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Faculty of Science
Local Member of Parliament gets in astronomer's shadow
Rugby and Kenilworth MP Jeremy Wright is taking part in a Royal Society-run scheme to pair MPs with active research scientists. The aim of the project is for politicians and scientists to develop an insight into what the other does and to introduce more of an understanding of science into politics and government. Jeremy Wright has been paired with Dr Danny Steeghs, Assistant Professor and Advanced Fellow in the Astronomy & Astrophysics Group in the Department of Physics.
Danny recently spent a week in Westminster shadowing Jeremy in parliament and Jeremy spent some time in January watching Danny at work in the University.
Fourth Multi Million Science and Innovation Award
The University has just been awarded £4 million under the government's Science and Innovation scheme to develop a new Centre in Analytical Science. The Centre will develop new analytical approaches and use the very latest technology and techniques in scientific measurement and data analysis. The Centre will bring together scientists from broadly across the University to pool their expertise being led from Chemistry, but including computer scientists, physicists, life scientists, medical researchers, statisticians and engineers.
Together they will work with the latest data analysis techniques and advanced equipment such as mass spectrometers and state of the art microscopy that open up new understandings on a vast range from drugs and cell biology to plastics to nanoscale sensors.
This is not the Science and Innovation Awards Scheme's first award to the University. It has been previously successful in three bids to create new centres of excellence in statistical methodology, discrete mathematics and fusion plasma physics. This makes Warwick one of the most successful universities at winning bids under this national programme and signals Warwick's vigorous commitment to building UK science capacity in partnership with Research Councils and HEFCE.
Million pound Christmas present for university researcher
University of Warwick physics lecturer Dr Rachel Edwards received a Christmas present worth over a million pounds to fund her work as a young researcher. At the end of 2007, the European Research Council made awards to what it considers to be the brightest young and rising researchers to help them create their own research teams.
Dr Rachel Edwards has been awarded around 1.6 million euros (just over £1 million) to create a new research team around her work in 'non-contact ultrasonics'. Dr Edwards and her team will use ultrasound to test the integrity of such things as railway lines and pipe networks, as well as investigating the properties of new materials.
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