Canterbury Christ Church University |

The Lord Mayor of Canterbury opens an international conference hosted by the Department of Geographical and Life Sciences

The Lord Mayor opened on Sunday 14th August 2011 a major international conference on urban transformations. A week-long event, organised by the International Geographical Union’s Urban Geography Commission (affiliated with the United Nations) and hosted by Canterbury Christ Church University, is attended by 50 experts on urban geography from over 20 countries from around the world.

 

The Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Councillor Ian Thomas (centre), with Professor Christian Matthiessen (of Denmark), the President of the IGU’s Urban Geography Commission (left), and Dr Dan Donoghue (right), the local host and Director of Urban and Regional Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University, at the opening ceremony in Augustine House (Photo by Martin Sokol).

 

Plenary session of the conference in the Old Sessions House (Photo by Martin Sokol).

 

Dr Dan Donoghue, Director of Urban and Regional Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University, at the opening session of the conference (Photo by Martin Sokol).

For further information, please contact Dr Dan Donoghue, Department of Geographical and Life Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University

Email: daniel.donoghue@canterbury.ac.uk

Sponge Identification Course

The University's Geographical and Life Sciences Department contributed lab equipment and advice on laboratory technique to support a two day sponge identification course.

The 2009 Marine and Coastal Access Act, which has just come into force, prioritises the identification of areas of the sea that need to be conserved. By learning to identify and record sponge colonies the nature of marine life and potential threats to their environment can be assessed. Equipping divers with the skills to identify the organisms living on the seabed provides an important source of information in highlighting the identification of such zones.

Phil Buckley, Lecturer in the Department of Geographical and Life Sciences said: "The sponge course was a great success. It educated both divers and seashore surveyors in the identification of sponges, which can help to assess areas of our coastal waters that might be under threat. 

Participants of the Sponge Identification Course.

"Sponges are one of the simplest and most ancient forms of life that inhabit our planet. However, they are not the easiest group to identify and they are often disregarded during marine surveys. Running courses like this means that sponges can finally be investigated further.

"Several species were identified that have not been previously recorded in the area, so hopefully we can now start to lift the veil on this mysterious group."

The two-day course, led by Chris Spurrier an expert from the National History Museum, was run in conjunction with Kent Wildlife Trust and Seasearch. It involved diving in the channel to collect sponges, then returning to the shore base to identify them.

Bryony Chapman from Kent Wildlife Trust organised the event. She said: "The logistical support provided by Canterbury Christ Church University was vital to the successful running of the weekend. Without the microscopes and equipment loaned by the University the course would not have been possible."

"Brazil Connections": looking towards the future

On Friday 7th of May the Dept of Geographical and Life Sciences hosted a special edition of its annual Research Conference, entitled "Brazil Connections" (organized by Adriana Consorte-McCrea and Phil Buckley) to coincide with the visit of a team of researchers from the Geosciences Department of the Campinas State University (UNICAMP), one of the most prestigious universities in Brazil.  This visit is the latest in a series of events that have been taking place since August 2007 to promote a bi-national exchange of knowledge and research opportunities between both departments.

During their visit from the 4^th to the 7^th of May Prof. Sueli Y. Pereira and Prof. Fresia Ricardi-Branco, accompanied by Fabio Branco from the Brazilian NGO EnvironMentality, were welcome by members of the department, visited the South Downs and attended strategy meetings to discuss future collaborations between the two universities.  

During the Conference, Prof Sueli Pereira presented research work developed by her and research students on the issues related to the disposal of vinasse from ethanol and sugar production, which affects soils and groundwater quality, in the Guarani Aquifer, São Paulo, Brazil. Prof. Fresia Ricardi-Branco presented research on a Geotechnology perspective of plant debris accumulations in the Black River sub-basin, Itanhaém, São Paulo, Brazil, by herself and research students. Both professors also presented posters about research currently developed by their research students. For those who missed the past event, these posters will be on display once more during the upcoming PGRA Conference on Thursday 17th June on the theme 'The Adventure of Research'.

The Geographical and Life Science department was represented by Simon Harvey (Dispersal decisions in species reliant on ephemeral resources), Georges Dussart (A ten-year overview of the Stour estuary monitoring project), Dave Ponsonby (Non-destructive sampling strategy for quantifying the spatial distribution of sap-sucking insects in heterogeneous environments), Lee byrne (NMR analysis and internal dynamics within the ligand-binding domain of human protein disulphide isomerase). Special guest speakers were Mike Nicholls (Decline, extinction and re-colonisation of the peregrine falcon (Falco p. peregrinus) on the Sussex coast: 20-21th centuries) and Geoff Meaden (GIS in the English Channel), who has visited the Campinas State University in 2007, at the beginning of the partnership's conversations.

One of Prof. Fresia's MSc students, Isabel Cortez C. de Souza will be staying for 8 weeks, based in the Geography lab. Isabel is researching the Neopaleozoic Phytogeography of the Glossopteris flora in the Paraná River basin, Brazil, using a GIS approach. We hope she will benefit from contact with other researchers within the department and from being involved in departmental activities, and hopefully also make good friends here!

As a result of this visit, funding opportunities will be explored to allow research students from the Brazilian university to join members of the Geographical and Life Sciences department and develop research projects in the UK, as well as for the department's research students to develop research work in Brazil in connection to the Geosciences department of the Campinas State University or in conjunction with the Forestry Institute in São Paulo state (the third partner institution). The bi-national initiative was named "Brazil/UK Biodiversity Reconstruction Forum", bringing forward an emphasis on biodiversity and environmental studies to be developed in the future.

Photos of the Research Conference "Brazil Connections"

For more information or if you want to join the Forum's working group, please contact:

Space invaders and the Blue Banana

 Members of the Department of Geographical and Life Sciences were the key note speakers at the Medway Schools 6^th Form Geography Conference held in March. The event was run in collaboration with Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, a humanities specialist school. The conference focused on 'Kent's changing environment' and students were introduced to a series of critical issues facing Kent and its environment in the coming decades. Dr Phil Buckley and Prof Peter Vujakovic addressed the issue of biodiversity and the problem of 'space invaders' - alien species such as the signal crayfish and the mitten crab that threaten our native plants and animals. Dr Buckley noted that "one way to address the problem was to eat our way out of it" – noting that restaurants in Hong Kong and Japan charge a high price for mitten crab meat. Their lecture forms part of the Department's contributions to the International Year of Biodiversity, which will also include the Department's traditional Christmas Lecture for schools and the public.

 Dr Peter Thomas spoke on the theme of 'Kent's development gap and the 2009 South East Plan'. His lecture highlighted the crucial importance of geography in understanding problems our county faces despite its apparently central position within Europe's economic core, the so called 'blue banana', which stretches from Milan to Manchester. Dr Julia Maxted's lecture focused on another key environmental threat facing Kentish communities – coastal flooding associated with rising sea levels. Her lecture included a series of specialist maps modelling rising sea levels using specialist geographic information systems (GIS) software. The maps, created by Mr John Hills the Department's cartographer, were originally designed for an edition of 'Inside Out', a BBC One South East television programme that featured another of the Department's staff, Dr Geoff Meaden.

 Prof. Vujakovic noted, "We value our links with Kent's schools and are currently providing two major sixth form conferences a year, catering for schools and colleges across the county. We are grateful to Mr Simon Harris, Head of Geography at the Mathematical School, for collaborating with us and hosting the recent event."

 Mapping Kent's history

A major new publication on the historic development of a Kentish town, Sandwich - the 'completest medieval town in England', was published in March 2010 by Oxbow Books. The production was supported by English Heritage, in association with Canterbury Christ Church University, Dover DC, and Canterbury Archaeological Trust. Christ Church's contribution was largely in terms of a series of maps produced by Mr John Hills, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technician in the Department of Geographical and Life Sciences. John is well known for his cartographic expertise, having been the cartographer responsible for the bespoke maps in the Historical Atlas of Kent (Kent Archaeological Society, published in 2004).

Prof. Peter Vujakovic, Head of Geographical and Life Sciences, said "We are extremely proud to be associated with this new publication and in particular, of John Hills' contribution. It is a superb document, with expert discussion supported by high quality photography and illustrations. The origin and development of Sandwich is as much a matter of geography as history, and John's cartographic expertise brings to life these aspects of the development of a key Kentish settlement."

Sandwich - The 'Completest Medieval Town in England': A Study of the Town and Port from its Origins to 1600, by Helen Clarke, Sarah Pearson, Mavis Mate and Keith Parfitt, with documentary research by Sheila Sweetinburgh and Bridgett Jones,352p, b/w & colour illus throughout (Oxbow Books 2010). Contributions to cartography by John Hills, Deaprtment of Geographical and Life Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University.

http://www.oxbowbooks.com/bookinfo.cfm/ID/88226//Location/Oxbow|

2009 Christmas Lecture

Prof. Dick Vane-Wright, formerly Keeper of the Entomology Department at the Natural History Museum, talked about:

Darwin, Darwinism and Butterflies

This excellent lecture was well supported by staff and students from the university, as well as members of the public.

Anglo-Spanish Geography Conference

The Department of Geographical and Life Sciences provided significant input to an international research conference held at Canterbury Christ Church University in July. The joint conference of the Royal Geographical Society Rural Geography Research Group and the Spanish Grupo de Geografia Rural was organised by Professor Guy Robinson of the University of Adelaide, the Chair of the RGS Rural Geography Research Group. The conference examined a range of issues relating to contemporary change in European rural communities and agricultural landscapes, including the possible impacts of climate change.

As well as the field visits, the conference also included paper sessions in which delegates presented the results of their own research. The presentations included a paper by Peter Vujakovic on the importance of 'landscape, place and belonging' in the work of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, as an introduction to a showing of their film 'A Canterbury Tale' (1944).

Geography at Canterbury comes top of the class again!

The 2007 National Student Survey is the largest assessment of student opinion undertaken in the UK. In 2007, 177,000 final-year undergraduates in British universities were given the opportunity to comment on their experience.

In the 2008 Survey, we again achieved a higher satisfaction score than any other subject in this university and, in the Human and Social Geography category, we were ranked first equal among British universities on the basis of Overall Student Satisfaction.

Results of the 2007 National Student Survey

Results of the 2008 National Student Survey

6th Form Geography Conference

The University's second Sixth-form Geography Conference was held on 22 October 2008. Students from local sixth-forms spent an afternoon at the University, attending lectures on a range of topics in physical and human geography. As well as covering topics of direct relevance to the 'A'-level geography syllabus, lectures also referred to recent research by members of staff and highlighted geography's appeal, as a relevant and topical subject to study at university level. 

Christ Church Cartographer wins National Geographic award

The New Mapmaker Award is open to those people who have been engaged in the preparation of maps for up to two years, including college students and new employees in commercial firms or government. The award is made with the generous support of National Geographic Society, of the United States, which has been promoting geography since 1888. Alex was presented with his award at the BCS's Annual Symposium in Chester, in early September.

The Department of Geographical and Life Sciences has a successful record of research and consultancy in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and cartography. Research includes environmental and fisheries management, and aspects of map design including maps in the news media, education and for disability access, and the politics of cartography.

Enquiries should be directed to Professor Peter Vujakovic for issues concerning cartography and map design, and to Dr Geoff Meaden and Dr Corinne Martin in regard to GIS and environmental management/fisheries research.