Latest News
Tropical Ecology Research Group - Tropical Festival - A Shiny Success
A group of PhD students from Lancaster Environment Centre's Tropical Research Group recently organized a vibrant and colourful Tropical Festival in The Gregson Community Centre in Lancaster.
20th Annual GIS Research UK (GISRUK) Conference
Over 160 delegates from 14 countries including the USA, China, Japan and New Zealand attended the 20th annual GIS Research UK (GISRUK) conference held at Lancaster University between 11th and 13th April 2012.
£100,000 Eco Innovation opportunities for ambitious businesses in the North West
Businesses have until June 11th to register for funded research and development from a new Centre for Global Eco Innovation in the North West.
Volunteers Wanted for Research Project on Everyday Life and Travel
What do you do if your train breaks down or the road is blocked by snow or a fallen tree?
Lancaster University signs MoU with University of Benin
On the 29th and 30th of March, LEC hosted a visiting party from Nigeria, which included Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, Director of the National Centre for Energy and Environment (NCEE) of the Energy Commission of Nigeria Under the Presidency, and Prof. Anthony B. Ebeigbe, Director of Exchange and Linkages, University of Benin, Nigeria, who also represented the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof. O.G. Oshodin (a key driver of this initiative).
LEC wins Queen's Anniversary Prize for University
The development of water saving techniques for agriculture which have helped farmers in some of the driest regions of the world , has won Lancaster University a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. It is the third time the University has received one of these prestigious awards.
The Prizes, announced on the 18th November, highlight world-class work taking place in higher and further education, in Lancaster’s case its contribution to one of the biggest challenges facing humankind - feeding seven billion people against a background of climate change. The prize winning research has been developed by a Lancaster team of plant biologists, led by Distinguished Professor Bill Davies in the Lancaster Environment Centre, who have shown how the signals that roots in drying soil send to the shoots can help plants cope more successfully with drought and produce better yield. This new understanding of how plants reacts to stress has now been exploited with the agriculture industry by the group working in collaboration with researchers around the world. Water saving approaches to irrigation and to the management of crop production have resulted in significant water saving and better crop production in regions of the world which suffer water scarcity. This means increased profitability for farmers and better conditions for people living in challenging environments which are becoming even more challenging as the climate changes.
Lancaster science has been used to develop new systems to grow cereals in North China, grape vines and top fruit in Australia and in viticulture and vegetable production around the Mediterranean and in the USA. New water saving techniques have also been developed with the UK horticultural and agricultural industries. The Lancaster team has trained a large number of research biologists who work around the world on projects aimed at contributing to food security. The prize also recognises the teams work with industry in passing on new knowledge through training programmes and partnerships run through the University’s specialist environmental business centre, the first of its kind in the UK.
Lancaster University’s Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings said: “The Lancaster Environment Centre is working at the forefront of science and is helping to provide real solutions to the challenges of climate change . We are absolutely delighted that this exceptional contribution has received such prestigious recognition." This research also won the coveted Times Higher Research Project of the Year 2009.
Upcoming Events
The Effects of Nutrition on Immunity and Disease in Insects
Professor Ken Wilson, Lancaster Environment Centre
Wednesday 16th May 2012, 1600-1700
LEC Training Rooms 1 And 2
LEC Seminar
Evidence-based medicine as a model for resolving controversies in the evaluation of chemical safety
Paul Whaley, Chemicals Policy Research & Communications, Messagewright
Friday 18th May 2012, 1500-1600
LEC Training Rooms 1 And 2
Today, chemicals policy is increasingly mired in almost endless and unresolved controversies about the safety of many substances on the market. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a striking example of how a massive research effort has failed to end debate over a substance's toxicity, with governments alternately reassuring their publics about its safety or placing restrictions on its use, while scientists, expert committees, and industry and environment groups disagree about the risks it poses to health.
Developing guidelines for good practice in involving stakeholders when coping with uncertainty in managing catchment change
Wednesday 23rd May 2012, 1000-1600
LEC Training Room 2
This workshop will draw out some of the key learning points regarding the nature, significance and handling of uncertainty in catchment management decision-making drawing on experiences in Ryedale, Loweswater and the Demonstration Test Catchments (DTCs). We will attempt to translate these into clear and practical messages for the catchment management community to serve as guidance on 'coping with uncertainty in decision-making'.