key stages of the Interactive's operation. (We are currently making a new series of films, which will go into more detail on each section of the CCSI.) The following diagrams, some of which feature in the research show, may be useful in understanding the basic aspects of CCS. |
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Smidge
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One example of this is Advanced Pest solutions, founded in 2004 by Dr Alison Blackwell, an internationally-recognised authority on biting insect biology, "to address pest- and disease issues in a number of key market sectors, including: leisure and tourism; livestock farming; agricultural pathogen and pest control" [company website] One of the areas in which APS is active is in the development of new methods of repelling insects, including the Scottish midge, something with which many of us are all too familiar, having taken holidays in the North-west of Scotland at the wrong time of year... As well as marketing new forms of repellent sprays, APS operates the Scottish Midge Forecast, which keeps track of the midge population across the country. Find out more about the company, and in the forecast, at the links below. |
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The Large Hadron Collider
Understanding the Universe: a journey to the heart of matter |
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…welcome to CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, and the world’s largest particle physics centre, where thousands of scientists and engineers from eighty-five countries work together to study the building blocks of matter and the forces that hold them together. Over the years, CERN has created a unique set of interlinked accelerators. These complex machines accelerate beams of particles, and let them collide to create high-energy conditions similar to those during the first instants of the Universe. The higher energies available to the LHC and its detectors will allow scientists to investigate new properties of matter. In particular, it may be possible to create (and then detect) the particle which is believed to give all other particles their mass, the Higgs Boson. Another goal is to better understand why our universe is dominated by matter: where has all the antimatter gone? One detector in particular LHCb is intended to carry out studies into this area, and the University of Edinburgh is part of the investigating team. |
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Stem cells for transfusions
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From the project website: In this project scientists are working together to generate a limitless and infection-free supply of red blood cells in the laboratory from human embryonic stem cells for use in clinical blood transfusion. Started in 2009, the project will run until 2012. Blood Transfusion has become a mainstay of modern medical practice. However, problems persist both nationally and internationally in maintaining an adequate supply, managing the risk of transmission of infectious agents and ensuring immune compatibility between donor and recipient. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have unique properties in that they can be maintained indefinitely in culture in an undifferentiated state and yet retain the ability to form all the cells and tissues within the body, including blood cells. They therefore offer a potentially limitless source from which to generate red blood cells for clinical transfusion. Click on the links below to find out more. |
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