Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Alumnus profile #6 – Dr Sam Engwell

Dr Sam Engwell Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher, INGV PhD title “Dynamics and Deposits of Large Explosive Eruptions”     1) The Twitter Challenge: Describe your PhD in 140 characters Investigation of eruption processes during supereruptions by analysis of deposits in deep-sea sediments.

Science Snap (#33): Earth Science Week

James Hickey is a PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. A geophysicist and volcanologist by trade, his PhD project is focussed on attempting to place constraints on volcanic unrest using integrated geodetic modelling. Earth Science Week is an international initiative to promote the great work that goes on in …[Read More]

Science snap (#32): Coral currents

KT Cooper is a PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. A carbonate geochemist by training, here she dives into the world of corals. Coral is misunderstood. It may look like a beautiful underwater plant, and for a long time it was thought to be one, but is in …[Read More]

Things I wish I knew when I started my PhD…

James Hickey is a PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. A geophysicist and volcanologist by trade, his PhD project is focussed on attempting to place constraints on volcanic unrest using integrated geodetic modelling. As the academic year begins again, new PhD students across the country (and further) are …[Read More]

Phreatic eruptions – the silent assasins

The recent eruption of Mt Ontake, Japan tragically killed at least 50 hikers who were on the volcano at the time. Within hours of the eruption taking place, social media was flooded with first-hand video footage illustrating just how close many survivors came to perishing in an onrushing pyroclastic flow. Despite having a sophisticated seismic …[Read More]

HGVs – Henceforth Gas Vehicles?

This post was inspired by my recent attendance at the ADBA UK Biomethane & Gas Vehicle conference. You may not own or drive a car, but it is almost inevitable that part of your day-to-day your is delivered by heavy goods vehicle (HGV). That Amazon parcel, the food you bought in the supermarket, the pint …[Read More]

Coral, wanted dead and alive; a brief excursion into the world of coral science

  Today we have a guest post from Dr. Peter Tomiak who delves into the life and death of corals… I completed my undergraduate degree in Biology and Geology at the  University of Bristol in 2008. Subsequently I undertook a sponsored internship with Save The Elephants, in Samburu National Park Kenya, before starting a short term position alongside Prof. Adrian Lister …[Read More]

Plastic packaging – a horror film

Zero Waste Week is an opportunity to reduce landfill waste & save money. In its seventh year, the week runs 1st – 7th September 2014. The theme is “One More Thing” – what one more thing could YOU do? Find out more at http://www.zerowasteweek.co.uk/ or on Twitter using #zerowasteweek Ever since I spent a summer …[Read More]

Science snap (#31): Mammatus clouds

After all the thunderous weather this weekend and being British, I thought I’d do a weather themed science snap. Don’t bolt yet; it’s a volcanic-weather themed! This is a picture of mammatus clouds following the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. These clouds are pretty rare, unusual and distinctive. Formally, the Glossary of Meteorology …[Read More]

Science snap (#30): Aust Cliff, Gloucestershire

One of the most fascinating things about geology is its ability to reveal global events from evidence contained within a single outcrop. The cliff exposure at Aust in Gloucestershire, UK, is a spectacularly colourful example of this. Located beneath the original Severn Bridge, and running alongside the Severn Estuary, the 40m tall rock face records …[Read More]