SCIENCEiIN PpARLIAMENT - The Parliamentary and Scientific ... · Chairman, Parliamentary and Scientific Committee CONTENTS The Journal of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee

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The Journal of theParliamentary andScientific Committee

www.scienceinparliament.org.uk

This is not an officialpublication of the House ofCommons or the House ofLords. It has not been approvedby either House or its Committees.All-Party Groups are informal groups ofmembers of both Houses with a commoninterest in particular issues. The views expressedin this Journal are those of the Group. This Journal isfunded by the members of the Parliamentary and ScientificCommittee.

Science in Parliament Vol 73 No 1 Spring 2016 1

SEVEN WAYS TO SAVE OUR SOILS 2Helen Browning

OUR BATTLE WITH SUGAR – 4MAKING THE SCIENCE FAMILY FRIENDLYDr Alison Tedston

LIGHTWEIGHT DRONES IN 6ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCEDr Karen Anderson

DOES SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY INCREASE THE 9RISK OF INADVERTENT OR MALICIOUS RELEASE OF HIGH-VIRULENCE PATHOGENS?John McCarthy

REPAIRING THE PIPELINE OF NEGLECTED 11DISEASE VACCINESPeter J Hotez

ZIKA 13Professor Jimmy Whitworth

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2016 19

WOMEN IN SCIENCE – 21SO WHAT?

AUTHENTIC BIOLOGY – MAKING STEM REAL 22IN SCHOOLSDave Colthurst

FLOODING: WHAT IS NORMAL? 25Professor Paul Bates

OUR APPROACH TO FLOOD RISK 27MANAGEMENTDavid Balmforth

WEATHER DIPLOMACY 30

POPULATION, POLICY AND PRACTICE 31PROGRAMMEProfessor Tim J Cole

SCIENCE AT DAVOS 34

BRITISH SCIENTISTS HONOURED WITH 37PRESTIGIOUS NEUROSCIENCE PRIZE

UK-TURKEY YEAR OF SCIENCE AND 38INNOVATION 2015-2016

INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC EXCHANGE 40PROGRAMMES – BETTER SCIENCE, DEEPER LINKS

IS OUR AIR FIT TO BREATHE? 42Cheyenne McCrae

HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT 43COMMITTEES 2015

HOUSE OF LORDS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 46SELECT COMMITTEE

PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE OF 46SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (POST)

SCIENCE DIRECTORY 48

Stephen Metcalfe MP, Chairman, Parliamentary andScientific Committee

CONTENTS

The Journal of the Parliamentary andScientific Committee.The Parliamentary and ScientificCommittee is an All-PartyParliamentary Group of members ofboth Houses of Parliament and Britishmembers of the European Parliament,representatives of scientific andtechnical institutions, industrialorganisations and universities.


Science in Parliament has two mainobjectives:1. to inform the scientific andindustrial communities of activitieswithin Parliament of a scientificnature and of the progress ofrelevant legislation;

2. to keep Members of Parliamentabreast of scientific affairs.

The Treasury’s recentannouncement about theintroduction of a sugar tax hasreceived a mixed response. Thenew levy on the soft drinksindustry is welcomed by healthcampaigners, reflecting a boldand important move towardsreducing childhood obesity. The£520m a year it is expected toraise will be used to boost sportin schools and fund breakfastclubs at 1,600 schools inEngland. If the money raised isused wisely, initiatives such asthese will undoubtedly bebeneficial to encouraginghealthier lifestyles from a youngage.

Naturally, those that condemnthe decision are from the UKsoft drinks industry which isreported to be worth £15.7billion. Speaking from my ownexperience, the closure of theBritvic factory in Chelmsford in2014 was a sad day for the areawith many in my constituencylosing their jobs. It will beinteresting to see the impact ofthe tax on small independentdrinks companies.

The tax will be exclusively onsoft drinks, which leads me toquestion, where does this leavethe fruit juices, smoothies andmilkshakes which are also highin sugar? Many are unaware ofthe specific foods and drinks thatare naturally high in sugar. This isan important point that Dr AlisonTedstone illustrates in her article.Perhaps technology is theanswer? Public Health England isleading the way with their sugarsmart app which helps familieskeep track of how much sugar isin certain foods.

Some interesting alternativesolutions have been proposed tohelp tackle the issue of obesity.Shirley Cramer, chief executive of

the Royal Society for PublicHealth, calls for “activity labelling”on pre-packaged foods as sheargues that the current “trafficlight” food labelling system is notpromoting positive changes inpublic health.

Amidst the debate over sugarconsumption, one voice whichhas largely ignored in the debateis the sugar beet farmer. Sugarbeet growers are already facedwith a challenging outlook, andthey are now concerned aboutthe impact of the sugar tax onthe crop’s economics. With thesugar tax not due till 2018, thereis plenty of time for the softdrinks manufacturers and beetfarmers to prepare for solutionsthat will cause minimal impact tothe industry.

Science in Parliament Vol 73 No 1 Spring 20162

SEVEN WAYS TO SAVE OUR SOILSFranklin D. Roosevelt stated in 1936 that ‘The history of everynation is eventually written in the way in which it cares for itssoil’. Certainly many great civilisations have crumbled alongsidetheir soils,1 degraded through years of cultivation to the pointwhere food production was not viable.

Sadly – despite all our moderntechnology and scientific know-how, we are at risk of repeatingancient mistakes. Soildegradation is happening at aglobal and UK scale, and theimpacts of this in the long-term,if left unaddressed, would becatastrophic for our climate andour food production.

The UN designated 2015 to bethe International Year of Soil toraise awareness of this issue.What happened in the UK? Soilsreally have upped theenvironmental and agriculturalagenda; at most conferences, Ihear soil actually mentioned –and repeatedly too.

BUT IN TERMS OF REAL,DEFINITIVE ACTION? The main issue to solve here is

a farming culture where agro-chemicals are seen as the mainsource of fertility andpest/disease control. This iscombined with short-term leasesand the pressure to competewith other global suppliers withlower overhead costs. The result?Short-term and quick-fixmanagement decisions, resultingin high value but soil damagingsimple rotational crop systemswith quick returns. Unintendedconsequences are overlookedand soil health is often forgottenwithin decision making. This hasled to declining UK fooddiversity, weeds which we canno longer control and soils whichare being stripped of theirnutrients and organic matter.

Not enough is happening tosolve this. The upgraded GAECs

(Good Agriculture andEnvironment Conditions) inEngland will not prevent alldamaging operations, let alonepromote widespread positivemanagement. And while soilshould be given the same levelof protection as water and air, anEU Soil Directive is still not onthe table.

We have therefore beenworking on a report to detailhow we can save UK soils. Wewill be presenting not just tofarmers, but also to policymakers and advisors. Here is aquick summary:

COMMIT TO OURTARGET: INCREASE SOILORGANIC MATTERLEVELS BY 20% IN 20YEARSThis is the main target of the

Soil Association’s SoilsCampaign. In other words, wewant to see arable andhorticultural soil organic matterlevels raised by 1% on existinglevels, every year. Currently –levels are actually declining2. Weknow this target is entirelypossible – it is based on whatorganic farmers frequentlyachieve, as found by a meta-analysis of comparative studiesbetween organic and non-organic farms.

Seven ways to save our soils,with some examples of howto do this:

1. Increase animal and plantmatter going back onto fields

Reversing declines andachieving good levels of

organic matter is the key tosoil health. This meansensuring that farms arerecycling more plant andanimal matter back into soils.

Farmers: Learn about theadditional benefits of animalmanure and composts andbring livestock onto arablefarm

Government: Commit to ourSOM target. Stop subsidisingdamaging practices. Increasefarmer awareness.

2. Improve soil healthmonitoring across the UK

Analysing soils is an essentialfirst step to support effectivedecision making on soilhealth, but some farmersneglect to do this routinely.

Farmers: Routinely analyseyour soils, including organicmatter. Test and monitor soilhealth – especially if you arearable.

Government: Using cross-compliance, ensure farmersmonitor soil health and SOMlevels on a representative areaof their farms.

3. Encourage soil organisms

The current focus on chemicalinputs began at a time whenwe did not yet understand theimportance of soil life to needto crop productivity, pests anddisease and the ability to copewith extreme weather. Thisneeds to change.

Farmers: Think about soil lifebefore making decisions. Beinnovative and get involved

with farm trials, on your ownfarm or in a network such asthe Soil Association’sInnovative Farmers.

Government: Invest in R&Don the role of soil biology inyields and carbon/waterstorage. Address regulatorygaps to ensure new pesticidesdo not damage soil life.

4. Cover up bare soil withcontinuous plant cover

You can’t see healthy soil – itis covered by plants. Plantroots hold soils together andencourage healthier soilcommunities through plant-fungal interactions. Benefitsspread beyond the farm interms of biodiversity, carbonstorage, flood and droughtcontrol, and water quality.

Farmers: Use cover crops,green manures, longer grassleys and under-sown crops.Utilise agri-environmentschemes to bring backpermanent grassland whereappropriate.

Government: Introducestricter cross-compliancemeasures. Support research tohelp farmers choose the rightcover crops and ensureknowledge exchange.

5. Bring more trees ontofarmland

Trees reduce erosion, canhelp draw up nutrients andhold soils together. But theycan be valuable assets tofarmers in their own right.

Helen Browning


Farmers: Learn about thevalue of farmland trees fromthe Woodland Trust.Plant/encourage trees onvulnerable soils and roughgrazing.

Government: Createconfidence in agroforestrythrough research and financialsupport.

6. Reduce soil compactionfrom machinery andlivestock

Soil compaction is a majorproblem in the UK3 – it can

lead to increased surface run-off as well as drought stress,fewer grazing days, poor rootgrowth and reduced yieldsoverall.

Farmers: Routinely assessyour soils visually and use thewealth of alleviation practicesthat can reduce compaction

Government: Raiseawareness on the impact ofcompaction on crop andlivestock performance. Have aGAEC standard specifically oncompaction.

7. Design crop rotations toimprove soil health

References

1 http://www.sciencemag.org/ content/342/6158/565.short

2 Countryside Survey Soil Report from2007 http://www.countrysidesurvey.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdfs/reports2007/CS_UK_2007_TR9-revised.pdf

3 Palmer, R. C. and Smith, R. P. (2013)‘Soil structural degradation in SWEngland and its impact on surface-waterrunoff generation’, Soil Use andManagement, 29: 567–575http://eureferendum.com/documents/sum12068.pdf

4 1% SOM = an additional 20,000 to25,000 gallons per acre, or at least225,000 litres per hectare. 0.2-0.4%increase (20% increase on 1-2%) =45000 to 90000 litres. Laura Byrant(2015) Blog: Organic Matter CanImprove Your Soil’s Water HoldingCapacity – covers these calculations andthe assumptions madehttp://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/lbryant/organic_matter.html

5 European Commission Joint ResearchCentre European Soil Portal – ‘key factsabout soil’ http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/projects/soil_atlas/Key_Factors.html

6 Palmer, R. C. and Smith, R. P. (2013)‘Soil structural degradation in SWEngland and its impact on surface-waterrunoff generation’, Soil Use andManagement, 29: 567–575http://eureferendum.com/documents/sum12068.pdf

7 Based on the USA’s EnvironmentalProtection Agencies Greenhouse GasEquivalencies Calculator -http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html

8 Skinner et al 2014 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24061052 foundin a review of 12 comparative studiesthat organic farms emit the equivalentof 492kg CO2e less N20 and take up anadditional 3.2kg CO2e of methane perhectare per year on average.

9 Based on the croppable area of the UKas 4.8m ha https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/355868/structure-jun2014final-eng-18sep14.pdf and totalcurrent agricultural emissions of 53.7 mCO2e https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449266/agriclimate-6edition-30jul15.pdf

It is vital we ensure farmersare able to design diverse,long-term crop rotations thatour soils need.

Farmers: Design longerrotations with more varietiesand catch-crops. Focus onfinancial margins across yourrotation, not just annualmargins.

Government: Introducerequirements on tenants andland owners to ensure soilhealth is not degraded duringtenancies. Change policies toenforce longer rotations for atrisk crops, such as potatoes.

SO WHAT WOULD THEBENEFITS BE IF ALLTHESE AREAS WEREADDRESSED? The benefits go right beyond

soil health and long-termmaintenance or increase ofyields. Farmers would seehugely improved flood anddrought resilience: Fordegrading UK arable soils whichcan contain as little as 1-2% soilorganic matter in total, meetingour target would increase thewater holding capacity bybetween 40-100 thousand litres

per hectare or 4-10 litres per m2

4. Water quality would also be

improved – increasing soilorganic matter levels helpsprotect underground watersupplies by neutralising orfiltering out potential pollutants5.

There would also be less soilerosion and rivers would needto be dredged less: Research in

Southwest England foundaround 4 out of 10 farmsstudied were visibly increasingsurface run-off 6 and there isgrave concern that theproduction of maize inparticular is leading to hugeamounts of soil being eroded.

Lastly, based on what organicfarms can achieve, meetingour target could result inincredible climate changemitigation; carbonsequestration equivalent tothat stored annually by an areaof forest three-quarters of thesize of Wales7. If you includethe reduced N20 soilemissions and the increasedmethane uptake8, thegreenhouse gas savings couldamount to 13% of currentannual UK agriculturalgreenhouse gas emissions 9.


OUR BATTLE WITH SUGAR –MAKING THE SCIENCE FAMILYFRIENDLYDr Alison TedstoneChief nutritionist at PHE

Research shows that the NewYear is a time when people aremore willing to consider makingpositive lifestyle behaviourchanges. As such, it providedPublic Health England with aperfect opportunity to tap intothis January mindset and helptackle a major health challenge:sugar consumption.

As chief nutritionist at PublicHealth England, one of my mainconcerns is the diet of our

children. Following an expert

review of the evidence by the

Scientific Advisory Committee on

Nutrition (SACN) in July 2015, it

was recommended that no

more than 5% of people’s (from

age 2 years and above) daily

calorie intake should come from

free sugars1. For children aged

11 upwards and adults, this is

the equivalent of 30 grams or 7

cubes of sugar per day, based

on average population diets.

However, the National Diet andNutrition Survey (NDNS), showsthat average sugar consumptionis three times higher than themaximum recommended levelin school-aged children andteenagers. The main source ofsugar consumption in children issugary drinks, which have noplace in a child’s daily diet.

The evidence shows that thereis a strong link between havingtoo many sugary foods and

Sources of sugar in the UK – children aged 4 to 18 years

drinks, and becoming overweightor obese. Too much sugar in thediet can result in too manycalories being consumed,leading to weight gain andobesity. Obese children aremore likely to have low self-esteem, be bullied, miss schooland become obese adults whohave a greater risk of developingtype 2 diabetes, heart diseaseand certain cancers.

According to the latest datafrom our National Child

Measurement Programme

(NCMP), almost one in 10

children starting school is obese

and this doubles to almost one

in five by the end of primary

school, which is deeply

concerning. Childhood obesity is

still unacceptably high and much

worse in the poorest areas.

Overweight and obesity is

becoming normalised in children

so it is no wonder that the

evidence tells us that parents

and even health professionalsstruggle to identify when a childis overweight by sight alone.

In addition to obesity, toomuch sugar causes tooth decay.One in three 5-year olds hastooth decay, which is painful andcan lead to having rotten teethremoved under generalanaesthetic in hospital.

There is no doubt sugar hasbeen one of the most hotlydebated and discussed healthtopics over the last 12 months.


UK sugar intake compared to the recommended maximum of 5% energy

The case is clear for us to doeverything we can to helpyounger generations eat ahealthy, balanced diet and havefewer calories and less sugar.

But while the message that toomuch sugar is bad for youseems to be gaining traction,arguably the more importantaspect of this debate is how wehelp families to reduce theamount of sugar they are eatingand drinking.

Turning the scientific evidencefrom the SACN report intosomething that consumers caneasily understand and act uponhas been a key component ofPublic Health England’s latestChange4Life campaign. Ourresearch shows that parents arelooking for a simple way to

understand how much sugar isin the food and drinks they arehaving so they can makeinformed decisions about theirchildren’s diet.

That’s why we developed theSugar Smart app whichvisualises the total amount ofsugar in everyday food anddrinks. It allows families tosimply scan the barcode of over80,000 everyday food or drinkproducts to see how many 4-gram sugar cubes they contain

The app was launched as part

of the wider Change4Life Sugar

Smart campaign which raises

awareness of the new guidelines

on sugar whilst also illustrating

the levels of sugar children are

actually consuming. The

campaign revealed that typical

four to 10-year-olds are eating

and drinking more than 5,500

sugar cubes each year – the

equivalent to the average weight

of a five-to nine-year-old child.

range of further information,

support and engaging materials

available on the Change4life

website.

There is not one definitive

reason as to why children in

England are eating too much

sugar. Obesity has multiple

complex causes which is why a

corresponding range of bold

measures are needed to tackle

this issue – there is no single

silver bullet solution. The

clear demand for tools which

can help people to make

healthier choices. While we

recognise that an app alone

cannot change the behaviour of

the nation, it is a step in the right

direction.

Reference

1 Free sugars are those added to food orthose naturally present in honey, syrupsand unsweetened fruit juices, butexcludes those naturally present inintact fruit and vegetables or dairyproducts.

(total sugar). The technology

supports parents to take control

of sugar consumption and helps

protect their children from the

potential future health

implications of eating and

drinking too much sugar.

Since the campaign’s launch at

the beginning of January,

feedback from app users has

shown that some of the biggest

surprises in terms of sugar

content have come from juice

drinks (as opposed to fruit juice)

and seemingly healthy

afterschool snacks, such as split

pot yoghurts or chilled desserts.

These can contain over five

sugar cubes, taking a four-year-

old child over their maximum

recommended sugar allowance.

As well as encouraging parents

to download the app, we also

believe that it is vital for children

to understand the importance of

a healthy diet from a young age.

With this in mind, we’ve worked

with educational experts to

develop a range of ‘Food

Detective’ teaching resources for

key stage 1 and key stage 2 age

groups. The toolkit aims to help

teach pupils about sugar and

having 5 portions of a variety of

fruit and vegetables every day as

part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Schools will also receive free

Sugar Smart packs which contain

further information about sugar

guidelines and practical

suggestions for families on how

to cut down on sugar. There is a

childhood obesity strategy by the

Department of Health will further

help our efforts to reduce excess

weight in children.

What is clear is that we need to

provide people with the tools to

help them make healthy choices

while also changing the

obesogenic environment in

which we live. Our sugar

evidence report highlights that

while education is important we

need to go much further and

make the healthiest choice the

easiest choice.

The Sugar Smart app jumped

to11 number one on the iTunes

app store and was downloaded

more than a million times in its

first three weeks, illustrating the


The ‘blue marble’ image of theEarth captured by a camera onboard the Apollo 17 missiontransformed the way thathumans understand the Earth.The blue marble became anicon of a new consciousness

and since then, remote sensingof the Earth from space hastransformed scientificunderstanding of Earth systemfunctioning and facilitated animproved quantitative view ofthe life and processes that shapeEarth. Remote sensing data arenow used routinely and withhundreds of Earth observationsatellites in orbit, it is possible tomeasure global dynamic cyclesin near-real time. In the samevein, but operating withinproximal airspace (up to 100 mabove the ground, typically)drone-based remote sensing hasrecently emerged as a new,

rapidly expanding toolkit forEarth and environmentalscientists. Most of theenvironmental scientists in myfield (landscape ecology,geomorphology, hydrology) areusing lightweight droneplatforms (in the sub-7kg take-off-weight category) to collectfine-grained observations 1. Idemonstrated how simpleoverlapping aerial photographsof surface features can now betranslated into three-dimensionalmodels with the help of‘structure from motion’photogrammetry – a processthat translates the two

dimensional information intopoint clouds in threedimensions2,3. Examples frommy own scientific work 4-6, showhow drone-based remotesensing can contribute to theglobal monitoring system andcomplement coarser-grainedsatellite remote sensingobservations. Today, dronesprovide a unique opportunity forscience and society to make astep change in global systemunderstanding, in much thesame way as the launch of thefirst satellite Earth observationsensors did 45 years ago. Thereare three reasons for this:

LIGHTWEIGHT DRONES INENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCEDr Karen AndersonEnvironment and SustainabilityInstitute, University of Exeter


the farmyard buildings, acrossfields and into small streams iscritical effluent flow into nearbyrivers is to be managed andreduced. To provide the bestadvice to the farmer on how toachieve this, an environmentaladviser or consultant requiresfine-resolution data bothtemporally and spatially. Fromsatellites, it is currently notpossible to model topographicvariation around features at afarmyard scale, and yet, this isthe scale at which waterpollution incidents can bemanaged and mitigated mosteffectively. Drones uniquelyprovide a close-range ‘proximal’

1. CALIBRATION ANDVALIDATION.

We know that satellite remotesensing data needs improvedlocal, fine-scale calibration andvalidation across a range of Earthsystems. For example, recentwork has suggested that thereneeds to be a “strategiccombination” of remote sensingand in situ data if uncertainties interrestrial carbon sinks andsources (critical to understandingecosystem responses to globalchange and climatic trends) areto be better quantified andmodelled 7. Such validation canbe achieved by local non-spatialobservations (e.g. meteorologicaldata, flux observations) but isprobably better delivered byfiner-grained spatial observationscollected proximally to theEarth’s surface and at a grainsize appropriate to the patternsdriving the processes. Dronesuniquely provide researchersand citizens alike with a toolkitthat can be readily used for suchpurposes. By fitting sensors todrones that allow similarradiometric remote sensingproducts to be gathered it isthen within reason that satellitedata products can be calibratedor validated using suchapproaches.

2. GRAIN SIZE,FLEXIBILITY ANDRESPONSIVENESS.

Second, current data streams,even from the most capablesatellite systems are often toocoarse in time or space to beable to capture the dynamicsand complexity in crucialenvironmental processes.Resultantly, existing spatialdatasets from satellite systemsare often not useful or suitablefor guiding environmentaldecision making. An example isshown in Figure 1. Imagine thatthis is a dairy farm located in theheadwaters of a sensitivecatchment. Being able to modelthe way that water flows around

viewpoint from which a widerange of features can besurveyed, and with the help ofnew image processing tools, it isalso possible to turn the 2Dphotographs into accurate 3Dtopographic models from whichhydrological flow can bemodelled 2.

3. COST EFFECTIVENESSOF REMOTE SENSINGSURVEY.

Finally, we can gather data fromdrones that cannot be capturedso cost-effectively by othermeans. For example, we aremonitoring the impacts of an

a few hundred pounds, we haveshown that we can deliverequivalent data repeatedly, for afraction of the cost, at user-defined time-steps 5. We areworking with South West Waterto pioneer this approach.

To provide further evidence ofthe cost-effectiveness of drone-based remote sensing over otherapproaches I want to refer to acase study. My group is alsopart of a broad consortiumworking with DEFRA, to exploreand evaluate the potential thatdrone-based surveying offers forsoil erosion monitoring. The role

(Universities of Exeter, Lancaster,Cranfield, Manchester and theBritish Geological Survey) ouraim was to test the effectivenessof new ways of quantifyingspatial soil erosion parametersand therefore provide importantinformation that can help targetoptimal soil conservationpractices. Figure 2 shows somedata from the project whichshows how the spatial modelsderived from drone-basedimaging compare to an existingand widely used method(terrestrial laser scanning, TLS)for quantifying gully erosion in

upland restoration scheme onExmoor which is seeking toimprove downstream waterquality, reduce flooding, andensure water security in theregion. The catchments that wefocus on are around 100 – 200ha in extent. Using piloted surveyaircraft equipped withspecialised laser scanningsensors, thermal imagers andoptical sensors, we havepreviously generated a range ofscientific products describing thestructure and function of theselandscapes 8-11. However, thesedata are very costly to capture(upwards of £10,000 persurvey) and with a drone costing

played by soils in providing well-being to society has been clearlyarticulated in the recent “SoilStrategy for England”. Estimatesfor the UK put the total marginalcost of soil degradation atbetween £206-315 million peryear. Evidence suggests thatthese costs are incurred in manydifferent ways, affecting diverseecosystems and stakeholders,over a range of spatial andtemporal scales. Spatial data atfine resolution are required toquantify the impact of erosion,and to monitor change atlandscape extents. In thisextensive project with a range ofacademic institutions


upland soil systems. The table,shown right in Figure 2,demonstrates how drone dataare processed more rapidly(200% more quickly than TLS),and how lightweight dronesurvey equipment is typically 1%of the cost of TLS equipment,whilst spatial accuracy isequivalent (graph, left).

It is my belief that drone-basedremote sensing data cannotreplace the global extentsurveying that is currentlydelivered operationally bysatellites, drones do provide acomplementary technology thatallows ‘fine-grained’ dataproblems and upscalingquestions to be tackled acrossthe environmental sciences. Myresearch group at the DroneLabof the University of Exeter is notalone. Globally, drone use hasescalated and now, there is alightweight drone on everycontinent on Earth. Figure 3shows the number ofpublications with the words‘unmanned aerial vehicle’ orsimilar term in the title, andinset, the number of citations tothose papers in recent years.Sales figures for drones globallysuggest that this trend willcontinue to increase. Scientistsare only just beginning to realisethe benefits of the self-servicedata potential offered by drones,and it is my belief that this trendwill continue if legislationremains flexible enough topermit activities in this area tocontinue. It is my hope that theUK will remain as one of theworld leading countries in whichdrone-based remote sensing canbe developed, deployed andexplored.

References:

1. Anderson K, Gaston KJ (2013)Lightweight unmanned aerial vehicleswill revolutionize spatial ecology.Frontiers in Ecology and theEnvironment 11: 138-146.

2. Westoby MJ, Brasington J, Glasser NF,Hambrey MJ, Reynolds JM (2012)‘Structure-from-Motion’photogrammetry: A low-cost, effectivetool for geoscience applications.Geomorphology 179: 300-314.

3. Dandois JP, Ellis EC (2010) RemoteSensing of Vegetation Structure UsingComputer Vision. Remote Sensing 2:1157-1176.

4. Puttock AK, Cunliffe AM, Anderson K,Brazier RE (2015) Aerial photographycollected with a multirotor dronereveals impact of Eurasian beaverreintroduction on ecosystem structure.Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems3: 123-130.

5. DeBell L, Anderson K, Brazier RE, KingN, Jones L (2015) Water resourcemanagement at catchment scalesusing lightweight UAVs: currentcapabilities and future perspectives.Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems3: 1-24 DOI: 10.1139/juvs-2015-0026.

6. Anderson K, Griffiths D, DeBell L,Hancock S, Duffy JP, et al. (2016) Agrassroots remote sensing toolkit usinglive coding, smartphones, kites andlightweight drones PLOS One in press.

7. Schimel D, Pavlick R, Fisher JB, AsnerGP, Saatchi S, et al. (2015) Observingterrestrial ecosystems and the carboncycle from space. Global ChangeBiology 21: 1762-1776.

8. Luscombe DJ, Anderson K, Gatis N,Wetherelt A, Grand‐Clement E, et al.(2015) What does airborne LiDAR

really measure in upland ecosystems?Ecohydrology 8: 584-594.

9. Luscombe DJ, Anderson K, Gatis N,Grand‐Clement E, Brazier RE (2015)Using airborne thermal imaging data tomeasure near‐surface hydrology inupland ecosystems. HydrologicalProcesses 29: 1656-1668.

10. Grand-Clement E, Anderson K, SmithD, Angus M, Luscombe DJ, et al.(2015) New approaches to therestoration of shallow marginalpeatlands. Journal of EnvironmentalManagement 161: 417-430.

11. Gatis N, Luscombe DJ, Grand-ClementE, Hartley IP, Anderson K, et al. (2015)The effect of drainage ditches onvegetation diversity and CO2 fluxes ina Molinia caerulea-dominatedpeatland. Ecohydrology10.1002/eco.1643.

Does Synthetic Biologyincrease the risk of inadvertentor malicious release ofhigh-virulence pathogens?

Pathogens are a serious risk to the health of humans, animals andplants, and are consequently responsible for suffering andeconomic damage on a global scale.

John McCarthyProfessor of Molecular SystemsBiology in the School of LifeSciences, and Director of theWarwick Integrative SyntheticBiology (WISB) Centre, University ofWarwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK High-profile epidemics caused

by viruses and bacteria featureall too frequently in the media,thus reminding us of ourvulnerability to attack by themicrobial biosphere. We havelearned that pathogens arehighly adept at adapting tochanges in their environment –the most worrying manifestationof this is their ability to developmechanisms that conferresistance to antimicrobial drugs.There is also concern thatdangerous pathogens might bereleased inadvertently fromresearch laboratories or thatterrorists might incorporate theminto bioweapons. I consider thepossibility that synthetic biologymight enable the developmentand release of (geneticallymodified) pathogens, potentiallywith increased virulence,whereby release could be eitherinadvertent or malicious.

For those not fully familiar withthe meaning of the termsynthetic biology, researchersmanipulate and rearrangeexisting biological systems, or tobuild new types of biologicalsystem that differ from naturallyevolved ones1. The capabilitiesand achievements of syntheticbiology are dependent upondetailed understanding of howbiological systems function.Synthetic biology applies (a newtype of) engineering to biologicalsystems with the intention of (i)

advancing understanding of theprinciples underpinning life and(ii) generating products, devicesand processes that benefitsociety. In doing so, this highlyinterdisciplinary area draws uponmultiple sources of knowledgeand skills from across thesciences and engineering, thuspushing at new (and potentiallyethical) boundaries. Thesynthetic biology community issubject to the same stringent setof health and safety regulationsthat apply to other areas ofbioscience and is committed toexploring the ethical, legal andsocietal aspects of the research.

The core question is whethersynthetic biology has thepotential to create of new typesof dangerous pathogen.Sensitivity around this issue hasbeen heightened by someconfused reporting on a numberof projects involving knownpathogens. This relates, forexample, to the chemicalsynthesis of the poliovirusgenome2 and to thereconstruction of the 1918Spanish influenza pandemicviru3. It is certainly true thatdevelopments in DNA synthesisand assembly methods areaccelerating towards a scenarioin which semi-automatedsynthesis of bacterial and viralgenomes will become feasiblefor many suitably skilledlaboratories. Such genomes

could theoretically include thoseof the naturally evolved Variola(smallpox; against whichvaccines can be readilyavailable) or Ebola viruses.However, the fact that syntheticmethods can enable thegeneration of completepathogen genomes does notnecessarily mean that syntheticbiology providesencouragement, or even ashortcut, to the creation ofbioweapons. As we shall see,this is because constructing asynthetic genome is only one ofa large number of steps that arerequired to construct abioweapon, particularly if this isto be applied on anything otherthan a small scale.

It has been suggested thatcurrent technologicaldevelopments could be leadingto a ‘de- skilling’ of syntheticbiology, thus potentiallyproviding a platform for ‘garagebioterrorism’4. For example, anumber of the procedures thatunderpin the construction ofsynthetic genomes can beperformed by followingestablished protocols and evenusing commercially available kits.However, the tacit knowledgeand expertise that are gained byresearch scientists throughmultiple years of experience informally recognised researchinstitutions remain indispensibleto the successful completion of


whole genome assemblyprojects. In addition, while theongoing development ofcomputational models andalgorithms facilitates systemdesign, these resources do notremove the need for projectmanagement by suitably trainedindividuals. Overall, syntheticbiology is still far from providing(automated) ‘black box’operations that can allowinexperienced personnel to

pathogens is accordingly evenless likely than unintentionalrelease of known (natural)pathogens. But how great is therisk of malicious release ofgenetically modified pathogensin the form of bioweapons? Thereality is that this path is besetwith a whole series ofchallenges in addition to thoserelated to genome modificationand/or synthesis5, and theseadditional challenges can only

especially to the non-expertuser. Equally challenging are themechanisms of weapon deliveryand agent dispersal, both ofwhich pose formidablechallenges when the agent is anorganism that has to remainbiologically active4.

In conclusion, the probability islow that current syntheticbiology methods will provide, forthe malicious user, a significantlyaccelerated path to the

attempts have had littlesuccess6. We shouldcontinuously monitor thesituation over time astechnologies develop further,proactively reassessing thepotential ease of exploitation fornon-experts. Finally, in theinterests of society as a whole, itis essential that public debateabout such issues is fullyinformed by all of the relevantscientific knowledge.

perform complex genomeconstruction projects.

While it is undoubtedlyimportant to maintain a watchfuleye on the potential for misuseof rapidly developing DNAtechnology, this should not beallowed to distract us from thebigger picture. The volume ofresearch being performed thathas the goal of creating variantsof known pathogens is tightlyregulated and therefore limitedin scope and volume.Unintentional release ofsynthetically generated

be overcome through theapplication of multiple skillsoutside synthetic biology (Figure1). One of these challenges ishow to generate very largeamounts of a syntheticpathogenic organism.Construction of a synthetic viralgenome is of little use if thiscannot be packaged into a viable(infectious) virus particle, andthis process has to be scaled upusing advanced technology thatis likely to be expensive, far fromeasy to implement, and whichcan also pose major risks,

production of potent large-scalebioweapons. Indeed, thecommitted terrorist is likely tochoose other, less technicallychallenging, ways of harmingpeople. However, this does notmean that we should ever becomplacent about the potentialrisk of misuse. We should alsobe conscious of the possibilitythat highly motivated (and well-funded) groups might attemptthe dissemination of pathogens(not necessarily synthetic) on asmall scale, although it isnoteworthy that previous

References

1. Khalil & Collins Nature Rev Genet 11(2010) 367-379;

2. Cello et al Science 297 (2002) 1016-1018;

3. Tumpey et al Science 310 (2005) 77-80;

4. Jefferson et al Frontiers in Public Health2 (2004) 115;

5. van Aken & Hammond EMBO Rep 4(2003) S57 – S60;

6. Danzig et al (2011) Aum Shinrikyo:Insights into How Terrorists DevelopBiological and Chemical Weapons.Washington DC: Centre for a NewAmerican Security.

Figure 1. A series of technical and logistical challenges determine the overall likelihood of successful construction of a functional bioweapon.The hypothetical ‘progress’ trajectory is depicted as a downhill path since it represents an entirely negative type of potential human endeavour.


REPAIRING THE PIPELINE OFNEGLECTED DISEASE VACCINESPeter J Hotez

Let’s briefly review what

happened – the fundamental

science for developing the

adenovirus-vectored Ebola

vaccine was published in 2003;

the VSV-Ebola vaccine a few

years after that. But the

technology waited a decade until

the African situation became

dire, and the US Government

put up close to US$100 million

through its Biomedical Advanced

Research Development Authority

(BARDA). The funds

incentivized three major

pharmaceutical companies to

further develop these

technologies in order to produce

vaccines for large-scale clinical

testing. By the time clinical trials

commenced in West Africa the

Ebola epidemic was mostly

halted, but not before thousands

perished.

Ebola was a debacle in terms

of how we advance urgently

needed neglected disease

vaccines beyond research

laboratory and into advanced

process development,

manufacture, regulatory filing,

and clinical development. Our

technical capacity has outpaced

our financial and social

instruments required to make

vaccines for the poor.

The scary piece of this

dilemma is that Ebola virus

infection will not be the last

catastrophic neglected disease

that we will face. The same

forces that promoted the

emergence of Ebola in West

Africa – poverty, conflict and

post-conflict decimation of

health systems, climate change,

internal displacements and

human migrations – remain in

play. There are at least a dozen

new serious neglected diseases

that require vaccines. They

include vaccines for:

• Neglected diseases in the

Middle East and North Africa,

including the ISIS-occupied

conflict zones of Syria, Iraq, and

Libya, as well as Yemen. Among

them are MERS Coronavirus,

leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis,

and TB, which has seen an

increase amongst refugee

We learned several difficult lessons during the 2014-15 Ebolaepidemics in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. While much of thepost-outbreak criticisms of our global response focused on publichealth preparedness, a critical realization is that we also have abroken system for developing, manufacturing, and testingcountermeasures to combat neglected and emerging infectionslike Ebola.


populations. In some cases

these and other diseases, such

as Chikungunya and Dengue are

also now threatening Southern

Europe.

• Arbovirus infections, such as

dengue fever, Rift Valley fever,

chikungunya, and West Nile and

Zika virus infections. Zika is now

causing significant concern in

Brazil, with potentially very

worrying links with congenital

infections, infants born with

congenital birth defects such as

microcephaly. The virus is

spreading rapidly with more than

one million cases in Brazil,

almost as many in Colombia,

and rapid dissemination to

Mesoamerica and the Caribbean.

Given the propensity of

arboviruses like Zika to affect

people who live in extreme

poverty, there are particular

concerns for the poorest areas of

the Americas, including Haiti,

and even impoverished areas of

the US Gulf Coast. Zika

represents the latest severe

public health and socioeconomic

threat to the Americas.

• Other chronic and debilitating

neglected tropical diseases

(NTDs), such as helminth

infections, Chagas disease, Buruli

ulcer, and mycetoma.

How then do we best close the

technology gap in order to

develop these neglected disease

and NTD vaccines? There is no

one-size-fits-all answer, but there

are several opportunities and

options. First, we need to

recognize that the major

pharmaceutical companies have

an outstanding track record of

developing new drugs and

vaccines, including a few that

target NTDs, as well as malaria

and tuberculosis. But the

failures in Guinea, Liberia, and

Sierra Leone have taught us that

we should not rely only on large

pharmaceutical companies, but

others in the vaccine

development arena. We

urgently need additional actors,

including three types of

organizations with a promising

track record for advancing NTD

technologies:

• Academic research institutes.

In the UK, there are several

important academic research

institutes that are working to

create a pipeline of neglected

disease technologies. A good

example is the Jenner Institute, a

partnership of the University of

Oxford and The Pirbright

Institute. However, there are

many others throughout the UK

and globally.

• Product development

partnerships (PDPs). PDPs are

non-profit organizations that

were established to develop and

test products for NTDs, TB,

malaria, and other neglected

diseases. There are

approximately 20 PDPs globally,

including a half-dozen that are

developing vaccines. Our Sabin

Vaccine Institute PDP in

Houston, Texas, for example has

a pipeline of six vaccines for

NTDs.

• Developing Country Vaccine

Manufacturers Network

(DCVMN). The DCVMN is an

alliance of vaccine developers

and manufacturers in the BRICS

countries, as well as in nations

such as Cuba, Indonesia, and

Vietnam, which is leading

innovation in the Global South to

produce several important

vaccines, many in partnership

with the multinational

pharmaceutical companies, or

PDPs, or both.

We also urgently need new

financing schemes. In a series

of papers published in the Public

Library of Science (PLOS) I

found that most of the world’s

neglected diseases and NTDs

are paradoxically found in the

wealthy group of 20 (G20)

nations (which includes large

middle-income countries such as

the BRICS) together with Nigeria.

The extreme poor who live

amidst the wealthy in these

nations today account for one-

half the world’s helminth

infections, and most of the

dengue, leishmaniasis, Chagas

disease, TB, and other NTDs and

neglected diseases. I have used

the term “Blue Marble Health” to

describe this changing global

health paradigm, with a new

book on the topic forthcoming.

Accordingly, the G20 nations

need to expand their

commitment to fostering and

supporting NTD technologies.

The U.S., UK, Dutch, and

Australian governments, as well

as the EU stand out for their

financial support of vaccines for

the poor. It is especially exciting

to see the UK Department of

Health, Medical Research

Council and Biotechnology and

Biological Sciences Research

Council establishing the UK

Vaccine Network, with £120m of

funding, as part of the £1bn

Ross Fund announced by the

Chancellor in November. The

recent commitment by the

Japanese Government and

partners for a Global Health

Innovation Technology (GHIT)

Fund is also a welcome addition

as are new revenue streams

from the German government.

However, we urgently need the

other G20 countries to also step

up and contribute to NTD

innovation for vaccines. For

instance, the BRICS nations and

other NTD-endemic G20

countries have the capacity to do

much more.

Finally the United Nations

agencies have important roles.

The World Health Organization

(WHO) has established a

product development for

vaccines advisory committee,

while the World Intellectual

Property Organization (WIPO) is

exploring the possibility of

expanding its WIPO Re:Search

enterprise.

Together the G20 nations and

lead UN agencies have

enormous capacity to expand

the pipeline of urgently needed

neglected disease vaccines. Last

year’s Ebola epidemic

highlighted the fact that

neglected diseases and NTDs

are a global security issue that is

every bit as important as wars,

terrorism, and climate change.

We desperately need innovation

in our global response to

produce neglected disease

countermeasures.

Peter Hotez, MD PhD is

President of the Sabin Vaccine

Institute, Texas Children’s

Hospital Endowed Chair in

Tropical Pediatrics, and Dean of

the National School of Tropical

Medicine at Baylor College of

Medicine (Houston, Texas). He

also serves as University

Professor at Baylor University,

Baker Institute Fellow in Disease

and Poverty at Rice University

and U.S. Science Envoy for the

State Department and White

House.

The views expressed are those

of the author and not

necessarily those of the US or

UK Government.



ZIKAZIKA MEETINGMeeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee on Thursday 10 March

Professor JimmyWhitworthDepartment of Infectious DiseaseEpidemiology at London School ofHygiene and Tropical Medicine.Professor Whitworth is co-ordinating the schools’ response to Zika.

ACTIONS ON ZIKA INACTIVE TRANSMISSIONZONE• Public Health Emergency of

International Concern declared

by WHO in February 2016 –

their highest emergency category

– due to the possible links to

microcephaly and GBS, rather

than the infection itself.

Launched a Strategic Response

Framework, which incorporates:

• coordination, surveillance,

care, vector control

• risk communication and

community engagement

• research at global,

regional and country

levels

• $56 million over 6 months

has been requested by the

WHO (World Health

Organisation) for the response in

the active transmission zone

ACTIONS ON ZIKAOUTSIDE ACTIVETRANSMISSION ZONE• Zika virus is likely to be

transmitted and detected inother countries within the

geographical range of competentmosquito vectors, especiallyAedes aegypti – so there is aneed to assess and mitigate therisk of spread by looking at:

• Mosquito distribution

• Preparedness of healthservices

• Anti-mosquito measuresand plans

• Disinsection of aircraft –spraying of insecticideinside planes

• Travel – infected humans or

mosquitos can spread the

infection

INTRODUCTION TO ZIKA VIRUS• Zika was first identified in Uganda – first in monkeys (1947), then in humans (1952). At first

confined to equatorial Africa, then moved into South East Asia and to the Pacific Islands. In 2015 itwas recorded in Central and South America.

• Zika is a flavivirus generally transmitted by the Aedes genus of mosquitoes (these also carrydengue, chikungunya and yellow fever), although some sexual transmission occurs.

• Symptoms of Zika are usually mild and may include a rash, itching, fever, muscle pain andconjunctivitis, however there are two conditions thought to be associated with Zika which areespecially worrying:

– Microcephaly - babies born with small and malformed craniums, and a non-fully developedbrain

• So far an increase in microcephaly cases, other neonatal malformations and adversepregnancy outcomes has been reported only in Brazil and Columbia (about 1000 casesconfirmed)

– Guillan-Barre syndrome – a temporary ascending paralysis, which is seen on recovery froma number of viral infections

• 8 countries have reported an increased incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)and/or laboratory confirmation of Zika virus infection among GBS cases (about 1000reported)

• These additional conditions are only seen in Central and South America, and the Caribbean

• Genetic analysis of the virus showed it arrived in Brazil in 2014, and the geographicaldistribution has steadily widened since. It was not noticed and recorded until 2015.

• There were 1 million cases in Brazil in 2015, and 4 million are expected in 2016.

• Active transmission has been reported in 31 countries.


• 10 countries have

reported imported cases

from this outbreak

• 9 imported cases in the

UK

• Evidence of sexual

transmission and

transmission via blood

transfusion

WHAT IS THE UKGOVERNMENTCURRENTLY DOINGABOUT ZIKA?• Public Health England are

supporting WHO controlactivities through expertassistance

• Contribution to WHOContingency Fund forEmergencies

• Funding research throughrapid response calls (MRC, DFID,EC)

• DFID is:

• helping African countriesprepare for futurepotential spread of Zika

• providing health sectorsupport in Caribbean

• assisting disease

surveillance in SE Asia

• Contributing to outbreak

response in Haiti

WHAT MORE DO WENEED TO BE DOINGABOUT ZIKA?Urgent:

• Develop a reliable

diagnostic test – ideally

we need diagnostics that

can be used at the

bedside to give a quick

answer, rather than in the

lab, but at the moment

any reliable test would be

an advance

• Assess modern anti-

mosquito measures –

currently relying on old

methods

• Assess risks of

microcephaly and GBS –

currently not able to give

accurate risk predictions

• Also need to understandwhen transmission from

mother to foetus occurs

in pregnancy

• Community engagement

and communication –

need to get messages

around risk clear – hard

to do for a disease which

is usually mild, but can

have devastating

consequences

• Need to work out how

best to provide

information and advice on

risks, pregnancy,

contraception, abortion

Medium term:

• Vaccine development –

vaccines are at least 18

months away

• Drug development -

although if developed,

could possibly be

problematic – how do

you persuade people,

especially those who are

pregnant, to take drugs

for a disease which

generally has mild

symptoms?

• Establish host range in

vectors – need to

establish which

mosquitoes could start

acting as vectors

• Plans to care for those

with disability – those

with microcephaly will

need life-long support

QUESTIONS Q: Sir Peter Bottomley –

What was the historic impact of

Zika? Why has it only just come

to our attention?

A: The disease used to be fairly

inoffensive. It was only in

Polynesia (5 years ago) that we

started to see epidemics

Q: Stuart Taylor (Royal

Society) – Is it known when in

pregnancy that birth defects

arise?

A: It is known from studying

Rubella that the first trimester is

the most risky stage of

pregnancy. But early work on

Zika seems to suggest any stage

is risky – Zika infection in

pregnancy has led to miscarriage

at 37 weeks.

Q: Baroness Tonge – have we

seen microcephaly associated

with Zika virus before?

A: It is not thought there were

the same epidemics in humans

before – the virus was mainly

endemic in primates, only 7-

10% of the human population

in endemic areas would have

caught it.

Q: Claire Mouchot (French

Embassy) – does the virus stay

in the body and have longer

term effects?

A: Currently no evidence of

such.

Q: How long after infection is

the virus found in semen?

A: Known to stay in blood in

urine for a week. Longer in

semen, but not known how long

exactly.


THE MAIN VECTORS• Primary vector: Aedes aegypti

– a mosquito species highlyadapted to the urbanenvironment

• Aggressive biters – biteeven through clothing, andwill take multiple bloodmeals

• Bite during day and night,indoors and outdoors

• Do not fly far: ~50m – socontrol measures aroundhomes/schools can beeffective

• Mainly absent from Europe– too cold here

•Secondary vector: Aedesalbopictus

• Less adapted to urbanenvironment – forest dwellers

• Less aggressive biters

• Usually smaller populations

• Can survive in temperateregions

• There are populations insouthern Europe – probablyonly a matter of time beforethey arrive in the UK

• The disease has beenisolated from certain speciesfrom the following genera ofmosquito, but not to the extentto prove them as vectors:

• Anopheles (malaria vector)

• Aedes (other) (vector ofdengue, chikungunya,yellow fever)

• Culex (vector of filariasisand West Nile virus)

WHAT VECTOR CONTROLIS BEING DONE?• Insecticides are used to kill

adult mosquitoes

• Results of ‘fogging’ withinsecticides are often shortlived – resident mosquitoeskilled, but there is influx ofmosquitoes fromsurrounding populations

• More of a PR exercise? Veryvisual, but evidence foreffectiveness is sparse.

• Residual spraying is longlasting but expensive

• Insecticide resistance is anissue – mosquitoes canadapt to survive treatmentwith insecticides

• Can also use insecticides totarget the larvae, which grow instagnant water

• Temephos – resistance hasdeveloped

• Bti and Pyriproxifen showno resistance

• Can also just remove

• But importantly they stillhave a role for thosesleeping during the day – eg.children napping, shiftworkers, those taking a siesta– so should berecommended

• Evidence that vector controlreduces mosquito populations.So it could work in theory butthere are many challenges:

• Resistance

• Education of communities

• Co-ordination andsustainability

• Lack of evidence foreffectiveness in containing

toluamide): a syntheticrepellent - the best andmost widely used. 20-50%concentrationrecommended.Recommended forpregnant women. Safetyproven.

• PMD (p-menthane diol): anatural repellent fromlemon eucalyptus

• Icaridin (Bayrepel):synthetic repellent

• IR3535: syntheticrepellent

➢ Latter three are effectivebut require more frequent

Dr James LoganSenior Lecturer in MedicalEntomology at the London Schoolfor Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,and Director of arctec

Figure 1 - Global map of the predicted distribution of the two main vectors: Aedes aegypti top, and Aedesalbopictus bottom. The maps depict the probability of occurrence (from 0 blue to 1 red) at a spatial resolution of5 km × 5 km. Taken from (Kraemer et al. 2015)

stagnant water fromneighbourhoods – cheap butvery labour intensive

• Water pools in rubbish,tyres, flat roofs…

• Promotion of bed net usage– good for malaria (as the vectormosquitoes bite at night), butnot so helpful for Zika, which isvectored by day bitingmosquitoes

the disease due to lack ofstudies – more researchneeded

• Insect repellents highlyrecommended – providepersonal protection. Are beinggiven out to pregnant women inBrazil by government and clinics.

• Four main activeingredients:

• DEET (diethyl-m-

reapplication than DEET

• However, resistance toDEET has been shown todevelop after just onegeneration in the lab(Stanczyk et al. 2010), soneeds to be monitored inthe wild. Repellents havenot been used on thisscale before, so need towatch closely for

OVERVIEW • Drugs: could assess existinganti-viral drugs - nothing on theshelf as there was with Ebola asit was not seen as a threat

• Could be effective too late tostop effect on pregnanciesbecause anti-virals work bestat early stages of infection

and typically there are little or

no symptoms to prompt

treatment. Also issues in

giving drugs to pregnant

women, and so it is unlikely

that drug therapy research will

be a priority

• Vaccines:

• Progress with DNA vaccine –NIH program has been innews – will have Phase 1trails by the summer

• But who do we target thevaccine at? How do weplan clinical trials andthen scale it up? Issueswith price and access –


resistance.

• Evidence out oneffectiveness of repellentsin controlling disease. Therehave been eight trials ofthe effectiveness ofrepellents against malaria,four of which are adequatefor meta-analysis. Meta-analysis found there was anon-significant reduction of30% in risk of P. falciparuminfection (Wilson et al.2014) - more trialsneeded.

• Aircraft disinsection – cabincrew spray inside cabin withaerosol insecticide. Very littleevidence this works; further trialsneeded – yet recommendations(for usage) have been made.

• Wearable technologies –clothing impregnated withrepellent or insecticide, provide50-100% protection againstbites, and lasts for 4-5 months.Affective even against resistantmosquitoes

• Could be used to protectagainst mosquitoes thattransmit malaria, Zika,dengue and other insect-borne diseases

• Further work underway atLSHTM and via arctec anda new spin-out companyfrom LSHTM calledVecotech to develop thistechnology further

POTENTIAL NEWMETHODS OF VECTORCONTROL• GM Mosquitoes –

developed by Oxitec, a startupbased in Oxford. Engineered tonot produce viable offspring.

• Trials have been carried outin Brazil (several locations),Cayman Islands andPanama. They showed upto 90+% suppression oftotal Aedes aegyptimosquitoes (measured bydirect counting of larvae).

• Over 150 million Oxitecmosquitoes releasedworldwide; no adverseeffects on people or theenvironment.

• Potential issues: Socialdislike, reinvasion of adultsfrom other areas,technology is speciesspecific, scale up is hard

➢ This is not an immediatesolution, but it has potential

➢ There is a goodopportunity now to take thistechnology to the next leveland investigate its efficacyfurther

• Another potential method ofcontrol is the use of the bacteriaWolbachia. This is anendosymbiotic bacteria whichlives inside cells and infects>65% of insects. It is maternallyinherited and manipulates hostreproduction to enhancetransmission. Importantly itinhibits the replication ofDengue, Chikungunya & Zikaviruses in Aedes aegyptimosquitoes.

• Rapidly invades andestablishes in wildmosquito populations

• Released in wild mosquitopopulations in Brazil,Indonesia, Vietnam andAustralia

• This technology is currently

in very early stages – butthis outbreak is a goodopportunity to develop itfurther.

• We may be able to exploithumans’ natural differentialattractiveness to mosquitoes. Ithas been estimated that 10% ofthe population are unattractive tomosquitoes – if we canunderstand why we may be ableto make others unattractive tomosquitoes too.

• This has never beeninvestigated in diseaseendemic countries – againthis is a good opportunity.

• We know that pregnantwomen are more attractiveto malarial mosquitoes – isit the same for Aedes?

• Attractiveness tomosquitoes is under stronggenetic control – so couldthere be populations thathave evolved naturalrepellency? (Fernández-Grandon et al. 2015)

• If the genes can be identified,then a pill could be developedthat upregulates the genes inquestion, and generates an‘aurora of repellency’ aroundindividuals.

NEEDS GOINGFORWARD• Global mosquito database –

currently no global database ofmosquito vectors of disease

• Guidelines & training forvector control in S. America

• Community educationalcampaigns

• Guidelines for vector controlfor mitigation and rapid response

in at risk countries

• Define accurate levels ofresistance to insecticides &repellents

• Development and large trialsof new technologies

QUESTIONSQ: Stephen Metcalfe MP –

Are some countries better atvector control than others?

A: Yes – it’s very much wealthdependant. Different countriesalso have different techniquesthey favour – and these are notnecessarily the most efficient.

Q: Lord Selbourne – Howpractical is it looking to scale upthe production of mosquitoes byOxitec?

A: They think it is feasible, justa matter of getting enoughfunding. They have just built asecond factory in Brazil – will beable to protect 1 million people.Are also able to build temporaryfactories in trucks. However forscale up to be effective theyneed to develop methods ofaerial deployment (currently justthrow mosquitoes out of lorries)– and that will require moreresearch.

Q: Sally Cutter – Do we knowhow Zika virus interacts with themosquito host?

A: Not yet – more researchneeded!

Q: Are there reservoirs in otheranimals?

A: Don’t yet know how widethe host range is – but primatesare definitely important. Rio hasforested areas in the city, whichhold animals which act asreservoirs.

Professor Trudie LangProfessor of Global HealthResearch; Director of the GlobalHealth Network and SeniorResearch Scientist in TropicalMedicine, Nuffield Department ofMedicine; Senior Research Fellow,Green Templeton College


will it be affordable andavailable to the countriesaffected? Vaccinemanufacture is also animportant issue.

• Traditional vaccine – slower –but work was underway todevelop a vaccine for similarviruses like Western Niledisease.

• Need a diagnostic test to use incommunity settings - someprogress has been made, butthere is cross reactivity withDengue or yellow fever

• It is also important to includefoetal scanning in thediscussion on diagnostics.Here standardisedassessments need to beagreed and validated todetermine what is abnormaland what is happening whenin regard to the viral infectionand developing baby. It needsto also be remembered thatvery few women in low-income countries have accessto scans, and that abortion isillegal in most of the countriesaffected by Zika.

What did we learn from Ebolaabout drug, vaccine anddiagnostic research anddevelopment duringoutbreaks?

• Scientists were only just startingto reflect on the Ebola responsewhen Zika appeared – so theyare having to apply lessons fromEbola straight away, before therehas been time to embed theminto international responses.

• In West Africa, for Ebola, therewas very minimal clinical trialcapacity and this slowed theresponse and resulted inoutside organisations havingto take the lead. Researchinfrastructure needs to beimproved in low-resourcecountries so that they areable to respond to outbreakslocally.

• Still managed to set up

trials in 16 weeks (usuallytakes 18 months) – butthis is not fast enough.

• We have to embed researchinto immediate response to anew outbreak in order that thedisease can be understood anddrug and vaccines can beevaluated within the very limitedtime within which an outbreakoccurs

• need to ensure this theresearch effort is coordinatedand led by a neutral agency,such as the WHO, and not byany one country

• WHO have developed an R&Dframework - http://www.who.int/csr/research-and-development/blueprint/en/

• It is important that theresponse is strongly led andkey questions such as towhich studies to priorities asagreed by all. That way allstakeholders are able tocontribute to thedevelopment of response.

• Collaborative efforts with Zikashows the need and importanceof integrated research platforms– which typically cannot getfunded. These need to operateoutside of outbreaks to increaseregional research capacity fortackling on going health issuesand then are able to respond inoutbreaks as they are alreadytrained and active.

• Zika has requiredcoordination betweenmaternal health researchers,epidemiologists, vectorexperts, which just showshow this ability to collaborateand share knowledge viaresearch platforms is soimportant as so manydifferent types of researchand research disciplines areneeded – and they need tocommunicate, share andengage.

• For example, data capturestandards are really

important – eg.InterGrowth are workingto unify how babymeasurements are taken– important if we are tohave worldwideknowledge of the extentof microcephaly. Nowtheir tools – ‘TheInternational Fetal andNewborn GrowthStandards for the 21stCentury‘ - arerecommended by theWHO and 11,728 havebeen downloaded, in 163countries from The GlobalHealth Network(www.TheGlobalHealthNetwork.org ). This meanseveryone is measuring inthe same way, andtherefore can agree whatis abnormal and thesituation can be properlyassessed.

• ISARIC are coordinating aninternational researchresponse and developingsharing protocols and datacapture tools. The GlobalHealth Network is providingISARIC with a secure, online,digital information platformfor sharing these researchdocuments, standards and asa mechanism for agreeingresearch priorities, loggingwho is doing what and forproviding training, tools andguidance - www.zikainfection.org . This work is leadby researchers in Brazil andeverything is translated intoSpanish and Portuguese

• It is vital to put in place theability to undertake research inareas of the world where thenext outbreak is likely to be.There will be others newdiseases and we are not readyfor future outbreaks, because ittakes too long to set up researchstudies

• In 2014 WHO said that unlesslow income countries become

generators rather than receiversof research and data, then weare not prepared for futureoutbreaks. This has nothappened.

• Need a change in mind-set inlow income countries –research seen as a Westernthing. Start with simplepragmatic trials, then build upresearch base. Health andlaboratory workers in theseregions need to be engaged,supported and trained.

• There will be other outbreaks –and we are not prepared. Globaltravel and urbanisation areraising the stakes on a futureoutbreak.

• Therefore it is vital we work todevelop (and get funding for)cross cutting research capacitydevelopment platforms. If wehad these systems in placebefore Zika arose we wouldbe much better able toanswer all these unknownsmuch faster.

• Important that MRC, DFIDand the Wellcome Trustneed to change theirfunding frameworks toreflect this, and fundcapacity developmentand research platformsthat operate in betweenoutbreaks and thereforehave the ability torespond.

• We also need to look atwhat slows the process ofsetting up new studies.Delays such as regulatoryapproval and contractscan be solved ahead oftime and this should beresolved through WHOworking groups runningcross-cutting projects toput solutions in place.

QUESTIONSQ: Stephen Metcalfe MP –

How much of this needs to beglobal?


A: It all does; and the UK takesa key leadership role, such asthe work that the Wellcome Trustis doing. UK Organisations suchas the MRC, DFID and theWellcome Trust work alongsideand in close partnership withWHO and Gates Foundation etc.to drive international effort andcollaboration.

Comment: Stuart Taylor(Royal Society) – There hasalready been a call for freedomof information surrounding Zikaresearch. Nature and Springer[science publishers] have agreed– Zika papers are no longerbehind a paywall.

Response: This is a veryimportant and game changingannouncement – is a huge shiftin the workings of science. But itwill take time to see the fullimpact. Important to rememberthe need to enable thecollection of data in the firstplace, and that it needs to bestandardised and of good qualityso that it is ready for sharing.

WIDER QUESTIONSAIMED AT ALL THESPEAKERSQ: Stephen Metcalfe MP – Is

our government doing enough?

A: JW - The UK is second interms of funding donated (onlythe US have donated more),and have made a considerablecontribution to the contingencyfund for the emergency. But weare not acting in Central andSouth America (instead thefocus is on strategic areas inAfrica and Caribbean) – so thegovernment should think aboutexpanding their response intothe Americas.

A: JL - Also need concreteplans for what to do if Aedesalbiopictus is found in the UK –including where funding for aresponse would come from.Currently the only monitoring isthrough the public sending insamples – not good enough.

• The mosquito has alreadybeen found in France andBelgium – could easily comeover this summer, likeBluetongue disease did lastyear.

Q: Lord Selbourne – IfOxitec’s mosquitoes are sopromising, should the UK beleading on the scale upresearch?

A: JL – Would agree that this isthe time to focus on scale up –but warns that the trials will takearound 2 years, and we needviable control solutions now.Good success from othertechniques too – need to scaleup accessible tech. Conventionaltools should not be ignored.

Q: Tim Roberts (Institute ofPatent Attorneys) – The Nagoyaprotocol of 2014 requires thecountry of sample origin to givepermission for any geneticresearch – does this raisedifficulties for Zika research?

A: JW – At the level we workwe haven’t seen any impact. Butthere has been discussion goingon at high levels in the WHOand Dept of Health. More likelyto have an impact of influenzaresearch? Thought article 4.4 – ifresearch is for global healthresearch in a pandemic then it isexcepted – may be of help.

Q: What are we doing aboutscreening blood products forZika?

A: Minimal risk in UK, so noneed as yet.

A: This is an issue in PuertoRico, and they are having toimport blood from the US.

Q: Baroness Tonge – Is thereproof of the link betweenmicrocephaly and Zika? Could itnot be other reasons – eg. Cropspraying?

A: TL – The link is indeed notproven yet, and ‘normal’ baselevels of birth defects are hard toestablish as recording is limited

in many affected countries.Other factors are important toconsider. Need morebackground research.

• May be that in Africa thehuman population has beenpreviously exposed to Zikaand so there are lower casesof microcephaly becausewomen become immunebefore they reach childbearing age – but this is notproven either.

Q: Dr Jane Pritchard (GAIN) –GBS is treated with bloodproducts, so do we need tomobilise such products fromZika-free areas?

A: The priority treatment forGBS in affected areas incurrently ventilation in the ICU(intensive care unit) – patientsget better over time without theneed for blood products. Buthealthcare facilities are hugelyvariable in Central and SouthAmerica.

Q: Cheryl Tweed – when/whydid all this hit the news?

A: TL – The outbreak waswidely known about in themedical community in earlyDecember, but in the UK thepress were only mobilised whenpatients brought Zika back to theUK. BBC response has beenvery responsible. Greatopportunity to explain whyresearch is needed in lowincome regions of the world andin neglected tropical diseases,which normally gets ignored.

Q: is this incursion into SouthAmerica of a certain subtype ofZika virus?

A: JW – There are two factorsto consider:

• The strain of Zika seen is theAsian strain (not the Africanstrain), which is moretransmissible.

• The Central and SouthernAmerican population is naive– have not encountered the

disease before – so moresusceptible to the disease.

• Hard to say which of thesefactors is more important inthis epidemic.

A: TL – Recent research hasshown that this virus is quitehighly conserved (similargenetically to other strains) – soit seems likely that this hasoccurred because thesepopulations have not previouslybeen exposed to the virus andso the problems arise as womenare being infected for the firsttime when they are pregnant,when the foetal damage isoccurring – but this is still atheory.

References

Fernández-Grandon, G.M. et al., 2015.Heritability of attractiveness tomosquitoes. PloS one, 10(4),p.e0122716. Available at:http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0122716[Accessed February 14, 2016].

Kraemer, M.U.G. et al., 2015. The globaldistribution of the arbovirus vectors Aedesaegypti and Ae. albopictus. eLife, 4,p.e08347. Available at: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=4493616&tool=pmcentrez&rendertype=abstract [Accessed June 30, 2015].

Stanczyk, N.M. et al., 2010. Behavioralinsensitivity to DEET in Aedes aegypti is agenetically determined trait residing inchanges in sensillum function.Proceedings of the National Academy ofSciences of the United States of America,107(19), pp.8575–80. Available at:http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2889326&tool=pmcentrez&rendertype=abstract [Accessed March23, 2016].

Wilson, A.L. et al., 2014. Are topical insectrepellents effective against malaria inendemic populations? A systematic reviewand meta-analysis. Malaria journal, 13,p.446. Available at: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=4246562&tool=pmcentrez&rendertype=abstract [Accessed March 23, 2016].

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2016: Scientific Organisations Celebratethe Contribution of Women

In the UK, many scientificinstitutions took this occasion tocelebrate the increasedparticipation of women in STEM,but also to highlight where achange is required to encouragemore women to take up

leadership roles in science. Inthe light of this year’s IWD,Science in Parliament takes alook at how two scientificorganisations marked theoccasion.

IMPERIAL COLLEGELONDONThe achievements of Imperial’s

women were showcased duringa week-long ‘Women@Imperial’series of events which includedan exhibition, reception evening,

and an outreach event toencourage young women toenter STEM. A public exhibitionof photographs and archivematerial was displayed in theentrance of the Business Schoolto highlight the contribution of


Taking place annually on the 8th March, International Women’s Day (IWD) first started as Socialistpolitical event in 1909. Today, its focus has shifted to being an international celebratory day toreflect on women’s contribution and achievements across a wide variety of sectors, includingscience and politics. The official United Nations theme for this year’s celebrations was “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”, reflecting the UN’s 2030 agenda for sustainabledevelopment goals.

female researchers, pioneeringwomen from Imperial’s history,and female entrepreneurs atImperial.

The exhibition was unveiledduring a reception evening at thestart of week, in which guestsgathered to listen to a welcomeaddress by Imperial’s PresidentProfessor Alice Gast (pictured).Professor Gast said that Imperialis “committed to improvinggender equality, and I lookforward to making progress overthe coming days and months”.She also discussed the risingchallenges that women inleadership positions face in whatshe described as “today’scompetitive, connected andcollaborative environment”.

The week-long celebration wasbrought to a close with anoutreach event to celebrate

women in STEM at Imperial. Thisevent allowed school girls to visitImperial College to meet womenwho work in different areas ofthe College and to understandmore about STEM-relatedcareers. As well as a chance toexperience an inflatableplanetarium, there wereopportunities to meet liveearthworms and other soilanimals.

THE MET OFFICEAs a leading and progressive

scientific organisation, the MetOffice is keen to encouragemore women to consider acareer in meteorological science.The Met Office marked IWD bylooking at the key contributionthat women make to ourunderstanding of weather andclimate. Chief scientists at theMet Office, Professor Dame Julia

Slingo, visited the University ofLeicester to officially open aphotography exhibition, ‘SpaceGirls Space Women’. Theexhibition was commissioned bythe European Space Agency inorder to communicate spacefrom the perspective of femalescientist, engineers and students.

Commenting on her ownscientific career, she said in aninterview with the Met Officenews team: “Throughout mycareer my scientific curiosity hastaken me to many unexpectedplaces: from working in deeplyacademic university researchdepartments to advising the UKgovernment on nationalemergencies. I have alwaysfound the pursuit of researchthoroughly enjoyable, and I hopethat future generations ofwomen and girls find the sameenjoyment in STEM subjects and

are able to follow their owncuriosity as far as they desire.”

Since 2001 the Met Office hastrained 34 women and 30 mento be World MeteorologyOrganisation qualifiedmeteorologists. To continue thetrend of increased participationof women in meteorology, theMet Office has a whole host ofinitiatives in order to recruit morewomen. This includes Met OfficeSTEM ambassadors – of whomhalf are women – who willinspire girls to consider a careerwithin the sector. They are alsoengaging with local communitiesin Exeter (where the Met OfficeHQ is based) by partnering withUniversity of Exeter to put on aSoapbox event on 11 June2016. Soapbox is a public-outreach platform for promotingwomen scientists and their work.

Professor Alice Gast



WOMEN IN SCIENCE –SO WHAT?Woman influencing the ScientificLandscape in ChinaIn the UK only 13% of all those working in occupations classed as STEM (including healthoccupations) are women. Only 21% of the people who studying A-level Physics and 24% ofthose studying A-level maths are woman.1 Although these figures are improving (slowly) the UKhas a long way to go in terms of encouraging and inspiring girls to study science to higher levelsand go on to consider careers in these sectors.

The Science and Innovation Network (SIN) in China agrees, and during the British Embassy’s BeY♀urself campaign throughout March they recognised the achievements of women in societyand in the economy. We have laid out some of the more inspiring stories for you below;

QIN CHUAN, PRESIDENT,CHINESE ASSOCIATION FORLABORATORY ANIMALSCIENCES (CALAS)CALAS co-hosted the 3rd UK-ChinaSeminar on Laboratory Animal Welfarewith the British Government earlier thismonth. Qin Chuan and her team’s

involvement has ensured the annual seminar is now consideredthe top national level seminar in this field. The CALAS Committeeunder her oversight has drafted the first ever Standard for AnimalWelfare in China and it will be published later this year.

JUDY MACARTHUR CLARK CBE,HEAD OF ANIMALS IN SCIENCEREGULATION UNIT (ASRU),HOME OFFICEJudy is a key player in our UK-Chinacollaboration projects on Animal Welfareand Ethics in China, and as Head of ASRUin the Home Office and a former

President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, she is oneof the top scientists and policymakers in the field of animalwelfare. She visited Anhui Province in March for the 3rd UK-ChinaSeminar on Laboratory Animal Welfare and Ethics to promote thereplacement, reduction and refinement of animal use in thelaboratory (the “3Rs”). Judy’s energy and leadership has forgedwarm links with China and supported their authorities inincorporating these international principles into China’s regulationsunder revision.

JUDITH GREEN, NATIONALSPECIALIST LEADER INEDUCATION AND NATIONALSPACE ACADEMY MASTERCLASSTEACHERJudith is an A-level teacher in Physics andChemistry. She holds Advanced SkillsTeacher status, and is one of the top science

teachers in the UK. She works with the UK’s National SpaceAcademy and the European Space Agency to develop newchemistry teaching methodologies using space science. This month,Judith, with the NSA team, launched a programme in schools tooffer teacher and student space science masterclasses in schoolsacross China. In her awe-inspiring masterclasses in China she“cooked up a comet” (pictured).

The people who work in UK’s Science and Innovation Network(which is a jointly funded network by the FCO and BIS works withhost countries on promoting UK Science and Innovation) meet andwork with inspiring woman (and men) every day. Karen Maddocks,SIN officer in Beijing and original author of a blog on this subjectsums up the sentiment I have towards woman in STEM perfectly;‘My hope is that we can live in a world where seeing women inpositions of influence and leadership, including our Senior CivilServants and Ambassadors, can become so universally normal (notjust in the science world) that it is no longer worthy of note, andcertainly not worth a page of this blog’.

Reference

1 https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/uploads/wise/files/WISE_UK_Statistics_2014.pdf


AUTHENTIC BIOLOGY – MAKINGSTEM REAL IN SCHOOLSDave Colthurst Seven years ago, a phone call to the Wellcome Trust triggered a chain of

events that led to the development of a national programme of genuineacademic research being carried out by A-level students in their schools.

The phone call was to see ifanyone would consider fundingthe idea of a school carrying outresearch into a proteinimplicated in the developmentof Multiple Sclerosis. As ateacher and a former researchscientist, I wanted to give mystudents the opportunity to beinvolved in some genuineresearch and I had a new-foundinterest in MS following mywife’s diagnosis with the disease.

The Wellcome Trust has anumber of funding opportunitiesavailable and I was told abouttheir People Awards, sums of upto £30,000 to allow novel publicengagement activities to goahead. I was successful in mybid and MBP2 – the Myelin BasicProtein Project started inSeptember 2008. At the time,our school had about 90students studying A-level Biologyand 50 of them choose tobecome involved in the project.

issues, but we were granted alicence to carry out transgenicwork by the H.S.E. and weretherefore able to work with thehuman gene. Our first step wasto clone the gene into a plasmid

mimic many of the biochemicalpathways in humans, but in anentirely safe organism suited towork in a school.

The project was quite complex,so the students were divided up

The idea behind the projectwas to study human MyelinBasic Protein (MBP). Doing thistype of work in a schoolimmediately raised potential

which we could transfer intoeither E. coli or yeast. E. colimade the DNA relatively easy towork with, but we wanted to useyeast as a model organism, to

into groups which would workon different areas, from bio-informatics, to working withyeast or E. coli, to purifyingprotein, carrying out westernblots and working with DNA.

The work has progressed tothe point that we are nowpurifying human MBP fromyeast and assessing the degreeto which the biochemicalpathways in the yeast havemodified the protein. We havebeen able to use antibodies toprobe the MBP to see whichmodifications have been carriedout and we are now mutatingthe gene to create variant formsof the protein to see what wecan learn about the effect thesechanges have on the ability ofMBP to carry out its function inthe myelin sheath of nerve cells.We are currently preparing amanuscript for submission to apeer-reviewed science journal.

Loading an SDS-PAGE gel

A cohort of MBP2 students, staff and university colleagues


students studying biology in theschool had doubled and we hadabout 100 students involved inthe research work. 65% of ourstudents leaving for universitywere choosing STEM subjects(the national average is around45%).

At this point, the WellcomeTrust wanted to see if this wassimply a phenomenon linked to

The funding allows each schoolto buy a “starter kit” of basiclaboratory equipment with abudget of £6,300. Since eachschool has chosen a differentproject, the exact nature of thisstart-up kit has varied, butincludes such things as breedingtanks for zebra fish, fluorescencemicroscopes, DNA and proteinelectrophoresis equipment,centrifuges and incubators.

Professor Jeremy Farrar addressess the 3rd AB symposium.tiff

Dr Dave Colthurst in the Lab

Students from SPWT present at the 3rd AB symposium

This will allow us to share ourresults with fellow researchersand validate our assertion thatschool students can carry outgenuine, novel research.

At the end of two years, theproject was progressing so well,that the Wellcome Trust granteda second People Award toextend it for a further year. Atthis point, the number of

our school or whether it couldbe replicated in other schoolsacross the country. The grantingof a Biochemical Society Awardin January 2012 saw thecreation of the Authentic Biologyproject, five state schools acrossthe country all carrying out theirown novel research projectsunder the guidance andsupervision of their localuniversity.

Each school also receivessalary replacement costs for asenior teacher and experiencedtechnician for half a day eachper week. This type of projectcould not run as a lunchtimeclub or after school activity, itrequires dedicated curriculumtime for the students, theteachers and the support staff.Finally, each school has anannual consumables budget of£2,000 per year; this covers thecost of plastic ware, chemicals,antibodies and other materials.

Another important feature ofthe project was the holding of anannual Research Symposium.This was an opportunity to bringall the schools together and havethe students present their workto their peers both in talks and ina poster session. We alsoinvited senior researchers to givekey-note lectures to inform and

inspire the students – speakershave included Professor RobinFranklin (Cambridge); ProfessorRussell Foster (Oxford); LordRobert Winston (Imperial) andProfessor Jeremy Farrar (Directorof the Wellcome Trust).

The first Authentic BiologySymposium was held at thePeople’s Palace, Queen MaryUniversity of London, but thesubsequent symposia have allbeen hosted by the WellcomeTrust at their Headquarters inEuston Road. These symposiahave proved to be a fantasticshowcase for the students andclearly demonstrate theeffectiveness and power of thisprogramme.

Who are the other schools andwhat are they researching? TheTapton School in Sheffield isworking with a team from theUniversity of Sheffield and theyare using zebra fish embryos toinvestigate genes associated withheart disease. They are growingthe embryos in the school andusing in-situ hybridisationtechniques to identify thelocation and “activity” of specifictarget genes and their effect onthe normal development of thecirculatory system of theembryos.

The St Paul’s Way Trust Schoolin Tower Hamlets decided tostudy diabetes. Over 85% of


The protein purification team

Students from SLBS present their work at the 3rd AB symposium

their students are of Bangladeshiorigin and diabetes issignificantly more prevalent intheir community. A local GPcollects blood samples fromvolunteers which are thenpassed on to research scientistsat Queen Mary University ofLondon. They purify the DNAfrom the blood and pass thesesamples on to the students inthe school who then use PCR toidentify different variants of theFTO gene. Different versions ofthe FTO gene show correlationswith increased body mass andthis is linked to an increased riskof developing diabetes.

Cotham School in Bristol is alsousing zebra fish embryos andGWAS (Genome WideAssociation Studies) to identifynovel genes involved inosteoarthritis. Working withresearchers at the University ofBristol, they are selecting geneswhich are up-regulated inpatients with osteoarthritis,finding the zebra fish homologueand using in-situ hybridisationtechniques to localise the genesand assess their activity in theembryos.

The fifth school is PeterSymonds Sixth Form College inWinchester. They chose a

is an option of carrying out apractical research project for theEPQ but this is relativelyuncommon. Peter Symondsworked with researchers at theUniversity of Southampton toidentify a range of practicaltechniques that the students

At the end of the initial threeyear grant, the Wellcomeawarded us a two year extensionto the funding which alsoallowed the project to expand toseven schools – we are nowjoined by the Archbishop’sSchool in Canterbury and the

career option. It has providedan excellent example of howuniversities and schools canwork together on extendedcollaborations to the mutualadvantage of both sides.

Our aim now it to exploreways of extending this type ofresearch work to a much wideraudience across the UK and tothis end we are working closelywith the Institute for Research inSchools (IRIS) to see howschools can be encouraged andsupported to initiate novelresearch activities in physics;chemistry; biology andengineering. This would tapinto a huge resource ofenthusiastic, enquiring youngminds and encourage a muchwider participation in STEM.

[email protected]

www.mbp-squared.org

slightly different path for theirpractical work, and decided tooffer practical EPQ’s. TheExtended Project Qualification orEPQ is the equivalent of an ASand most students whocomplete one will research anissue, write a detailed report andpresent their findings as a talk totheir peers and assessors. There

could apply to their researchquestions. They use Drosophilamelanogaster (the fruit fly) andCaenorhabditis elegans (anematode worm ) as modelsystems and each studentcarries out their ownexperiments and writes a reporton the outcomes.

Parkside Federation Academiesin Cambridge.

The project has proved thatschool students are fully capableof engaging in highlysophisticated academic researchand that this encourages themto be far more likely to considerbiomedical research as a future

FLOODING: WHAT IS NORMAL?

Over the last several yearswidespread episodes offlooding have led to extensivemedia coverage and nationaldebate that at times has cometo dominate the politicalagenda. Flooding of theSomerset Levels during thewinter of 2013-14 and as aresult of storms Desmond andEva in 2016 have led toconcerns over whether the UKis sufficiently resilient toflooding, whether we havecorrectly identified the risks weface and whether we arespending enough money onflood defences. An answer toany of these questions firstrequires that we understandjust how often we can expectdamaging floods, both inspecific locations and in termsof national scale aggregatedlosses.

Almost by definition, river flowsneed to be extreme to cause toflooding at specific locations, andwe therefore tend to view allepisodes of flooding assomewhat unprecedented. Overmany years in the UK aconsensus emerged amongpoliticians, risk managers and thepublic that communities shouldbe protected against river floodsthat have a 1 in 100 (i.e. 1%)chance of occurring in any givenyear. On average, one wouldexpect such a flood to occur at aspecific location only once in acentury, and hence this event isknown as the ‘100 year flood’.This terminology is howevermisleading as it implies suchfloods can only ever occur oncein a century; it is always possible,albeit unlikely, for very rareevents to occur close togethersimply by chance.

We estimate the magnitude ofthe 1% annual chance flood forparticular places by analysing

than the design event, i.e. thosewith a less than 1% annualchance of occurring, and herethe UK relies on the insurancesystem to collectivize the losses.The insurance system also dealswith the losses for surface waterflooding away from main riversand for properties built within thefloodplain.

Based on the above one mightconclude that floods should be arare occurrence, yet this does notseem to accord with our recentexperience. Is flooding morecommon now, and if so whymight this be? First, it should benoted that whilst particular placesshould only see flooding veryrarely, damaging floods will occursomewhere in the UK on an

multi-decadal series of river flowmeasurements and computingthe statistical distribution forextreme floods. We then usethis to estimate the magnitude ofthe 1% annual chance event inorder to design defences toprotect people and propertyagainst floods up to this size.Defences can always be over-topped or fail for floods larger

annual basis. The Figure belowshows the annual total numberof properties flooded in the UKfrom 1998 to 2015. Every yearsees ‘100 year floods’somewhere on the UK rivernetwork, and whilst stormDesmond broke the UK 24 hourrainfall record in terms of nationalannual flood losses 2015 wasdepressingly normal. Flooding in

number of relatively undisturbedsites in the UK where we havereally long flood records. Thenext Figure shows data for thesize of the largest flood in eachyear on the River Severn atBewdley from the 1920s to thepresent day. The red line showsthe changing trend in these data,and this clearly highlights thepresence of ‘flood rich’ and ‘flood

Professor Paul BatesSchool of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol

2015 was extreme where itoccurred, absolutely terrible forthose affected, but the nationalannual loss was not at allunusual. In fact consideration ofthese data shows that we canexpect to see annual flood lossessimilar to 2013/4 and 2015/6every 2-3 years in the UK.Moreover, despite the‘unprecedented weather’narrative of much mediacoverage of recent flooding,similar losses occurred in 2000,2007 and 2012.

Has it always been like this? Iscollective memory really thatshort, or are there more floodsnow than there were? We cananswer this question by lookingat the data from the very small

poor’ periods. We can clearlysee a period of large floodsduring the 1940s and 1950sand again in the 2000s, withseveral decades of smallerannual maximum floods inbetween. Such decadalvariations in the frequency ofextreme floods are likely drivenby large scale cyclical changes inthe atmosphere and ocean, butwill also be affected by long termtrends such as those caused byman-made climate change.What is clear is that with thebenefit of hindsight we canidentify the Easter 1998 floods inthe Midlands as the point atwhich we began to enter a floodrich period that is apparently stillcontinuing.



Decadal variability also makes itdifficult to correctly estimate themagnitude of the 1% annualchance flood. The majority ofour river flow measuring stationswere installed in the ‘flood poor’period of the 1960s and 1970sas a result of the 1963 WaterResources Act, and the datacollected from this period maynot be a good guide to thefrequency of flooding during the‘flood rich’ period we areexperiencing today.Unfortunately, the obvioussolution of using only the last 15years of data to estimate ourdesign flood magnitudes does

robust in enforcing flood riskcontrol, and whilst this situation ismuch improved inappropriatedevelopment in floodplains stillcontinues. Data presented to thelatest UK Climate Change RiskAssessment shows that between2001 and 2014 250,000homes, approx. 12% of alldevelopment, were built in areasclassified as having a greater than1 in 100 annual chance offlooding. More worryingly, since2001 approximately 23,000homes have been built in areashaving of high risk (defined as a1-in-30 or greater annual chanceflooding). With the UK

In fact, it is very likely thatincreasing exposure andvulnerability have, to date, doneat least as much to increaseflood risk in the UK as changes inthe magnitude and frequency offlooding that we haveexperienced. By definition risk isthe product of the scale of thethreat, the number of assets thatare exposed and how vulnerablethese things are to damage, soall three factors need to be takeninto account when we thinkabout flood risk. As well asincreasing exposure andvulnerability, the future may alsobring increases in flood hazard as

frequent and larger floods in thefuture.

In conclusion, in terms ofnational scale annual losses wecan see that, contrary to thestandard media narrative,flooding during winter 2015/6was, by recent experience,entirely normal. At present itseems we should expect annualtotal flooded properties toexceed 10,000 every few years.Whether this degree of resilienceis acceptable needs a widerdebate; personally I don’t think itis. We also need to examineopenly whether the consensus

not work well because with farfewer data points available largestatistical errors can creep in.

There are two other reasonswhy flooding seems morecommon now than in the past.The first is that we havesubstantially increased ourexposure to floods over the post-war period. Population increasessince 1950 have resulted in asubstantial expansion of housingand development, a significantproportion of which took placeon floodplains as the land wasflat and cheap to develop.Unfortunately the planningsystem has not been sufficiently

population projected to increasefrom 64.6 million in 2014 to74.3 million by 2039 thesetrends are highly likely tocontinue.

Secondly, over the post-warperiod our vulnerability toflooding has also increased.Rising incomes have increasedthe assets at risk and losses arenow proportionately greater. Asa result resilience has reduced.We now own far more than ourparents did, and consequentlywhen flooding does occur wehave more possessions that canbe damaged. Economic growthwill exacerbate this trend too.

a result of both natural variability,catchment alterations and man-made climate change. As theRiver Severn flood data indicate,the natural variability in floodclimatology is large, and decadalscale cyclical variations andconfounding factors within thecatchment, such as land usechange, will mean it may besome time before we canidentify conclusively the effect ofman-made climate change onthe frequency of flooding.However, there are very goodphysical reasons to believe thatwarmer atmospheres will also bewetter atmospheres, and this isvery likely to lead to more

of protecting against the 1%annual chance event issomething we as a society arestill comfortable with. At thesame time scientists need toundertake further work to makesure our hazard assessments arenot biased by the ‘flood rich’ and‘flood poor’ periods in our data.Most importantly we need amore sophisticated viewamongst politicians and thegeneral public alike of howevents which may be extreme inparticular places can lead tolevels of national scale loss thatare seen much more frequently.


David Balmforth

OUR APPROACH TO FLOODRISK MANAGEMENT

THE THREE QUESTIONSWhen I meet people who have suffered from flooding they invariably have three questions:

“How much am I at risk of flooding?”

“What are you going to do about it?” and

“What can I do about it?”

The second question is usually delivered with a pointed finger. These questions form a usefulframework for exploring our approach to flood risk management in this country1.

HOW MUCH AM I ATRISK OF FLOODING?In the absence of any real

understanding of thecomplexities of flooding, wheredo ordinary people go to answerthis question? A quick search onGoogle reveals that some waydown the list of organisationsoffering professional riskassessment services thereappears the EnvironmentAgency’s web site, which forEngland1 is the primary place togain an understanding of floodrisk. Here we find mapsindicating the parts of thecountry at risk from coastalflooding or inland flooding fromrivers. It is clear that areasshaded blue are at some risk offlooding. However the likelihoodof flooding is not clear to manyusers. Expressing the likelihoodof flooding as a return periodoften lulls the public into a falsesense of security (does a 1%chance of flooding mean that Iwill not be flooded for the next100 years?). A furthercomplication is that areas“protected” by flood defencesare show with cross hatching ontop of the blue shading. Doesthis mean those areas will notthen now flood? How secure arethe defences? What if they areovertopped? Then we find, with

it indicates if a particular locationis at high, medium or low risk offlooding. For many this is easierto understand. What we do notfind here is any information onthe risk of sewer flooding, or therisk from groundwater flooding.

a little more searching, a surfacewater flood map. This appears inan entirely different format buthas the advantage for many that

There are maps to show theimpact of reservoir failure, butonly for those reservoirscontaining 25000m3 or more.

Smaller reservoirs are notincluded (e.g.10000 to25000m3). Following the 2007floods, the Pitt Reviewrecommended that there shouldbe a more joined up approachto flood risk management with

The sad fact is that the first time many people realise that they are at risk of flooding is when they actually flood.

better information of flood riskavailable to the public(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100807034701/http:/archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/pittreview/thepittreview/final_report.html ).

Tier 1 Local Authorities (CountyCouncils and Unitary Authorities)have been given theresponsibility for overseeingflood risk management in theirarea. They have a duty toinvestigate flooding incidents

and to undertake strategic floodrisk assessments. With the EA,they are also statutoryconsultees over planningapplications for majordevelopment where this mighthave an impact on flood risk. But


the level of resource allocated tothis function is often inadequate,meaning that they are unable todevelop the expertise necessaryto properly quantify andcommunicate flood risk or tocoordinate responsible bodies ina meaningful effort to tackleflood risk holistically. Some 8years after the Pitt Review, westill have to fully implementmany of the recommendations.The sad fact is that the first timethat many understand that theyare at risk of flooding is whenthey actually flood.

It is also clear that many of ourinfrastructure operators are alsoconfused about the risk offlooding to their assets. At timesthey appear unable to reliablyanswer the question “what if itfloods?” This results in criticalfailure of key infrastructureduring floods such that theeffects of the flooding are feltover a much wider area thanthat actually inundated by floodwater.

In defence of this we describefloods as “unprecedented”,“once in a lifetime” and“extreme”. When such floodsoccur year after year, thismessage wears a bit thin. Wehave world class weatherforecasting in the Met Office andexcellent modelling and floodassessment capability in theEnvironment Agency. Yet we donot seem to be able tocommunicate with the public ina meaningful way. Perhaps nowis the time for us to step up tothe challenge and be more openwith the public over the risk thatthey face – and if there areuncertainties around answeringthat question, then let’s be openabout that too.

WHAT ARE YOU GOINGTO DO ABOUT IT?The Environment Agency

estimates that over 2.4 millionproperties in England are at riskof flooding from rivers and thesea(https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attac

The first challenge our questioner faces here is at who do they point the finger?

hment_data/file/381939/FCRM_Long_term_investment_scenarios.pdf . Of the total agriculturalland in England, approximately1.3 million hectares (14%) iswithin flood risk areas. Duringthe winter floods of 2015/16some 20 000 properties wereflooded in England comparedwith about 55000 in 2007. Butin 2007, almost none of theproperty flooding came fromrivers or the sea. The 2007floods were largely attributable tolocalised surface water flooding.There are over 770000properties at risk of surface waterflooding and the responsibilityfor managing surface water floodrisk rests with local authorities.However, surface water floodingin urban areas is very muchinfluenced by the effectivenessof sewerage systems which arethe responsibility of watercompanies. OFWAT, theGovernment regulator for watercompanies estimates that thereare between 5000 to 8000incidents of property flooding ayear from the sewerage system

(http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/prs_pre1103susdrain_ofw4.pdf ).Further to this there can beflooding from local water coursesand culverts (jointly theresponsibility of local authoritiesand riparian land owners), andfor groundwater (local authorityresponsibility).

So the first challenge ourquestioner faces here is at whodo they point the finger? Such adiverse range of responsibilitiessplit across many bodies withoutan effective overarching policingfunction fails to achieve the “onestop shop” to strategic flood riskmanagement envisaged by thePitt Review. Even professionals inthe business struggle from timeto time to be sure about who isresponsible for what.

The Water Companies havemade significant progress onreducing flooding fromoverloaded sewers (but still havesome way to go on blockagesand collapse). The 2013/14floods showed that our coastal


Footnote

1. This paper is written in the context ofEngland, though similar roles andresponsibilities exist in other memberstates of the UK

defences just about held up tothe storms. The 2007 floodsdemonstrated the effectivenessof river defences, but in therecent 2015/16 floods our riverdefences in many parts ofEngland fell well short of themark.

Whilst a good deal of theadditional flooding experiencedin 2015/16 can be attributed tothe severity of rain events, asignificant part can be put downto inappropriate development.Local authority responsibilities forflooding are separated fromdecisions on planning, leading attimes to inappropriatedevelopment and a lack ofuptake of SUDs. Splitting theresponsibility for flood riskmanagement across so manyagencies does not make sense.It means that our strategybecomes far too fragmentedresulting in non-optimalschemes being developed.Worse than that, it inhibitsengagement with the public andacts as a barrier to effectivelydealing with the third question.

Our understanding of the likelyeffects of a changing climate,growing population andconstraints on investment meanthat we will not be able toprotect every community fromthe risk of flooding from allfuture events. This means thatwe must learn to live with floodsand build resilience in ourcommunities and infrastructure.We need to be honest and openwith the public and businessabout this, to build trust in thecommunity, engage the publicand make them part of ourfuture strategy.

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUTIT?There is much that the public

and businesses can do to helpthemselves and much that theycan contribute to a flood resilientfuture. Perhaps the mostimportant action they can take is

Met Office and the EnvironmentAgency have together made verysignificant progress on floodforecasting and can now forecastfloods with good accuracy fourdays in advance. A free floodalert service is available to allowthe public to prepare.

Householders and businessescan do much to make theirproperty more resistant andresilient to flooding. Fitting

restored to use quickly afterflood events. Setting electricalsockets higher up walls canavoid the need to rewire, andlightweight furniture at groundlevel will allow rooms to bequickly cleared out inpreparation for a flood event.Property owners who havemade their properties resilientand resistant to floodingdemonstrate that it is possible to

to get involved. For this tohappen, those of usprofessionally engaged in floodrisk management need to seethe public and business as partof the solution rather than partof the problem. Engaging thecommunity opens up thepotential to significantly reduceflood risk by building resilience.

Resilience involves bothstructural measures (thoseinvolving a physical intervention)and non-structural measures(personal actions to prepare orrecover from flood events). The

temporary flood barriers to doorsand air-bricks can help to keepfloodwater out of property,though it is important thatadjacent properties are similarlyprotected. Good advice on thiscan be obtained from theNational Flood Forumhttp://www.nationalfloodforum.org.uk/ . Such measures can helpto keep properties free offlooding for all but the mostsevere events. Beyond that, theuse of cementitious wall liningsand concrete floors with tiles canenable flooded properties to be

Flooding should be considered at day 1 of any new development orregeneration project…measures to reduce flood risk can also deliveramenity, biodiversity and water resource benefits.

return to “business as usual”quickly after a flood event, withminimal loss and without theneed for extensive drying outand renovation works.

Or course there are strategicmeasures that can also beimplemented to makecommunities and infrastructuremore resilient to flooding.Flooding should be a keyelement of spatial planning,considered at day 1 of any newdevelopment or regenerationproject. More creative spatialplanning can see roads act asflood channels in extremeevents and parks and urbansquares used as sacrificial floodareas. All this can help to keepflood water away fromvulnerable areas. New propertiesin flood risk areas can be builtwith raised thresholds and floodresistant materials, and thisshould be considered whenrenovating properties after aflood. There is a strong argumentfor tightening planning guidelinesand amending buildingregulations to facilitate this. Theadditional cost incurred duringnew construction or buildingrestoration would be smallcompared with the benefits fromreduced flood risk.

Finally, the application of floodresilience measures within thewider community can be seen inthe context of the wider watercycle where measures to reduceflood risk can also deliveramenity, biodiversity and waterresource benefits. A moresympathetic approach to urbanplanning which fosters theconcept of living with water is afuture aspiration that is worthrecognising.


WEATHER DIPLOMACYDiplomacy is usually thoughtto be the preserve of Foreignand Commonwealth Officediplomats working overseas tobuild and maintainrelationships with othernations. Who would havethought that televisionweather forecasters were partof a powerful and importantdiplomatic tool? Welcome tothe world of weatherdiplomacy!

The weather is something wetalk about everyday and weoften feel it is part of whatmakes us uniquely British. Butweather not only brings theBritish together, it brings nationsaround the world together toshare information on what ishappening, and what mighthappen, with our weather andclimate. Our global communityworks together on weather-related activities such as:

• Monitoring – Most nationsare monitoring their weather andclimate, but all countriesrecognise that they can’t justlook at their own weather if theywant to make sense of what theweather is doing or, perhapsmore importantly, what it mightdo next. Around the world,every single day, nations freelyshare the observations theycollect from land sensors, ships,ocean buoys, aircraft andincreasingly from satellites.

• Forecasting – Theseobservations are a vital part inforecasting the weather. Withouta good picture of what ourweather is currently doing wecan never forecast what it mightdo next. Once we have sharedthese observations, someNational Meteorological Services,like the Met Office in the UK, runlarge global weather forecastingmodels to predict what theweather might do in the nextdays, weeks, months andseasons ahead. These forecasts

are then shared, allowing nationsaround the world to make thebest use of these globalforecasts, maybe by runninglocal models to add more detail,or combining the informationfrom many different sources tomake an assessment of whatthe future holds.

• Warning – These forecastsare then used to supportNational Met Services to provideservices to their owngovernments, businesses andcitizens, helping to protect lifeand property from the impactsof weather and climateextremes. In a recent example,people on the Eastern Seaboardof the USA were warned inJanuary about the exceptionallyheavy snow storm before it hit,no doubt saving lives as aconsequence.

WEATHER AND CLIMATE – WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

Weather: the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere thatcan vary quite quickly

Climate: the average weather conditions over longerperiods and over large areas

191 nations, from Australia toIran and North Korea toZimbabwe, work togetherthrough the WorldMeteorological Organization,the UN specialised agency forweather, climate and water. Eachnation undertakes to ensure‘free and unrestricted exchangeof data and information,products and services on mattersrelating to safety and security ofsociety, economic welfare andthe protection of theenvironment’.

Such an undertaking to sharedata, information and forecastsacross national borders,including with countries wheretraditional diplomaticrelationships are difficult, is

leading weather forecastingmodel. This “Unified Model” isnow used by partners inAustralia, South Korea, SouthAfrica and India. In addition, theMet Office has formalagreements to work with China,South Africa, Philippines, USA,Australia, South Korea, Finland,Singapore, France, Germany,Rwanda, Kenya, Brazil andMalaysia. By collaborating onthis world-leading capability,nations are able to benefit whilealso contributing to itsdevelopment, which in turnbrings benefit back to the UK.Other areas of diplomacy couldlearn from this openness andtransparency. It fosters trust andgreater levels of collaborationwhich can further our scientific

understanding of our sharedweather and climate.

To ensure these collaborationscontinue, the Met Office needsto maintain its credibility as aworld- leading science institution.To this end, Met Office scientistshave co-authored papers withscientists from over 440institutions across 41 countries,and they represent the UK onover 220 independent sciencecommittees. The Met Officeparticipates in theIntergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC),supporting work to catalyseunderstanding and response toclimate change, and which wasawarded the Nobel Prize forPeace, surely the ultimateachievement for any form ofdiplomacy!

There are always opportunitiesto do more. The Newton Fund,which is part of the UK’s officialdevelopment assistance, buildsscience partnerships thatpromote economicdevelopment and welfare ofdeveloping countries. The MetOffice is a key partner forNewton Fund work on weatherand climate in China, SouthAfrica, Malaysia and Indonesiaand expanding to Brazil.Enabling countries to understandand forecast their own weatherand to prepare for weatheremergencies supports nationalstability which in turn enhancesglobal security. Also, by workingcollectively in an area such asweather and climate it is hopedthat this may break downbarriers, or open opportunity forcountries to speak on widerissues.

Perhaps the next time we findourselves discussing theweather, we should be mindfulthat by doing so, we are part of aglobal conversation!

possibly unique. It happensbecause of a recognition thatthrough this open exchange,meteorologists and theirgovernments can do more tokeep people safe, drive theireconomies and increase securityand stability within their ownborders but also beyond.

This collaboration also operatesat the European level, withnations across the continentcoming together to make themost of our shared expertise.Through the European Centre forMedium Range Forecasts(ECMWF) or EUMETSAT, whooperate our shared weathersatellites, we are workingtogether to deliver and exploitworld-leading science andtechnology.

The UK’s Met Office, forexample, has exported its world


POPULATION, POLICY ANDPRACTICE PROGRAMMEProfessor Tim J ColeMA PhD ScD HonFRCPCH FMedSci

UCL Institute of Child Health,30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH

Tim Cole, Professor of medical

statistics at UCL’s Institute of

Child Health, has been awarded

the 2016 Rank Prize for

Nutrition, for “seminal

contributions to mathematical

modelling of childhood growth

and its application in nutrition,

epidemiology, medicine and

public health”. He is well-known

for his work on the statistics of

growth, in particular his LMS

method, which he developed for

the construction of growth

centile charts. He applied it most

famously to derive international

body mass index (BMI) cut-offs

for childhood overweight, obesity

and thinness. Based on

reference data for BMI in six

countries, his BMJ paper in

2000 with Katherine Flegal, Mary

Bellizzi and Bill Dietz provided

overweight and obesity cut-offs,

while a follow-up BMJ paper in

2007 with Katherine Flegal,

Dasha Nicholls and Alan Jackson

developed analogous thinness

cut-offs. Originally sponsored by

the International Obesity Task

Force, the IOTF cut-offs have

subsequently become the

international standard for

defining child obesity, and the

two papers have been cited

12,000 and 1500 times

respectively on Google Scholar.

After studying at the

Universities of Cambridge and

Oxford, in engineering and then

biomathematics, Tim Cole joined

the Medical Research Council’s

Pneumoconiosis Research Unit

in South Wales in 1970 as a

junior statistician. He was

presented with data from two

management of lung disease

involves comparing the patient’s

FEV1 with an expected value

based on their age and height.

Up to then the procedure had

been to predict their FEV1 for

age and then add or subtract a

height adjustment. But Tim

(the same argument applies to

BMI, which is defined as

weight/height2).

Recently Tim Cole has

collaborated with Professor Janet

Stocks of ICH, Professor Philip

Quanjer (Erasmus University)

and Dr Sanja Stanojevic

cohort studies that had been set

up to investigate chronic

bronchitis in the mining town of

Staveley Derbyshire, and he

used them to explore the

relationship between lung

function (forced expiratory

volume in 1 second, FEV1),

height and age. The clinical

showed it is better to multiply or

divide the age prediction by the

square of height. This exploits

the body size scaling that relates

lung volume and height, in that

lung volume is proportional to

height3. But for statistical

reasons the adjustment works

better with height2 than height3

Figure 1. International BMI cut-offs for thinness, overweight andobesity in children aged 2-18, based on BMI at age 18. Obesitycorresponds to BMI 30 at age 18, overweight to BMI 25, andthinness (three grades) to BMI 18.5, 17 and 16 (Cole et al. BMJ2007;335:194-7).


(Hospital for Sick Children,

Toronto) to create international

lung function references

extending from age 3 to 95

years. Based on work of 20-30

years earlier, the paper was

published in 2012 and already

has 500 Google citations.

In 1975 he transferred to the

MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit in

Cambridge, where his interest in

child growth developed. Working

with colleagues Roger

Whitehead and Mike Rowland in

The Gambia he first quantified

the impact of infection,

particularly diarrhoea and

malaria, on growth in

malnourished infants. Arising

from this he became interested

in the performance of weight-

height indices to measure child

malnutrition and obesity,

showing in 1979 that with age

adjustment the body mass index

(BMI), already widely used in

adults, was also valid for

children.

This in turn led to an interest in

ways to construct growth

reference ranges, which are

widely used as growth centile

charts. The procedure is to

measure large numbers of

children (e.g. their heights and

weights) and plot the values

against age. The statistical

challenge is then to draw growth

centiles that summarise the

distribution of the measurement

as it changes with age. This

culminated in the publication in

1988 of his LMS (λμσ) method,subsequently improved with

Professor Peter Green of Bristol

University in 1992. The LMS

method provides a way to

construct age-related reference

ranges based on the normal

distribution but including an age-

Figure 2. UK-WHO growth chart for weight, height and head circumference in girls aged 0-4 (Wright et al. BMJ 2010;340:c1140).

varying adjustment for skewness,

and also allowing the calculation

of z-scores. As such it has

revolutionised the construction

of growth charts, particularly for

measurements with a skew

distribution such as weight and

BMI. The Cole-Green paper has

over 1400 Google citations, and

its methodology has been used

to construct growth charts in

some 40 countries worldwide.

Working with Professor Mike

Preece of the UCL Institute of

Child Health Tim used the LMS

method to construct new growth

charts for the UK. The British

1990 charts were published in

1995 and subsequently became

the official UK growth reference,

distributed to all new parents in

the parent-held child health

record (usually known as the

Red Book). With around seven

hundred thousand births a year,

this has meant that many British

parents have become familiar

with growth charts. During the

1990s the increasing worldwide

interest in child obesity was

constrained by the lack of a

suitable BMI reference, and the

British 1990 reference was one

of the first in the world to

include BMI.

The World Health Organization

published its own growth

standard in 2006, and the UK

decided to incorporate it in the

UK growth reference. The result

was the UK-WHO growth

reference, published in 2009,

which combined the WHO chart

for age 0-4 with the British 1990

chart for age 4-18. The UK-WHO

charts were designed by an

expert group led by Professor

Charlotte Wright of Glasgow

University, and they set new

standards for the quality of chart

Figure 3. Height growth curves for 3245 boys during puberty (left), and the same growth curves after SITAR adjustment for meanheight, puberty timing and growth rate (right), with the mean curve shown in white (Cole et al. International Journal of Epidemiology2010;39:1558-66).


design and associated training

materials.

Tim Cole moved to the UCL

Institute of Child Health in 1998,

while continuing to be funded by

the Medical Research Council

(funding which continues to

now). His work from around that

time covered several distinct

areas of growth: developing

ways to extend the conventional

growth chart to measure growth

velocity; improving methods for

growth curve model is unusual

in that it adjusts for

developmental age. This means

that it deals appropriately with

growth during puberty, where

the pubertal growth spurt may

occur as early as age 10 or as

late as age 19. Taking into

account puberty timing, the rate

of passage through puberty and

individual height prior to puberty,

the model can explain as much

as 99% of the variance in height

Check consists of 19 simple

questions about signs and

symptoms (e.g. “does your baby

seem more floppy than usual?”).

Each question scores a number

of points if positive, and the

scores are added up. The total

score is a sensitive measure of

illness, where well babies score

0 while seriously ill babies

needing be assessed

immediately score 20 or more.

Baby Check has recently been

produced as a smartphone app,

years unless they can show they

are minors, in which case they

are repatriated. The age test

used has until recently been

based on bone age. Tim has

testified that markers such as

these are unreliable, giving the

wrong answer over one-third of

the time, and that they should

not be used for this purpose.

He has been a statistical editor

with the BMJ for 25 years, and

supervises statistical review for

predicting adult height from

height in childhood (later

incorporated in the UK-WHO

charts), and documenting the

nature of secular trends in

growth over time – how children

have become larger earlier

during and since the 19th

century.

He has become interested in

modelling the pattern of growth

in individuals, that is to say the

shape of growth curves made

up of serial measurements, for

example height, plotted against

age. His SITAR (SuperImposition

by Translation And Rotation)

(see Figure 3). So differences in

pubertal height growth between

individuals can be summarised

by these three numbers. As a

summary of individual growth

patterns they are useful in

experimental medicine and life

course epidemiology.

Over 25 years ago, working in

collaboration with Professor

Colin Morley of Cambridge

University, Tim Cole developed

a system called Baby Check for

helping mothers to decide if

their baby is seriously ill. Based

on a large research study of

1007 well and ill babies, Baby

thus providing access to the

diagnostic skills of an

experienced paediatrician in

one’s pocket.

Tim has also recently acted as

an expert witness in age

assessment court cases in the

UK and Australia, where

radiographs of hand bones or

wisdom teeth are used as

markers of developmental age

to decide if individuals are aged

over 18. For example

Indonesian fishermen convicted

of crewing ships bringing asylum

seekers to Australia (people

smuggling) are jailed for five

the Archives of Disease in

Childhood. He was appointed an

Honorary Fellow of the RCPCH in

2006 and Fellow of the

Academy of Medical Sciences in

2007, and awarded the 2015

Royal Statistical Society Bradford

Hill Medal.


SCIENCE AT DAVOS

Prof Alice GastPresidentImperial College London

Each January, 2,500 public and private sector leaders gather in Davos, Switzerland forthe Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. This year’s agenda was built around‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution’; a forecast shift in product manufacturing arising fromdevelopments in rapid prototyping, new manufacturing techniques and automation.Recognising the critical underpinning role of research, a dedicated programme ofinteractive IdeasLab sessions placed science in the spotlight by introducing delegates tothe vision and expertise of leading academics from Imperial College London, CambridgeUniversity and other global science institutions.

At this year’s World EconomicForum meeting in Davos, UKinstitutions played a leading rolein encouraging an audience ofpolicy-makers and industryleaders to share ideas and tocollaborate.

The focus of discussion at thisyear’s Davos meeting was ‘TheFourth Industrial Revolution’. Inthis revolution, rapid prototyping,computer simulation andintelligent systems speed up thedesign process, while newmanufacturing techniques,coupled with robotics andautomation, offer alternatives tocentralised models ofproduction1. Novel materials,artificial intelligence andneuroscience open up entirelynew product categories. Thisrevolution will transform ourlives, and fundamental researchis embedded at its core.

The World Economic Forumheld interactive IdeasLabdiscussion sessions hosted byuniversities and other institutionssuch as Nature Publishing

Group. The IdeasLabprogramme recognised thestrength of universities infundamental blue-skies researchand subjects ranged from theneural basis of decision-makinghosted by Stanford University, tocarbon reduction technologiespresented by CambridgeUniversity. Imperial CollegeLondon’s session exploredmaterials of the future; an areawhere the UK boasts world-classexpertise.

IdeasLabs are presented in aformat called PechaKucha, whichmeans ‘chit-chat’ in Japanese.Four experts give five-minutepresentations with fifteen slidesdisplayed continuously for onlytwenty seconds each. Havinglaid out a provocative idea orvision, discussion then opens todelegates. Delegates benefitfrom a discussion grounded inthe latest science and theopportunity to talk to world-leading experts. Scientists benefitfrom being able to communicateopportunities and challenges

with a diverse audience ofdecision-makers.

The IdeasLabs showed howthe problems facing the worldtoday include a broad range ofscientific, technical and societalissues. This provided a welcomeopportunity for researchers,policy-makers and businessleaders to consider long range,open-ended research that willprovide the breakthroughs thatthe world needs; the kind ofdiscoveries that are driving ‘TheFourth Industrial Revolution’.

The four scientists fromImperial College’s IdeasLab2

showcase the ideas that theypresented at Davos in 2016.Videos of their five-minute talksare available online athttp://tinyurl.com/WEF16Materials.

ENGINEERING CRYSTALS FOR BETTERTELECOMMUNICATIONS

SCIENCE AT DAVOS

Prof Neil AlfordProfessor of Materials Science andNanotechnologyImperial College London

Prof Mary RyanProfessor of Materials Science andNanotechnologyImperial College London

Noise is the bane of electronicengineers. We see it on our TVsand hear it on our mobilephones and our radios. A recentdiscovery indicates that theremay well be a solution.

In the world of Big Data, weare increasingly dependent onaccurate, reliable and securecommunications. Countries withthe best communicationsinfrastructure experience fasterrates of economic growth3. Therapidly falling costs of dataconnections means that thenumber of services built aroundconnected devices will increase.

This rapid growth poses achallenge. The microwavetechnologies that underpintoday’s communicationsinfrastructure – from satellitenetworks to Bluetooth to 4G –are all susceptible toelectromagnetic interference. Wehave all experienced microwave

noise: unexpectedly droppedcalls, crosstalk and Wi-Fi thatgrinds to a halt. As more devicesattempt to communicate, thisproblem will get worse.

Engineering electronicsresistant to noise is technicallypossible but has been costly.One early promising noise-limiting technology was themaser, discovered by CharlesTownes in the 1950s and asister technology to the laser. Butwhile lasers are ubiquitous today,masers are rarely used. Unlikethe relatively simple laser, linkedproblems of complexity and costhad always provedinsurmountable for the maser.

At Imperial, we have adiscovered a new design for amaser that overcomes theseproblems.4 The performance ofthis new maser is orders ofmagnitude better than the bestcompeting technology. The

breakthrough means the cost ofmanufacturing and operatingmasers could be dramaticallyreduced, paving the way for theirwidespread integration intotelecommunications.

When lasers were invented noone knew exactly how theywould be used; yet they are nowused everywhere. Already wecan foresee additionalapplications for the re-engineered maser that includemore sensitive medicalscanners; chemical sensors forremotely detecting explosives;and better radio astronomydevices for detecting life onother planets. In the near term,the discovery of a roomtemperature maser solves a realworld challenge. It promisesbetter communications that areresilient to the growing problemof noise in our connectedinfrastructure.

HOLISTIC HEAT MANAGEMENTFrom transistors to industrial

processes, waste heat is alwaysproduced when machines dowork. This year seven billionpeople will consume about 25trillion kilowatt hours of electricityand much of this will end upgenerating waste heat. Today, wetreat heat like an unwanted by-product: a persistent challengefor industrial design. But what ifheat were not a waste product,but a resource? Then we wouldbe throwing huge amounts ofresource away. Dealing with heatalso consumes energy. Inaircraft, controlling heat increases

fuel use and reduces efficiency.At the other end of thetemperature scale, 15% ofglobal electricity production isalready used for cooling.

To reduce energy consumptionand waste, we need to changeour approach to heatmanagement. A transformationalapproach would involve theability to efficiently convertbetween heat and electricity.Recent materials researchpromises new smart materialsthat can be embedded intosystems to remove and recycleheat. Smart materials can be

swapped into existing systems toprovide energy-efficient cooling.

Current research is focussed ontwo key challenges. It takes theright chemistry for materialsefficiently to convert betweenheat and electricity. It takes theright structure to control heatand energy transport. We willneed new materials, structuredat the nanoscale, to performboth functions well. When welook into nature we see thiscombination of chemistry andnano-structuring everywhere, sowe know that it is possible!Creating these composites – and



making them efficient, reliableand easy to manufacture – iswork that we do in my lab atImperial College.

Being able to combinestructure and chemistry will openup new applications. You couldbuild miniature sensors that

simply scavenge energy fromtheir environment. Combinedwith local renewable productionand energy storage, you couldimagine a future of factories ordata centres that operate totallyoff-grid. By developing closedheat-energy cycles we would

reduce resource use, productioncosts and environmentalimpacts.

Today we face a triplechallenge of energy security,equity and sustainability. Heat issuch a huge part of our energyecosystem that even small

changes will have big impacts. In

the future, smart composites will

make it possible to build heat

capture into everyday objects, to

transform our approach to heat

in both industrial and urban

design. The first challenge is to

recognise heat as a key resource.

PLASTICS THAT CAN MANIPULATELIGHT

Prof Natalie StingelinProfessor of Functional OrganicMaterialsImperial College London

With seabirds trapped indiscarded packaging, and mid-ocean islands of indestructiblerubbish, the idea that plasticscould play a big part in a moresustainable future world mightseem far-fetched. However, newsmart plastics are challengingthis perspective. In sports wealready rely on smart plastics tomake sails that are ultra-strong,yet ultra-light. Artificial tissuesmade of plastic can be incrediblyintricate, yet stable and flexible,and plastics that conductelectricity promise a future ofbioelectronics.

It Is not just individual plastics.By layering different plasticstogether, we can produce newmaterials with exactly the

properties we want. At ImperialCollege, we blend differentmaterials to create new ‘hybrid’plastics with new functionalproperties. We use them tomake transparent mirrors –which is a paradox. Thesemirrors are perfectly transparentto visible light and yet reflectinfrared heat with total precision.They are designed to reduce theenergy we waste keepingbuildings at the righttemperature because they areperfectly transparent and cankeep heat in – or keep heat out.

When we start to stack ourmaterials in two and threedimensions, the possibilitiesmultiply. Today, fibre-opticstransmit light for

telecommunication, but we canenvisage products lightweightand cheap enough to be able to‘plumb’ heat and light, just as weplumb water today across ourbuildings and infrastructure. Wecan even imagine a plastic light-powered computer chip. Forthese, we need manufacturingapproaches that can scale up.With tunable plastics that cancontrol light, such as those wehave developed at ImperialCollege, we are one step closerto that goal. And if transparentmirrors or plastic computer chipare possible, we can now startasking ourselves: “In the futurewhat else could we do foragriculture… for medicine… orfor architecture?”

COMPUTER SIMULATION OFTOMORROW’S MATERIALS

Prof Robin GrimesProfessor of Materials PhysicsImperial College LondonCSA to the FCO

Our success as a civilisation isbased on our ability tocontinually find the rightmaterials. When we talk of thestone and iron ages – or the eraof plastics and steel – werecognize the central role ofmaterials in shaping societiesand economies. Today we knowof at least 10 million materialsbut there are at least a hundredtimes more yet to be discovered,from novel composites and

smart materials to the genuine‘unknowns’ – exotic materialswith properties we cannot yetanticipate. The problem is that toexplore all possibilities throughexperimentation, as we havebeen doing, would take billionsof lifetimes.

Yet the need rapidly to identifynew materials options has neverbeen greater. We face interlinkedconstraints of resource scarcity,

energy security, climate changeand population growth. Someof the materials that are the“right tools for the job” today willno longer be available. Theirconstituent elements will be tooscarce, too expensive or they willbe too resource hungry toproduce. So, we need to getquicker and smarter at materialsidentification.

This is the promise ofcomputer simulation, which is


already “a UK success story”.5

Sheer processing power allowsrapid prediction of materialproperties – even those thathave yet to be made. Forexample, my own research haspredicted the radiation toleranceof materials using atomic scalesimulations. However, we needto go well beyond the atomicscale if we are to makepredictions relevant to materialsused in manufactured products.Modelling across scales is today

an active and multidisciplinaryresearch challenge that spansthe natural sciences, computerscience and materials research.

What we do know is thatcomputer simulation can neverbe the whole picture. Predictedmaterials still need to be testedin the real world. Computersimulation can help us focus inon interesting possibilities, but itis experimental work that tells usif computer predictions are right,and – in turn – challenges us to

build ever better computermodels. In other words, the keyis to develop an approach tomaterials research that combinesthe power of both approaches.

Putting this power to workpromises smarter, cleaner andmore sustainable materials. Itgives us the resilience to adaptto our changing world – whetherit’s re-engineering industry oraddressing resource scarcity.

References

1 Department for Business Innovation andSkills. Future of manufacturing: a newera of opportunity and challenge forthe UK – summary report.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-manufacturing (2013)

2 http://www.imperialtechforesight.com

3 Deloitte LLP. What is the impact ofmobile telephony on economicgrowth? GSM Association (2012)

4 Oxborrow M., Breeze J. D., Alford N. M.Room temperature maser. Nature488:353–356 (2012)

5 Grimes R. The rise of scientificcomputing – a UK success story.Science in Parliament 71/4 (2014)

BRITISH SCIENTISTSHONOURED WITH PRESTIGIOUSNEUROSCIENCE PRIZEA trio of British scientists have claimed the prestigious Grete

Lundbeck European Brain Research Prize – the largest prize for

neuroscience in the world. It was announced in Copenhagen on 1st

March that Tim Bliss, Graham Collingridge and Richard Morris will

share the €1 million award for their contribution to our

understanding of memory. This is the first time the prize has been

won by an all-British team.

The scientists were awarded the prize for their studies on how the

brain makes and retains memories through a mechanism known as

long-term potentiation (LTP). Sir Colin Blakemore, chair of the

selection committee, said: “Memory is at the heart of human

experience. This year’s winners, through their ground-breaking

research, have transformed our understanding of memory and

learning, and the devastating effects of failing memory.”

Prior to their work, we had identified the hippocampus as an area

of the brain involved in memory, but we lacked any real

understanding of how the process worked. The three scientists have

shown how synapses – the connections between nerve cells – can

be strengthened through repeated stimulation in the hippocampus.

Their work crystallises the idea that LTP is the basis for our ability to

learn and remember.

Tim Bliss, who was previously associated with National Institute for

Medical Research but more recently a visiting worker at the Francis

Crick Institute in London, is no stranger to winning prestigious

awards, having previously won the Ipsen Prize and the Croonian

Prize. Responding to the news of his latest prize, he said “I am of

course delighted to be awarded a share of this prestigious prize.

Research into LTP has been a wonderfully stimulating field to work

in. Experimentally it can be studied at so many levels, from the

molecular machinery that underpins it to the behaviours that

depend on it. And from the beginning it has held up the promise of

explaining the neural basis of memory.”

The three scientists overcame the challenge of not being located in

the same lab. Morris is professor of Neuroscience at University of

Edinburgh, whilst Collingridge splits his time between the University

of Bristol and the University of Toronto. This recent advancement

holds may hold promising implications for conditions affected by

memory, such as Alzheimer’s. In response to the potential treatment

implications, Collingridge said “I am really excited about now

translating discoveries about LTP into new treatments for dementia”.

The recent award is a testament to to the strong support that UK

research funding bodies have given to their research over the past

three decades, particular the Medical Research Council. The prize

will be presented at a ceremony on 1 July in Copenhagen by His

Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.


UK-TURKEY YEAR OF SCIENCEAND INNOVATION 2015-2016Celebrating successful partnerships andreflecting on excellent cross-team work

On 7-11 March the UK Science and InnovationNetwork in Turkey (SIN Turkey), FCO, BIS,British Council and other UK partnerscelebrated the conclusion of the UK-Turkey Yearof Science and Innovation. Closing events wereheld in Manchester, one of the cities at thecentre of HMG’s Northern Powerhouse agenda,and host city for the upcoming EuroScienceOpen Forum (ESOF) in July 2016. UKcolleagues were joined by a 40-strong Turkishdelegation of rectors, researchers andentrepreneurs from Turkey’s leading universitiesand research centres as well as representativesfrom Turkey’s Ministry of Science, Industry andTechnology, and the Scientific andTechnological Research Council of Turkey(TUBITAK).

Launched at the TUBITAKheadquarters in Ankara in March2015, the Year of Science (YoS)comprised some 50 events -reaching over 850 researchers,policy makers and businesses -held at a number of leadinguniversities and researchorganisations across both Turkeyand the UK. The resultingacademic and commercialpartnerships are already helpingto boost the UK’s profile and ourgrowing bilateral scientificcollaboration with Turkey. High-level visits and a series ofthematic missions, including ajoint mission to the Milan EXPO,helped the UK and Turkeyimprove understanding of oneother’s strengths, priorities andinfrastructure capabilities, pavingthe road to what President ofTUBITAK, Professor Arif Ergincalled ‘future-targeted researchcollaboration’. The YoS hasshaped a sustainable UK-Turkeynetwork of scientists,entrepreneurs and businesses,building the kind of mutualawareness and trust whichshould continue generatingpositive academic andcommercial partnerships wellinto the future.

More than 50 UK and TurkishUniversities participated in YoSactivities. Universities, includingManchester, Edinburgh, Sussexand Imperial College, took up arange of societally importantissues: from energy efficiency,through marine sciences, todisaster resilience. The NewtonKatip-Celebi Fund (NKCF), a

seven-year £40 million joint UK-Turkey grant-giving fund, wascrucial in laying foundations forintensive two-way researcherexchanges with as many as 100awards granted so far, topartnerships between 51 UKand 53 Turkish universities andresearch institutions, worth atotal of £3 Million. Initiallyplanned for 5 years, NKCF hasnow been extended until 2021aiming to increase bilateralentrepreneurial activities,bringing the brightest and thebest to make a contribution tothe UK’s research excellence.Annual NKFC investment of upto £4m enables UK researchersto collaborate with leadingTurkish counterparts in energy,agri-tech and food security,health and biotechnology.Following BIS-TUBITAKagreement, 6 different MoUshave been signed betweenTUBITAK and different UKDelivery Partners for theimplementation of theseprogrammes.

The YoS programme has beena living example of sciencediplomacy. Over the past 12months, the programme hashelped to forge bilateral scientificlinks, while also strengtheningeconomic, cultural and policyrelationships between ourcountries. YoS support helped toopen the door for theestablishment of at least threeformal institutional and businesspartnerships. With a focus on theTurkish aerospace and nuclearsupply chain, the Rolls Royce


Advanced ManufacturingTechnology Centre will help tobuild capacity for future plannedprojects in these fields. Followinga study visit by Ricardo Software,three major Turkish universitiesspecializing in the automotivesector have now purchasedRicardo Software products foracademic research (notcommercially funded) or for usein the Formula SAE. In 2015-2016, SIN Turkey and the RoyalAcademy of Engineeringsupported 15 Turkishresearchers, as part of theLeadership in InnovationFellowships scheme developedunder the Newton-Katip CelebiFund. Focused primarily in healthand biotechnology, thesefellowships include intensivetraining on commercialization,business plan development, andpitching in the UK.

As key note speakers from BISand TUBITAK concluded duringthe YoS closing events inManchester, the YoS is just abeginning, not the end of theUK-Turkey collaboration on

science and innovation. The Yearhas laid the groundwork forfurther work and demonstratedwhat Lord Janvrin, the PM’sSpecial Trade Envoy to Turkey,described as ‘a huge potentialfor cooperation in technology,infrastructure, financial servicesand healthcare’.

International cooperation underthe YoS has opened up newopportunities for UK scientists,giving them access to Turkey’s

best infrastructure and resourcesand generating powerfulsynergies. It has showcased UKresearch excellence on theinternational stage and boostedUK and Turkish capacity to tacklesome of the most pressingglobal challenges. At HMG level,it also illustrated the capabilitiesand dynamism of the UKScience and Innovation Network,and its ability to convene leadsfrom BIS, FCO, Newton Fundand the British Council in an

effective delivery partnership.Working as part of cross-organisational team of this kindmultiplies SIN the depth andbreadth of our understandingand influencing capacity, andbetter enables us to develophigh-performing international UKscience and innovationpartnerships which will supportUK growth.


INTERNATIONAL ACADEMICEXCHANGE PROGRAMMES – BETTER SCIENCE, DEEPER LINKS

In January this year, British Council and Professor Lord Hunt ofChesterton convened a symposium in the House of Lords to bringtogether international PhD and early career postdoctoral researcherswho are currently based in the UK supported by Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills (BIS)-funded Newton Fund1 scholarshipsand travel grants. The premise of the symposium was to giveparticipants the opportunity to hear about how UK Government andParliament operate and facilitate conversations with parliamentarians,members of the Lords Science and Technology Select Committee, theParliamentary Office of Science and Technology and Professor RobinGrimes (Chief Scientific Adviser to the Foreign and CommonwealthOffice) about how science interfaces with policy making in the UK. Thevisiting researchers – from China, Colombia, Egypt, Kazakhstan andTurkey – learnt about how science interacts with policy making here inthe UK. Meanwhile, UK parliamentarians and parliamentary staff wereable to learn from the diverse perspectives – and insightful questions –from these future global research leaders.

For the British Council, who organised this event, it makes intuitivesense that supporting scientific links and knowledge exchange betweenthe UK and other countries is a worthwhile endeavour – but whatexactly are the benefits? How do such linkages benefit the UK itself?And what is being done to foster them?

The world has witnessed ashift from an age of the ‘solitarygenius’ breaking new ground inthe sciences towards muchmore collaborative ways ofworking with other scientists tocreate and apply knowledge.Lines between disciplines andbetween institutions arebecoming blurred, and nationalscience and innovationecosystems are increasing incomplexity in line with this multi-institutional/multi-disciplinaryway of working.

RESEARCH THRIVES ONINTERNATIONALCOLLABORATIONThere can be great value in

collaborating not only withinone’s own institution or country,but also beyond national andcultural boundaries. Prominentexamples of successfulinternational collaborationsinclude large-scale, nationalgovernment-driven partnershipssuch as CERN’s particle physicslaboratory (which hosts manythousands of physicists andengineers from 21 countries)and the multitude of scientistsfeeding into theIntergovernmental Panel onClimate Change. But moremodest-sized multi-countrycollaborations, involving just afew research groups, are alsoproducing high-impact outputs.

Indeed, there is growingevidence3 that a country’sscientific excellence and impactof its research are stronglycorrelated to the extent to whichits researchers are mobile andcollaborate internationally. Oneof the widely accepted metricsof research quality measureshow and where scientificpublications are cited, andcitation rates have been shownto increase with increasinginternational co-authorship.Similarly, productivity levels ofresearchers who areinternationally mobile are higherthan those of researchersremaining within their countries.


UK SCIENCE HAS THEEDGE – FOR NOWA recent analysis

commissioned by BISestablished that the UK researchbase is world class, generatingalmost 16% of the world’s mosthighly-cited academic papersacross all major research fields,second only to the USA.Germany, China and Franceranked as the third, fourth andfifth, respectively. This issignificant in that the UKrepresents less than 1% of theworld population and, with acomparatively modest GrossExpenditure on Research andDevelopment, just over 4% ofresearchers worldwide. Indeed,another indicator of researchquality, the field-weightedcitation impact, suggests that theUK is right at the top of thegame.

Importantly, a key contributingfactor to the UK’s pole positionin science appears to be itsdisproportionally high level ofinternational collaboration. Morethan 50% of all UK publicationslist international contributors,resulting in publications withinternational co-authorship thathave a markedly larger field-weighted citation impact thanthose articles authoredexclusively by UK researchers.Many of these are pan-EUcollaborations funded throughthe European Commission, andthe UK is the largest beneficiaryof EU research funds in somesectors of science, for examplehealth research.

The mobility of researchersinto and out of the UK is alsothought to be a key driver ofscientific success. UKresearchers themselves arehighly mobile across nationalborders, while more than a thirdof academics employed in UKHigher Education Institutionscome from outside of the UK.The constant influx of highly-qualified postgraduate and

postdoctoral researchers fromabroad and returning UKscholars bring in new ideas andskills as well as differentperspectives.

THE BENEFITS OFHAVING A STRONG ANDINTERNATIONALISEDRESEARCH BASEThe UK hosts a plethora of

multi-disciplinary research with aglobal dimension thatfundamentally relies oninternational collaboration,including research into disasterrisk reduction, the food-water-energy nexus, rapidly emerginginfectious diseases, climatechange and other issues with aworldwide impact and relating tothe Sustainable DevelopmentGoals. The UK’s input into thesepressing topics will contribute tothe well-being of vulnerablepopulations globally – but is alsoclearly in the UK’s nationalinterest.

The UK’s global reputation forresearch is a key factor inattracting not only internationalresearchers but also youngpeople from overseas wishing tostudy at a UK university. This isnot inconsequential in economicterms since, for example, somefigures suggest that each non-EU student generates anaverage of £20,000 per annumfor the UK economy and theincome of UK higher educationinstitutions from non-EUstudents currently hovers aroundthe £4bn mark.

A strong, internationalisedresearch base brings many otherbenefits to the UK and there isincreasing recognition that skillsin science, technology,engineering and mathematics,and scientific literacy moregenerally, can be vital toevidence-informed decisionmaking and underpin economicprosperity.

Science collaboration as a

vehicle for deepening culturalrelations

The British Council wasfounded in 1934 in a time ofglobal uncertainty andimpending war to create ‘afriendly knowledge andunderstanding between thepeople of the UK and the widerworld’. It has a clear missionanchored in its Royal Charter toencourage cultural, educationaland also scientific andtechnological cooperation. Stillpursuing the same missiontoday, the British Councilpromotes ‘cultural relations’between the UK and thirdcountries across the sciences,enabling researchers to worktogether for mutual benefit andlonger-term, sustainablecollaboration.

As highlighted in a recentarticle in this publication4, theUK has a keen interest inscience collaboration as aplatform for bilateralrelationships with othercountries. British Council’s focuson scientific cultural relationsenables us to work even underpolitically and diplomaticallychallenging circumstancesbecause science is widelyperceived as primarily neutralterritory and a vehicle to buildtrust and deepen links. Forexample, recently we ran theUK-Iran Water ManagementResearch Symposium, the firstofficial science cooperationbetween the two countries inseven years 5 and also fund UK-Russia collaborations through along-standing partnership withthe Royal Society and theRussian Foundation for BasicResearch.

‘Brokers’ of internationalresearch links are in primeposition to deepen relationsbetween countries beyond thejoint pursuit of scientificknowledge. Serving, in a sense,as ambassadors for their own

countries, scholars visiting theUK represent the future ofglobal research, and many ofthem will become conduits forsustained links to the UK.Therefore, we see great benefitin supporting them as theyimmerse themselves in anotherculture.

CONCLUSIONInternational collaboration and

researcher mobility havebecome the lifeblood of the UKresearch base and play anincreasingly important roleglobally. But only if conditionsfor academic exchange continueto be safeguarded and fostered– through political will, strategicfunding and enabling legalframeworks – can science besustainably internationalised,continuing to generate mutualbenefit and deepening culturalrelations between countries andpeoples.

References

1 The £375M BIS-administered NewtonFund supports bilateral science andinnovation partnerships betweengroups in the UK and 15 partnercountries to work collaboratively onresearch questions that have thepromotion of economic developmentand welfare of the poor at their core.The Fund is delivered by a range of UKorganisations – including the learnedacademies, the Research Councils,Innovate UK, the Met Office and alsothe British Council – and in-countryfunding partners.

2. Adams, J. (2013) ‘The fourth age ofresearch’. Nature 497, 557-560.

3 ‘International Comparative Performanceof the UK Research Base’, Elsevier2013.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263729/bis-13-1297-international-comparative-performance-of-the-UK-research-base-2013.pdf

4 Grimes, R. and Hennessy, E. (2015)‘Why science is in the diplomatictoolkit’. Science in Parliament 72:2, 10-11.

5 https://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/press/first-uk-iran-science-and-research-cooperation-7-years


IS OUR AIR FIT TO BREATHE?Meeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee on Tuesday 24 May

IS OUR AIR FIT TO BREATHE?

London’s air quality is a matterof public concern. MP StephenMetcalfe chaired the P&SC’smonthly meeting on the topic ofair pollution levels in the city on24 June in the BoothroydRoom. Four speakers (ProfessorFrank Kelly, Ruth Calderwood,Dr. Ian Mudway, & ProfessorTerry Tetley) with varyingbackgrounds in academicsciences, government, andmedical sciences introduce thecurrent state of London’s airpollution and explain its causes,affects, and calls for actions fromtheir qualified perspectives.Professor Frank Kelly, the headof Environmental Health atKing’s College London, beginsthe discussion describing thesources of London’s airpollutants, particularly focusingon those of power generationand road traffic. Kelly defines themost prevalent air pollutantsresulting from these sources asParticulate Matter (PM), NitrogenDioxide (NO2), and Ozone(O3) and asserts that over29,000 premature deaths resultfrom PM exposure annually (UKin 2008). He shows thatincrease exposure to road trafficincreases pollutant levelspresent in body, the LondonUnderground being the highestexposure chamber. The impactsof air pollution on the publicburdens both individuals on theclinical level and the NHS onthe institutional level. Followingthis, Ruth Calderwood, theEnvironmental Policy Officer forCity of London Corporation,

elucidates the governmentalaction taken on air pollution inLondon as an EU Member State.Calderwood describes that limitvalues are met on lead, carbonmonoxide, benzene, andsulphur-dioxide, but PM andNO2 levels still require furtheractions to reduce current limits.She adds that while MemberStates must rectify air qualityissues found in their reportingzones (43 total in the UK),Defra’s Air Quality Plans arebeing challenged by Client Earthas insufficient to meet necessaryquality improvement demandswithin an appropriate time scale.Calderwood cites actions takenby the City Corporations throughits Air Quality Strategy (reducingemissions, working with the newMayor of London, & raisingawareness) but also stresses theneed to consider futurechallenges of attainment ofdiesel alternatives and meetingWHO limit levels for PM when

recommending governmentalactions on air pollution. Next, todemonstrate the biologicalplausibility of illness to dieselexposure, Dr. Ian Mudway,lecturer in Respiratory Toxicologyat Kings College, discusses hisresults from several pastscientific experiments. Throughcontrolled diesel exposuremodelling, Mudway shows thatPM induces inflammation in theairways and causes impairmentto lung function. Mudway furtherexpresses that lung functionalitydamage is irreversible and thathundreds of children in theHackney and Tower Hamletsareas show this healthconsequence in one study’sfindings. To end, Professor TerryTetley, a lung cell biologist atImperial College London,discusses the cellularimplications of exposure tonano-sized diesel PM oncecombined with ceria. Tetleystates that ceria allows for

oxidation in the cell to increase.As oxidation stress is crucial tolung inflammation, adding ceriato diesel lowers bio-reactivity incells acting as a possible anti-inflammatory. Following thespeakers’ presentations,committee members posequestions about theconsequences air pollution hason unborn babies and thevertical accumulation ofpollutants in buildings, whileemphasizing the need forpolluters to take actions toreverse the damage they arecausing in lieu of citizens takingpersonal precautions to avoidpollution exposure. Government,scientists, and academics arecurrently acting on the airpollution matter in London,though further collaborativeactions must be put forth tonotably improve London’s airquality. The next meeting willdiscuss the Haldane Principle onMonday 27 June.

Written by Cheyenne McCrae


HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECTCOMMITTEES 2015

BUSINESS INNOVATION AND SKILLSCOMMITTEEThe Business, Innovation and Skills Committee isappointed by the House of Commons to examinethe administration, expenditure and policy of theDepartment for Business, Innovation and Skills(BIS) and its associated public bodies, includingthe Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Mr Iain Wright(Labour, Hartlepool) was elected Chair. Othermembers of the Committee, formally appointedon Wednesday 8 July 2015, are: Paul Blomfield(Labour, Sheffield Central); Richard Fuller(Conservative, Bedford); Peter Kyle (Labour,Hove); Amanda Milling (Conservative, CannockChase); Jonanthan Reynolds (Labour, Stalybridgeand Hyde); Amanda Solloway (Conservative,Derby North); Michelle Thomson (ScottishNational Party, Edinburgh West); Kelly Tolhurst(Conservative, Rochester and Strood); CraigTracey (Conservative, North Warwickshire); ChrisWhite (Conservative, Warwick and Leamington).

Contact: Business, Innovation and SkillsCommittee, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. Telephone: 020 7219 5777;

Email: [email protected]

INQUIRYBusiness views on EU Referendum inquiry

The Business, Innovation and Skills Committeelaunches an inquiry aiming to test businessreasons cited by businesses on both sides of theEU referendum debate. The Committee wishes tohelp inform the debate in the run up to thereferendum on 23 June by exploring the rationalefor the views expressed by British businesses onthe question of Britain’s continued membership ofthe European Union. Written evidence wassubmitted by 15 April 2016.

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EDUCATION COMMITTEEThe Education Committee monitors the policy,administration and spending of the Departmentfor Education and its associated arms’ lengthbodies, including Ofsted. Mr Neil Carmichael(Conservative, Stroud) was elected Chair. Othermembers of the Committee, formally appointedon Thursday 6 July, are: Lucy Allan (Conservative,Telford); Ian Austin (Labour, Dudley N); MichelleDonelan (Conservative, Chippenham); Marion

Fellows (Scottish National Party, Motherwell andWishaw); Suella Fernandes (Conservative,Fareham); Lucy Frazer (Conservative, SECambridgeshire); Catherine McKinnell (Labour,Newcastle Upon Tyne North); Ian Mearns(Labour, Gateshead); Stephen Timms (Labour,East Ham); William Wragg (Conservative, HazelGrove).

INQUIRY The inquiry is based on a memorandum from theDepartment for Education on the Government'sapproach to children's social work reforms. TheCommittee invites written submissions on theGovernment’s approach to children’s social workreform outlined in the memorandum, seekingcomments on its content, focus, and breadth. Oralevidence sessions are currently underway.

Contact: Education Committee, House ofCommons, London SW1A 0AA.

Telephone: 020 7219 1376;

Email: [email protected]

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ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGECOMMITTEEThe Committee is appointed by the House ofCommons to examine the expenditure,administration and policy of the Department ofEnergy and Climate Change (DECC) and itsassociated public bodies. Angus Brendan MacNeil(Scottish National Party, Na h-Eileanan an Iar) waselected Chair. Other members, appointed 8 July,are: Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael (LiberalDemocrats, Orkney and Shetland); Glyn Davies(Conservative, Montgomeryshire); JamesHeappey (Conservative, Wells); MatthewPennycook (Labour, Greenwich and Woolwich);Dr Poulter (Conservative, Central Suffolk andNorth Ipswich): Antoinette Sandbach(Conservative, Eddisbury); Julian Sturdy(Conservative, York Outer); Rushanara Ali (Labour,Bethnal Green and Bow); Tom Blekinsop (Labour,Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland); JamieReed (Labour, Copeland).

INQUIRIES2020 renewable heat and transport targetsinquiry

The Committee will explore the main challenges


with, and potential solutions to, meeting the UK’s 2020 renewableenergy targets for heat and transport. Oral evidence to begin shortly.

Setting the fifth carbon budget inquiry

The Committee gathers views on the fifth carbon budget, inparticular in relation to the advice provided by the Committee onClimate Change and challenges faced by the Government in settingand meeting the fifth carbon budget. The report was published onWednesday 27 April 2016.

Contact: Energy and Climate Change Committee, House ofCommons, London SW1A 0AA

Telephone: 020 7219 2158; Email: [email protected]

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ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRSCOMMITTEEThe Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) isappointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure,administration and policy of the Department for Environment, Foodand Rural Affairs (Defra) and its associated public bodies. Mr NeilParish (Conservative, Tiverton and Honiton) was elected Chair.Other members (appointed on 8 July) are: Chris Davies(Conservative, Brecon and Radnorshire); Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour,Poplar and Limehouse); Simon Hart (Conservative, CarmarthenWest and South Pembrokeshire); Dr Paul Monaghan (ScottishNational Party, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross); RebeccaPow (Conservative, Taunton Deane); Margaret Ritchie (SocialDemocratic & Labour Party, South Down); David Simpson(Democratic Unionist Party, Upper Bann); Rishi Sunak (Conservative,Richmond); Angela Smith (Labour, Penistone and Stocksbridge);Valerie Vaz (Labour, Walsall South).

INQUIRYThe work of Defra

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee examines thework of Defra and hear from the Secretary of State and thePermanent Secretary on topics such as flood recovery and CommonAgricultural Policy. Discussions also focus on funding of theDepartment and the work of its agencies following theComprehensive Spending Review in November 2015.

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ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT COMMITTEEThe remit of the Environmental Audit Committee is to consider theextent to which the policies and programmes of governmentdepartments and non-departmental public bodies contribute toenvironmental protection and sustainable development, and to audittheir performance against sustainable development andenvironmental protection targets. Mary Creagh (Labour, Wakefield)was elected Chair on 10 February 2016. The remaining members ofthe Committee were appointed on Monday 20 July 2015: PeterAldous (Conservative, Waveney); Caroline Ansell (Conservative,Eastbourne); Jo Churchill (Conservative, Bury St Edmunds); GeraintDavies (Labour, Swansea West); Zac Goldsmith (Conservative,Richmond Park); Margaret Greenwood (Labour, Wirral West); LukeHall (Conservative, Thornbury and Yate); Carolyn Harris (Labour,Swansea East); Peter Heaton-Jones (Conservative, North Devon);

Mr Peter Lilley (Conservative, Hitchin and Harpenden); CarolineLucas (Green Party, Brighton Pavilion); John Mc Nally (ScottishNational Party, Falkirk); Rebecca Pow (Conservative, TauntonDeane); Rory Stewart (Conservative, Penrith and The Border).

INQUIRYFlooding: Cooperation Across Government

Following another winter of severe UK floods, EAC is launching aninquiry into Government policy and action on flooding. Thecommittee will be focusing on whether the Government’s approachis ‘joined-up’, and the extent to which cooperation acrossGovernment on this matter is successful. As part of the inquiry wewill be using the resilience of UK infrastructure as a case study. Wewill use this to investigate issues such as: how Governmentdepartments and public bodies can better cooperate to offercoherent policy and action on flooding; what the strengths andweaknesses of the Government’s current approach are; and what isrequired from Government to ensure that the UK’s development issustainable and best-placed to face future floods. If you would liketo submit evidence relating to cooperation across Governmentregarding flooding, please contact the Committee team [email protected].

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HEALTH COMMITTEEThe Health Committee is appointed by the House of Commons toexamine the policy, administration and expenditure of theDepartment of Health and its associated bodies Dr Sarah Wollastonwas elected Chair. The remaining members of the Committee, whowere elected by the House on Wednesday 8 July, are: Dr JamesDavies (Conservative, Vale of Clwyd); Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative,Morley and Outwood); Andrew Percy (Conservative, Brigg andGoole); Paula Sherriff (Labour, Dewsbury); Maggie Throup(Conservative, Erewash); Helen Whately (Conservative, Favershamand Mid Kent); Dr Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party, CentralAyrshire); Emma Reynolds (Labour, Wolverhampton North East);Julie Cooper (Labour, Burnley); Ben Bradshaw (Labour, Exeter).

INQUIRYImpact of membership of the EU on health policy in the UK

In order to inform the debate ahead of the referendum on EUmembership on 23 June, the Health Committee invites writtenevidence on the impact of membership of the EU on health policyin the UK. Accepting written submissions until 31 May 2016.

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEEThe Science and Technology Committee exists to ensure thatGovernment policy and decision-making are based on goodscientific and engineering advice and evidence. The Science andTechnology Committee is unusual amongst departmental selectcommittees in that it scrutinises the Government Office for Science(GO-Science), which is a “semi-autonomous organisation” basedwithin the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). GO-Science “supports the Government Chief Scientific Adviser andworks to ensure that Government policy and decision-making isunderpinned by robust scientific evidence”. The committee therefore


has a similarly broad remit and can examine the activities ofdepartments where they have implications for, or made use of,science, engineering, technology and research.

The Members of the Science and Technology Committee are: NicolaBlackwood (Conservative, Oxford West and Abingdon) was electedas Chair. The other members, appointed on 13 July, are: VictoriaBorwick (Conservative, Kensington); Jim Dowd (Labour, LewishamWest and Penge); Chris Green (Conservative, Bolton West); Dr TaniaMathias (Conservative, Twickenham); Carol Monaghan (ScottishNational Party, Glasgow North West); Graham Stringer (Labour,Blackley and Broughton); Derek Thomas (Conservative, St Ives);Matt Warman (Conservative, Boston and Skegness).

INQUIRIESGraphene inquiry

The inquiry will explore the lessons from graphene for research andinnovation in other areas, as well as the management andcommercialisation of graphene's intellectual property. TheCommittee is still accepting submissions.

Forensic Science Strategy inquiry

The Science and Technology Committee scrutinises theGovernment's Forensic Science Strategy and the extent to which itaddresses the concerns of the previous Science and TechnologyCommittee. The Committee also seeks views on the links betweenthe Forensic Strategy and developments in biometric sciences andregulation, ahead of the still awaited publication of a separategovernment biometric strategy. The Committee is still acceptingsubmissions.

Regenerative medicine inquiry

The Science and Technology Committee is undertaking an inquiryinto regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine (or advancedtherapies) involves replacing or regenerating cells, tissues or organsin order to restore or establish normal function in people withchronic illnesses. It has been used, for example, in bone marrowtransplants and offers the prospect of more effective repairs forfaulty hearts, skin burns and worn-out joints. Regenerative medicineincludes cell therapy, gene therapy, tissue engineering and othermethods. Accepting written submissions; the deadline is Tuesday 31May 2016.

Science in emergencies: chemical, biological, radiological ornuclear incidents inquiry

The Science and Technology Committee is undertaking an inquiryinto science advice in relation to planning for and responding tochemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incidents. CBRNemergencies include events such as industrial fires, chemicalcontamination and nuclear accidents. The inquiry follows previousCommittee reports 'Scientific advice and evidence in emergencies'in 2011 and 'Science in Emergencies: UK lessons from Ebola' inJanuary 2016. The inquiry coincides with the 5th anniversary of theFukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan and the 30thanniversary of the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine. Accepting writtensubmissions; the deadline is Friday 20 May 2016.

Robotics and artificial intelligence inquiry

The Science and Technology Committee is undertaking an inquiryinto robotics and artificial intelligence. Robotics and AutonomousSystems (RAS) is one of the 'Eight Great Technologies' identified bythe UK Government in 2012. A national strategy for RAS innovationfrom a 'RAS Special Interest Group' was published by Innovate UK in2014. The Committee is still accepting submissions.

Zika virus inquiry

The Science and Technology Committee holds a one-off session onthe Zika virus. The session examines the state of knowledge on thelink with babies born with microcephaly and the increased incidenceof Guillain-Barre syndrome. The Committee also examines whatmonitoring and research have been done on the virus, and thescientific advice being presented to the UK Government and thepublic. The Committee recently published a report on the UKlessons from Ebola, and the Committee explores the extent of read-across of the issues to Zika.

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TRANSPORT COMMITTEEThe Transport Committee examines the expenditure, administrationand policy of the Department of Transport and its associated publicbodies. Mrs Louise Ellman (Labour, Liverpool, Riverside) was electedChair. The remaining members of the Committee, appointed on 8July, are: Robert Flello (Labour, Stoke-on-Trent South); Mary Glindon(Labour, North Tyneside); Karl McCartney (Conservative, Lincoln);Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party, Glasgow

South); Mark Menzies (Conservative, Fylde); Huw Merriman(Conservative, Bexhill and Battle); Will Quince (Conservative,Colchester); Iain Stewart (Conservative, Milton Keynes South);Graham Stringer (Labour, Blackley and Broughton); Martin Vickers(Conservative, Cleethorpes).

INQUIRY Improving the rail passenger experience inquiry

The Transport Committee's inquiry looks to identifyrecommendations to improve the main aspects of a rail journeyfrom the perspective of the passenger: from planning a journey,arriving at a station, making the journey, and any necessary post-journey information.


HOUSE OF LORDS SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY SELECT COMMITTEEThe members of the Committee (appointed 8 June 2015) are: the Earl of Selborne (Chairman), Lord Cameron ofDillington, Lord Fox, Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield, Lord Hunt of Chesterton, Lord Kakkar, Baroness Manningham-Buller,Lord Maxton, the Duke of Montrose, Baroness Morgan of Huyton, Baroness Neville-Jones, Viscount Ridley and LordVallance of Tummel.

GM Insects

In July 2015, the Committee launched an inquiryinto GM Insects. Written submissions weresought by 18 September and oral evidence willbe taken in the autumn. The Committee reportwas published on 17 December 2015 and thegovernment response was published on 1 March2016.

The Relationship between EU Membershipand the effectiveness of Science, Researchand Innovation in the UK

In July 2015, the Committee agreed to conductan inquiry into the relationship between EUMembership and the effectiveness of science,research and innovation in the UK. The inquiry

has concluded and the report has beenpublished.

FURTHER INFORMATIONThe reports, Government responses, written andoral evidence to the Committee’s inquiries

mentioned above, as well as the Calls forEvidence and other documents can be found on

the Committee’s website. Further informationabout the work of the Committee can be

obtained from Chris Clarke, Committee Clerk,[email protected] or 020 7219 4963. The Committee Office email address [email protected].

PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (POST)

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RECENT POST PUBLICATIONSTrends in the EnvironmentJanuary 2016 POSTnote 516

Human activities interact with natural systems incomplex ways; they can cause long-termdamage to systems humans are dependent on.This POSTnote summarises a range of suchpressures on the environment. It also identifies anumber of trends and their effects on the UK, aswell as the policy options that could protects theenvironment while meeting human needs.

Intellectual Property and PlantsJanuary 2016 POSTnote 517

Plant breeding is an essential practice inagriculture and horticulture. Plant breeders mayseek intellectual property rights (IPR) over plantvarieties and breeding techniques to protecttheir investment in research. This POSTnoteconsiders the different IPR approaches availableto plant breeders.

Psychological Health of Military PersonnelFebruary 2016 POSTnote 518

The prevalence of common mental healthproblems in the military is higher than in thegeneral population. This POSTnote examines theimpact of military service on the psychologicalhealth of serving personnel, reservists, veteransand their families. The MOD has severalstrategies to protect the mental health of theArmed Forces, however stigma associated withmental ill health is a major barrier to accessinghelp. The paper outlines what is known aboutthe effectiveness of interventions, and highlightsareas for further research.

Electronic Health RecordsFebruary 2016 POSTnote 519

This POSTnote explains the plans to introduceelectronic health records for everyone. Electronichealth records contain information aboutpatients’ medical histories, health, carepreferences and lifestyles (such as diet andexercise). The paper discusses the opportunities


and challenges of implementing electronic health records willinvolve.

Digital Forensics and CrimeMarch 2016 POSTnote 520

Digital forensic science is the process of obtaining, analysing andusing digital evidence in investigations or criminal proceedings.Digital evidence ranges from images of child sexual exploitation tothe location of a mobile phone. This note looks at the use of digitalforensics by UK law enforcement agencies. It covers how evidenceis obtained, the legislation and regulation in this area, and the effortsbeing made to address the challenges faced by practitioners.

Access to Water and SanitationApril 2016 POSTnote 521

This POSTnote discusses the challenge of increasing access to waterand sanitation in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). Almost a third of the global population (2.4 billion people)lack access to sanitation facilities. Improving access to water,sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) has been a key aim of the UN’sSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve universal accessto safe water and sanitation by 2030

CURRENT WORKBiological Sciences – Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Guidelines,Nature and Health, Putting a Value on Nature, Anti-ebola Treatments,Trends in Infectious Diseases, Trends in Non-communicableDiseases, UK Neonatal and Infant Mortality, Sugar and HealthUpdate, Integrating health and social care, Electronic CigarettesUpdate

Environment and Energy – Managing the Plutonium Stockpile,Trends in Agriculture, Carbon Footprint of Heat Generation, AdaptingUrban Drainage, Marine Microplastics Pollution, Ecological rewilding,Designing a circular economy,

Physical sciences and IT – Space Weather, Trends in Defence,Financial Technologies, Automation and the workforce

Social Sciences – Global Health Inequality, Preventing Extremism,Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility, Educational Provisions forYoung Offenders, Creating age-friendly cities, Comparing economicand behavioural interventions, Access to Healthy Food

CONFERENCES AND SEMINARSManaging the Water Cycle More Effectively

Some of the most challenging societal questions of the next twodecades will concern water and well-being. On 3rd May, POSThosted a joint All Party Parliamentary Water Group and POST sessionin order to explore the practices of integrated catchmentmanagement, to examine how evidence is used, how decisions aremade and how interventions could be undertaken effectively withthe community. The session was chaired by Neil Parish MP, Chair ofthe EFRA Committee. Speakers included: Professor Louise Bracken,Executive Director, Institute of Hazard Risk and Resilience, DurhamUniversity; Dr Paul Quinn, Civil Engineering and Geoscience,Newcastle University; Dr Mark Wilkinson, Research Scientist, TheJames Hutton Institute; Dr David Brown, Environment Agency,Senior Advisor in Flood Risk Management and Michael Norbury,

Liverpool University; Minni Jain, Director, The Flow Partnership; and,Paul Nolan OBE, Director, Mersey Forest and Prof David Shaw,Liverpool University.

Assessing the Global Status of Pollinators

The purpose of this POST session on 11th May was to explore thefindings of a report published by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services with UKauthors prominent in the production of the assessment and discussthe options for safeguarding pollinators highlighted in the report. Thesession was chaired by Huw Merriman MP. Speakers included:Professor Simon Potts, Professor of Biodiversity and EcosystemServices, Reading University; Dr Tom Breeze, Research Fellow in theSchool of Agriculture, University of Reading; Dr. Adam Vanbergen,Invertebrate Ecologist, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology; EmilyMusson, Senior Policy Adviser, Nature and Pollinators Strategy Team;and, Mark Stevenson, Natural Science Adviser and EvidenceProgramme Manager, Defra

Evidence Based Policing

On 20th April, POST hosted a session for MPs, Peers and their staffto discuss evidence-based policing. It helps the police service makemore informed decisions about what policies and practices are cost-effective and improve their service to the public. One sessionfocused on domestic abuse, estimated to account for 11% ofreported crime in 2015. It was chair by James Berry MP, for Kingstonand Surbiton. The speakers included: Rachel Tuffin, Director ofKnowledge, Research and Education, College of Policing; InspectorSteve Goodier, Hampshire Constabulary; Inspector Ben Linton,Metropolitan Police; Carol Vigurs, Evidence for Policy and PracticeInformation Co-ordinating Centre, UCL Institute of Education;Assistant Chief Constable Scott Chilton, Hampshire Constabulary andThames Valley Police and Chair of the Society of Evidence-BasedPolicing; Sian Hawkins, Campaigns and Public Affairs Manager,Women’s Aid; Catherine Owens, Evidence and Evaluation Adviser,College of Policing & Commander Jeremy Burton, MetropolitanPolice; and, Professor Martin Innes, Cardiff University; Dr JasonRoach, Huddersfield University.

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITES POST is collaborating with the African Institute for DevelopmentPolicy as part of the DFID funded SECURE health consortium whichseeks to strengthen the capacity of policymakers to utilize researchevidence in health policymaking in Kenya and Malawi.

In 2016 POST will be hosting two Parliamentary research staff fromeach parliament on one-month internships to help develop theirskills in handling research evidence and briefing theirparliamentarians.


SCIENCE DIRECTORY

Economic andSocial ResearchCouncilContact: Jacky Clake, Head ofCommunications,Economic and Social Research Council,Polaris House, North Star Avenue,Swindon SN2 1UJTel: 01793 413117E-mail: [email protected]: www.esrc.ac.uk

The ESRC is the UK’s largest organisation for fundingresearch on economic and social issues and iscommitted to supporting the very best research withwide-ranging impact. Social science contributes togreater knowledge and understanding of the manychallenges our society faces today and by ensuringthat ESRC-funded research makes the biggestpossible impact, our research shapes public policiesand makes business, voluntary bodies and otherorganisations more effective, as well as shapingwider society. We also develop and train the UK’sfuture social scientists.

Biotechnologyand BiologicalSciences Research Council(BBSRC)Contact: Matt GoodeAssociate Director, Communications &External RelationsBBSRC, Polaris House, North Star AvenueSwindon SN2 1UH. Tel: 01793 413299E-mail: [email protected]: www.bbsrc.ac.uk

BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research,innovation and training on behalf of the UK public.Our aim is to further scientific knowledge topromote economic growth, wealth and job creationand to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.BBSRC research is helping society to meet majorchallenges, including food security, green energyand healthier lifespans and underpins important UKeconomic sectors, such as farming, food, industrialbiotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

Contact: Sarah Crew, Parliamentary Relations Manager, EPSRC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1ETTel: 01793 444570E-mail: [email protected]:www.epsrc.ac.uk

EPSRC is the UK’s main agency for funding researchand training in engineering and physical sciences,investing around £800m a year in research andpostgraduate training, to help the nation handle thenext generation of technological change.

The areas covered range from informationtechnology to structural engineering, andmathematics to materials science. This researchforms the basis for future economic development inthe UK and improvements for everyone’s health,lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside otherResearch Councils with responsibility for other areasof research.

MedicalResearchCouncilContact: Sophie Broster-JamesPublic Affairs ManagerOne Kemble Street, London WC2B 4AN.Tel: 020 7395 2275E-mail: [email protected]: www.mrc.ac.uk

Over the past century, the MRC has been at the forefrontof scientific discovery to improve human health. Foundedin 1913 to tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now investstaxpayers’ money in the highest quality medical researchacross every area of health. Thirty-one MRC-fundedresearchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range ofdisciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind suchdiverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA andthe link between smoking and cancer, as well asachievements such as pioneering the use of randomisedcontrolled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and thedevelopment of therapeutic antibodies. We also workclosely with the UK’s Health Departments, the NHS,medical research charities and industry to ensure ourresearch achieves maximum impact as well as being ofexcellent scientific quality.

NaturalEnvironmentResearch CouncilContact: Andy JonesGovernment and ParliamentCommunications ManagerNERC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue,Swindon, SN2 1EUTel: 01793 444238Mobile: 07867553053Email: [email protected]: www.nerc.ac.ukNERC is the UK’s leading public funder of environmentalscience. We invest £330 million each year in cutting-edgeresearch, postgraduate training and innovation inuniversities and research centres.Our scientists study the physical, chemical and biologicalprocesses on which our planet and life itself depends –from pole to pole, from the deep Earth and oceans to theatmosphere and space.We partner with business, government, the public and thewider research community to shape the environmentalresearch and innovation agenda. Our science providesknowledge, skills and technology that deliver sustainableeconomic growth and public wellbeing.

Contact: Natalie BealingHead of Stakeholder EngagementSTFC Rutherford Appleton LaboratoryHarwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0QXTel: 01235 445484 E-mail: [email protected]

The Science and Technology Facilities Council is oneof Europe’s largest multidisciplinary researchorganisations undertaking and supporting a broadrange of research across the physical, life andcomputational sciences. We operate world class,large-scale research facilities in the UK and Europeand provide strategic advice to the UK Governmenton their development. We partner in two of the UK’sScience and Innovation Campuses. We also manageinternational research projects in support of a broadcross-section of the UK research community,particularly in the fields of astronomy, nuclear physicsand particle physics.

Research Councils UKContact: Alexandra SaxonHead of RCUK Strategy Unit Research Councils UKPolaris HouseNorth Star AvenueSwindon SN2 1ET

Tel: 01793 444592E-mail: [email protected]: www.rcuk.ac.uk

Each year the Research Councils invest around £3 billion in research covering the full spectrum of academicdisciplines from the medical and biological sciences to astronomy, physics, chemistry and engineering,social sciences, economics, environmental sciences and the arts and humanities.

Research Councils UK is the strategic partnerships of the seven Research Councils. It aims to:

• increase the collective visibility, leadership and influence of the Research Councils for the benefit of theUK;

• lead in shaping the overall portfolio of research funded by the Research Councils to maximise theexcellence and impact of UK research, and help to ensure that the UK gets the best value for money fromits investment;

• ensure joined-up operations between the Research Councils to achieve its goals and improve services tothe communities it sponsors and works with.


Contact: Jonathan BrüünChief ExecutiveBritish Pharmacological SocietyThe Schild Plot, 16 Angel Gate, City Road, London EC1V 2PTTel: : 020 7239 0171Fax: 020 7417 0114Email: [email protected]: www.bps.ac.uk

The British Pharmacological Society is a charity with amission to promote and advance the whole spectrum ofpharmacology. It is the primary UK learned societyconcerned with drugs and the way they work, and leads theway in the research and application of pharmacologyaround the world.

Founded in 1931, the Society champions pharmacology inall its forms, across academia, industry, regulatory agenciesand the health service. With over 3,500 members from over60 countries worldwide, the Society is a friendly andcollaborative community. Enquiries about the discovery,development and application of drugs are welcome.

Contact: Gabriele ButkuteScience Policy AssistantBiochemical SocietyCharles Darwin House12 Roger Street, London WC1N 2JUTel: +44 (0)20 7685 2401Email: [email protected]: www.biochemistry.org

The Biochemical Society works to support the advancementof the molecular biosciences; facilitating the circulation ofknowledge and supporting innovation, raising awareness ofthe importance of our discipline in addressing societal grandchallenges.We achieve our mission by:• Supporting the next generation of biochemists• Bringing together molecular bioscientists; fosteringconnections and providing a platform for collaborationand networking

• Promoting and sharing knowledge through meetings,publications and public engagement

• Highlighting the role of molecular biosciences ininterdisciplinary and translational research, whilesupporting the fundamental science that underpinsapplied studies

The BritishEcologicalSocietyContact: Jackie Caine, Policy ManagerBritish Ecological Society12 Roger Street, London WC1N 2JUEmail: [email protected]: 020 7685 2510Website: www.BritishEcologicalSociety.orgEcology & Policy Bloghttp://britishecologicalsociety.org/blog/Twitter: @BESPolicy

The British Ecological Society’s mission is to generate,communicate and promote ecological solutions. TheSociety has over 5,000 members worldwide, publishesfive internationally renowned scientific journals andorganises the largest scientific meeting for ecologists inEurope. Through its grants, the BES supports ecologists indeveloping countries, public engagement and research.The BES informs and advises Parliament and Governmenton ecological issues and is committed to ensuring thatpolicy-makers have access to the best available evidence.The BES welcomes requests for assistance fromparliamentarians.

AMPS

Contact:Tony Harding07895 162 896 for all queries whether formembership or assistance.Branch Office Address:Merchant Quay,Salford Quays, SalfordM50 3SG.

Website: www.amps-tradeunion.com

We are a Trades Union for Management andProfessional Staff working in the pharmaceutical,chemical and allied industries.

We have produced a training programme funded bythe EU on diversity and helping women managersremain in the workplace after a career break. Thistraining programme is aimed at both men and womenand is intended to address the shortfall in qualifiedpersonnel in the chemical and allied industries.

We are experts in performance based and field relatedissues and are affiliated to our counterparts in EUProfessional Management Unions.

British NutritionFoundationContact: Professor Judy Buttriss,Director GeneralImperial House 6th Floor15-19 KingswayLondon WC2B 6UNTel: +44(0) 20 7557 7930Email: [email protected]

Websites: www.nutrition.org.ukwww.foodafactoflife.org.uk

The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), aregistered charity, delivers impartial, authoritativeand evidence-based information on food andnutrition. Its core purpose is to make nutritionscience accessible to all, working with anextensive network of contacts across academia,education and the food chain, and through BNFwork programmes focussing on education inschools and nutrition science communication.

BritishIn VitroDiagnostics Association(BIVDA)Contact: Doris-Ann Williams MBEChief ExecutiveBritish In Vitro Diagnostics AssociationDevonshire House164 – 168 Westminster Bridge RoadLondon SE1 7RW

Tel: 0845 6188224Email: [email protected]

BIVDA is the UK industry association representingcompanies who manufacture and/or distribute thediagnostics tests and equipment to diagnose,monitor and manage disease largely through the NHSpathology services. Increasingly diagnostics are usedoutside the laboratory in community settings and alsoto identify those patients who would benefit fromspecific drug treatment particularly for cancer.

SCIENCE DIRECTORYAIRTO

Contact: Professor Richard Brook OBE FREng AIRTO Ltd: Association of InnovationResearch & Technology Organisations Limitedc/o National Physical LaboratoryHampton Road, TeddingtonMiddlesex TW11 0LWTel: 020 8943 6600E-mail: [email protected]: @airtoinnovationWebsite: www.airto.co.uk

AIRTO – Association of Innovation, Research & TechnologyOrganisations – is the foremost membership body for theUK’s innovation, research and technology sector,representing 80% of organisations in the sector.

AIRTO’s members deliver vital innovation and knowledgetransfer services which include applied and collaborativeR&D, (frequently in conjunction with universities),consultancy, technology validation and testing, incubationof commercialisation opportunities and early stagefinancing. AIRTO members have a combined turnover ofover £5.5bn from clients both at home and outside the UK,and employ over 47,000 scientists, technologists andengineers.

Association of the BritishPharmaceuticalIndustry Contact: Audrey YvernaultHead of Policy and Public Affairs7th Floor, Southside, 105 Victoria Street,London SW1E 6QTTel: 020 7747 7136Email: [email protected]: www.abpi.org.uk

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)represents innovative research-based biopharmaceuticalcompanies, large, medium and small, leading an exciting new eraof biosciences in the UK. Our industry, a major contributor to theeconomy of the UK, brings life-saving and life-enhancingmedicines to patients. Our members are researching anddeveloping over two-thirds of the current medicines pipeline,ensuring that the UK remains at the forefront of helping patientsprevent and overcome diseases. Topics we focus on include:

• All aspects of the research and development of medicinesincluding clinical research and licensing

• Stratified medicine

• Vaccines, biosimilars, small and large molecules, cell therapyand regenerative medicine

Contact: Dr Matt Norton3 Riverside, Granta ParkCambridge, CB21 6ADTel: 01223 824575E-mail: [email protected] Website:http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/

Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leadingdementia research charity. Currently, we support132 projects worth over £26.4m and havecommitted over £60m to research since the charitybegan. As research specialists, we fund pioneeringresearch at leading universities across the UK andthe globe with the goal of defeating dementia. Ourexpertise brings together leading dementiascientists to share ideas and understanding. Wework with people with dementia to reflect theirconcerns and firmly believe that science holds thekey to defeating dementia.

SCIENCE DIRECTORY


Mrs Tracey GuiseChief Executive OfficerBritish Society for Antimicrobial ChemotherapyGriffin House | 53 Regent Place | BirminghamB1 3NJwww.bsac.org.uk | www.antibiotic-action.comwww.e-opat.com | www.nas-pps.com|www.appg-on-antibiotics.comwww.bsacsurv.org

The BSAC is an inter-professional organisation with overforty years of experience and achievement in antibioticeducation, research and leadership. The Society has anactive international membership and:

• Is dedicated to saving lives through the effective use anddevelopment of antibiotics, now and in the future.

• Communicates effectively about antibiotics and antibioticusage via workshops, professional guidelines and its ownhigh impact international journal, the Journal ofAntimicrobial Chemotherapy.

• Is home to the UK-led global initiative Antibiotic Action

• Serves as secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Groupon Antibiotics

The BritishPsychologicalSocietyContact: Tanja SiggsPolicy Advisor - LegislationThe British Psychological SocietySt Andrews House48 Princess Road EastLeicester LE1 7DRTel: 0116 252 9526Email: [email protected]: www.bps.org.uk

The British Psychological Society is an organisation

of 50,000 members governed by Royal Charter. It

maintains the Register of Chartered Psychologists,

publishes books, 11 primary science Journals and

organises conferences. Requests for information

about psychology and psychologists from

parliamentarians are very welcome.

BrunelUniversityLondonContact: Geoff RodgersBrunel University LondonKingston LaneUxbridge UB8 3PHTel: 01895 265609Fax: 01895 269740E-mail: [email protected]: www.brunel.ac.ukBrunel University London is an international research active universitywith 3 leading research institutes:

Institute of Energy Futures: Led by Professor Savvas Tassou, the mainthemes of the Institute are Advanced Engines and Biofuels, EnergyEfficient and Sustainable Technologies, Smart Power Networks, andResource Efficient Future Cities.Institute of Materials and Manufacturing: The main themes of researchare Design for Sustainable Manufacturing, Liquid Metal Engineering,Materials Characterisation and Processing, Micro-Nano Manufacturing,and Structural Integrity. The Institute is led by Professor Luiz Wrobel.Institute of Environment, Health and Societies: Professor SusanJobling leads this pioneering research institute whose themes are Healthand Environment, Healthy Ageing, Health Economics Synthetic Biology,Biomedical Engineering and Healthcare Technologies, and SocialSciences and Health.Brunel University London offers a wide range of expertise andknowledge, and prides itself on having academic excellence at the coreof its offer, and was ranked in the recent REF as 33rd in the UK forResearch Power (average quality rating by number of submissions) anddescribed by The Times Higher Education as one of the real winners ofthe REF 2014.

CavendishLaboratoryContact: Departmental Administrator, The Cavendish Laboratory, J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.E-mail: [email protected]://www.phy.cam.ac.uk

The Cavendish Laboratory houses the Department of Physicsof the University of Cambridge.

The research programme covers the breadth ofcontemporary physics

Extreme Universe: Astrophysics, cosmology and highenergy physics

Quantum Universe: Cold atoms, condensed matter theory,scientific computing, quantum matter and semiconductorphysics

Materials Universe: Optoelectronics, nanophotonics,detector physics, thin film magnetism, surface physics andthe Winton programme for the physics of sustainability

Biological Universe: Physics of medicine, biologicalsystems and soft matter

The Laboratory has world-wide collaborations with otheruniversities and industry

Contact: Jo Revill, CEOVintage House37 Albert EmbankmentLondon SE1 7TL.Tel: 020 3031 9800Fax: 020 7582 2882E-mail: [email protected]: www.immunology.org

The BSI is one of the oldest, largest and most activeimmunology societies in the world. We have over5,000 members who work in all areas ofimmunology, including research and clinicalpractice.

The BSI runs major scientific meetings, educationprogrammes and events for all ages. Wedisseminate top quality scientific research throughour journals and meetings and we are committedto bringing the wonders and achievements ofimmunology to as many audiences as possible.

Clifton Scientific TrustContact: Dr Eric Albone MBEClifton Scientific Trust 49 Northumberland Road, Bristol BS6 7BATel: 0117 924 7664 Fax: 0117 924 7664E-mail: [email protected]: www.clifton-scientific.org

Science for Citizenship and Employability,Science for Life, Science for Real

We build grass-roots partnerships between schooland the wider world of professional science and itsapplications

• for young people of all ages and abilities

• experiencing science as a creative, questioning,human activity

• bringing school science added meaning andnotivation, from primary to post-16

• locally, nationally, internationally (currentlybetween Britain and Japan; also the Ukraine)

Clifton Scientific Trust Ltd is registered charity 1086933

The Council for the Mathematical SciencesContact: Lindsay WalshDe Morgan House57-58 Russell SquareLondon WC1B 4HSTel: 020 7637 3686Fax: 020 7323 3655Email: [email protected]: www.cms.ac.uk

The Council for the Mathematical Sciences is anauthoritative and objective body that works to develop,influence and respond to UK policy issues affectingmathematical sciences in higher education andresearch, and therefore the UK economy and society by:• providing expert advice;• engaging with government, funding agencies andother decision makers;

• raising public awareness; and• facilitating communication between themathematical sciences community and otherstakeholders

British Society of Soil Science

Contact: Ian Brown

LR8, Vincent Building, Cranfield University,

Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL

Tel: 01234 752983

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.soils.org.uk

The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) or "BScubed" as it is fondly known was founded in1947 by a number of eminent British soilscientists. It was formed with the aims: toadvance the study of soil; to be open tomembership from all those with an interest inthe study and uses of soil; and to issue anannual publication.

Contact: Dr Christopher FlowerJosaron House5-7 John Princes StreetLondon W1G 0JNTel: 020 7491 8891E-mail: [email protected]: www.ctpa.org.uk &www.thefactsabout.co.uk

CTPA is the UK trade association representingmanufacturers of cosmetic products andsuppliers to the cosmetic products industry.‘Cosmetic products’ are legally defined andsubject to stringent EU safety laws. CTPA is theauthoritative public voice of a vibrant andresponsible UK industry trusted to act for theconsumer; ensuring the science behindcosmetics is fully understood.

SCIENCE DIRECTORY


Contact: Delia Mertoiu5 Cambridge Court210 Shepherds Bush RoadLondon W6 7NJTel: 020 7603 6316E-mail: [email protected]: www.ifst.org

IFST is the independent qualifying body for foodprofessionals in Europe. Membership is drawn fromall over the world from backgrounds includingindustry, universities, government, research anddevelopment and food law enforcement.

IFST’s activities focus on disseminating knowledgerelating to food science and technology andpromoting its application. Another importantelement of our work is to promote and upholdstandards amongst food professionals.

GAMBICAAssociation Ltd

Contact: Dr Graeme PhilpBroadwall House21 BroadwallLondon SE1 9PLTel: 020 7642 8080 Fax: 020 7642 8096E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.gambica.org.uk

GAMBICA Association is the UK trade association

for instrumentation, control, automation and

laboratory technology. The association seeks to

promote the successful development of the

industry and assist its member companies through

a broad range of services, including technical policy

and standards, commercial issues, market data and

export services.

TheGeologicalSocietyContact: Nic BilhamDirector of Policy and CommunicationsBurlington HousePiccadillyLondon W1J 0BGTel: 020 7434 9944Fax: 020 7439 8975E-mail: [email protected]: www.geolsoc.org.uk

The Geological Society is the national learned andprofessional body for Earth sciences, with 12,000Fellows (members) worldwide. The Fellowshipencompasses those working in industry, academiaand government, with a wide range of perspectivesand views on policy-relevant science, and theSociety is a leading communicator of this science togovernment bodies and other non-technicalaudiences.

Glass and Glazing Federation Contact: James Lee54 Ayres StreetLondon SE1 1EUTel: 020 7939 9100Fax: 0870 042 4266E-mail: [email protected]: www.ggf.org.uk

The GGF is the main representative organisation forcompanies involved in all aspects of themanufacture of flat glass and products and servicesfor all types of glazing, in commercial and domesticsectors.

Members include companies that manufacture andinstall energy efficient windows, in homes andcommercial buildings, the performance glass usedin every type of building from houses to high-risetower blocks and the components that are used tomanufacture every type of glazing.

Fera

Contact: Director of ScienceFera Science Ltd. (Fera)Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZTel: 01904 462000E-mail: [email protected]: www.fera.co.uk

Fera provides expert analytical and professionalservices to governments, agrichemical companies,food retailers, manufacturers and farmers tofacilitate safety, productivity and quality across theagrifood supply chain in a sustainable andenvironmentally compatible way.

Fera uses its world leading scientific expertise toprovide robust evidence, rigorous analysis andprofessional advice to governments, internationalbodies and companies worldwide. Our foodintegrity, plant health, agri-tech and agri-informatics services ensure that our customers haveaccess to leading edge science, technology andexpertise.

First Group

Contact: Mac AndradeDirector InfrastructureFirst Group4th Floor, Capital House25 Chapel StreetLondon NW1 5DHE-mail: [email protected] Website: www.firstgroup.com

FirstGroup is the leading transport operator in the

UK and North America.

Our services help create strong, vibrant and

sustainable local economies and our opportunity is

to be the provider of choice for our customers and

communities. During the last year around 2.5 billion

people relied on us to get to work, to education, to

visit family and friends and much more.

Eli Lilly andCompanyLtdContact: Thom Thorp, Senior Director,Corporate AffairsTel: 01256 315000Fax: 01256 775858Eli Lilly and Company Ltd, Lilly HousePriestley Road, Basingstoke, Hants,RG24 9NLEmail. [email protected]: www.lilly.co.uk

Lilly UK is the UK affiliate of a major Americanpharmaceutical manufacturer, Eli Lilly and Companyof Indianapolis. This affiliate is one of the UK’s toppharmaceutical companies with significantinvestment in science and technology including aneuroscience research and development centre andbulk biotechnology manufacturing operations.

Lilly medicines treat schizophrenia, diabetes, cancer,osteoporosis, attention deficit hyperactivitydisorder, erectile dysfunction, depression, bipolardisorder, heart disease and many other diseases.

Tamzin CaffreyHead of CommunicationsEngineeringUK5th Floor, Woolgate Exchange25 Basinghall Street, London EC2V 5HATel: 020 3206 0444Fax: 020 3206 0401E-mail: [email protected]: www.EngineeringUK.com

EngineeringUK is an independent organisation thatpromotes the vital role of engineers, engineeringand technology in our society. EngineeringUKpartners business and industry, Government andthe wider science and technology community:producing evidence on the state of engineering;sharing knowledge within engineering, andinspiring young people to choose a career inengineering, matching employers’ demand forskills.

Energy InstituteContact: Louise Kingham OBE FEI Chief Executive61 New Cavendish StreetLondon W1G 7ARTel: 020 7467 7100Email: [email protected]: www.energyinst.org

The Energy Institute (EI) is the chartered professional bodyfor the energy sector, supporting over 22,000 individualsand 200 companies worldwide. The EI provides learningand networking opportunities, professional recognitionand technical and scientific knowledge resources onenergy in all its forms and applications.

The EI’s purpose is to develop and disseminateknowledge, skills and good practice towards a safe,secure and sustainable energy system. It addresses thedepth and breadth of the energy sector and informspolicy by providing a platform for debate andscientifically-sound information.

A registered charity, the EI serves society withindependence, professionalism and a wealth of expertisein all energy matters.

SCIENCE DIRECTORY


Contact: Rosemary Cook CBE (CEO)Fairmount House, 230 Tadcaster Road,York, YO24 1ESTel: 01904 610821 Fax: 01904 612279E-mail: [email protected]: www.ipem.ac.uk

IPEM is a registered, incorporated charity for theadvancement, in the public interest, of physics andengineering applied to medicine and biology. Itsmembers are medical physicists, clinical and bio-engineers, and clinical technologists. It organisestraining and CPD for them, and provides opportunitiesfor the dissemination of knowledge throughpublications and scientific meetings. IPEM is licensed bythe Science Council to award CSci, RSci and RSciTech,and by the Engineering Council to award CEng, IEngand EngTech.

Institute ofPhysics andEngineeringin Medicine

The Institution of Chemical Engineers

With over 42,000 members in 120 countries, IChemE is the global membership organisation for chemical engineers. A not for profit organisation, we serve the public interest by building and sustaining an active professional community and promoting the development, understanding and application of chemical engineering worldwide.

Alana Collis, Technical policy manager+44 (0) 1788 [email protected]

Kuala Lumpur | London | Melbourne | Rugby | Singapore | Wellington

Institution of Civil EngineersContact: Alex Green-Wilkes, Public Affairs Manager,One Great George Street, Westminster,London SW1P 3AA, UKTel: 020 7665 2109E-mail: [email protected]: www.ice.org.uk

Established in 1818 and with over 86,000

members in 167 countries worldwide, ICE is a

leading source of expertise in infrastructure and

engineering policy and is widely seen as the

independent voice of infrastructure. ICE provides

advice to all political parties and works with

industry to ensure that civil engineering and

construction remain major contributors to the

UK economy.

Institution ofEngineeringDesigners

Contact: Libby MeyrickCourtleighWestbury LeighWestburyWiltshire BA13 3TATel: 01373 822801Fax: 01373 858085E-mail: [email protected]: www.ied.org.uk

The only professional membership body solely forthose working in engineering and technologicalproduct design. Engineering Council and CharteredEnvironmentalist registration for suitably qualifiedmembers. Membership includes experts on a widerange of engineering and product designdisciplines, all of whom practise, manage oreducate in design. New for 2015: Chartership forProduct Designers (CTPD).

Institution ofMechanicalEngineersContact: Richard Campbell1 Birdcage WalkLondon SW1H 9JJTel: 020 7973 1293E-mail: [email protected]: www.imeche.org

The Institution provides politicians and civil servants

with information, expertise and advice on a diverse

range of subjects, focusing on manufacturing,

energy, environment, transport and education

policy. We regularly publish policy statements and

host political briefings and policy events to establish

a working relationship between the engineering

profession and parliament.

Contact: Paul DaviesIET,Michael Faraday House,Six Hills Way,Stevenage,SG1 2AYTel: +44(0) 1438 765687Email: [email protected]: www.theiet.org

The IET is a world leading professional organisation,

sharing and advancing knowledge to promote

science, engineering and technology across the

world. Dating back to 1871, the IET has over

163,000 members in 127 countries with offices in

Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific.

Contact: Alex Connor76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NTTel: 020 7470 4819E-mail: [email protected]: www.iop.org

The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society.We are a charitable organisation with a worldwidemembership of more than 50,000, workingtogether to advance physics education, researchand application.

We engage with policymakers and the generalpublic to develop awareness and understanding ofthe value of physics and, through IOP Publishing,we are world leaders in professional scientificcommunications.

In September 2013, we launched our firstfundraising campaign. Our campaign, OpportunityPhysics, offers you the chance to support the workthat we do.

Visit us at www.iop.org, follow us@physicsnews

Institute ofMarine Engineering,Science andTechnology (IMarEST)Contact: Bev MackenzieInstitute of Marine Engineering, Scienceand Technology (IMarEST), Aldgate House,33 Aldgate High Street, London, EC3N 1EN

Tel: +44(0) 20 7382 2600Fax: +44(0) 20 7382 2667E-mail: [email protected]: www.imarest.org

Established in London in 1889, the IMarEST is aleading international membership body andlearned society for marine professionals, with over15,000 members worldwide. The IMarEST has anextensive marine network of 50 internationalbranches, affiliations with major marine societiesaround the world, representation on the key marinetechnical committees and non-governmental statusat the International Maritime Organization (IMO) aswell as other intergovernmental organisations.

Contact: Mr Peter Martindale,CEO and SecretaryThe Institute of Measurement and Control87 Gower Street, London WC1E 6AFTel: +44 (0) 20 73874949Fax: +44 (0) 20 73888431E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.instmc.org.ukReg Charity number: 269815

The Institute of Measurement and Control provides aforum for personal contact amongst practiioners,publishes learned papers and is a professionalexamining and qualifying organisation able to conferthe titles EurIng, CEng, IEng, EngTech; Companies andUniversities may apply to become Companions.Headquartered in London, the Institute has a strongregional base with 15 UK, 1 Hong Kong and 1 MalaysiaLocal Section, a bilateral agreement with the ChinaInstrument Society and other major international links.

SCIENCE DIRECTORY


National Physical LaboratoryContact: Fiona AutyNational Physical LaboratoryHampton Road, TeddingtonMiddlesex TW11 0LWTel: 020 8977 3222Website: www.npl.co.uk/contact-us

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is the UnitedKingdom’s national measurement institute, aninternationally respected and independent centreof excellence in research, development andknowledge transfer in measurement and materialsscience. For more than a century, NPL hasdeveloped and maintained the nation’s primarymeasurement standards - the heart of aninfrastructure designed to ensure accuracy,consistency and innovation in physicalmeasurement.

Marine BiologicalAssociation

Contact: Dr Matthew FrostMarine Biological Association, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PBTel: 07848028388Fax: 01752 633102E-mail: [email protected]: mba.ac.uk

Since 1884 the Marine Biological Association has

been delivering its mission ‘to promote scientificresearch into all aspects of life in the sea, includingthe environment on which it depends, and todisseminate to the public the knowledge gained.’The MBA represents its members in providing a

clear independent voice to government on behalf

of the marine biological community. It also has an

extensive research programme and a long history as

an expert provider of advice for the benefit of policy

makers and wider society.

Met Office

Contact: Dr Matt HuddlestonMet Office127 Clerkenwell RoadLondon EC1R 5LP.Tel: 020 7204 7469E-mail: [email protected]: www.metoffice.gov.uk

The Met Office doesn’t just forecast the weather on

television. Our forecasts and warnings protect UK

communities and infrastructure from severe

weather and environmental hazards every day –

they save lives and money. Our Climate Programme

delivers evidence to underpin Government policy

through the Met Office Hadley Centre. Our Mobile

Meteorological Unit supports the Armed Forces

around the world. We build capacity overseas in

support of international development. All of this

built on world-class environmental science.

NaturalHistoryMuseumContact: John JacksonHead of Science Policy and CommunicationNatural History MuseumCromwell Road, London SW7 5BDTel: +44 (0)20 7942 5257E-mail: [email protected]: www.nhm.ac.uk

We challenge the way people think about the natural world– its past, present and future

We use our unique collection and unrivalled expertise totackle the biggest challenges facing the world today.

We are leaders in the scientific understanding of the originof our planet, life on it and can predict the impact of futurechange.

We study the diversity of life and the delicate balance ofecosystems to ensure the survival of our planet.

We help enable food security, eradicate disease and manageresource scarcity.

We inspire people to engage with science to solve majorsocietal challenges.

Advancing the science of nature

NEF: The Innovation InstituteContact: Michelle MedhatNEF: The Innovation Institute29 Harley StreetLondon W1G 9QRTel: 0208 786 3677E-mail: [email protected]: www.thenef.org.uk

The Innovation Institute aims to drive innovation and growthin science, technology and engineering to achieve growth,prosperity and wellbeing in the UK. Our partners, clients andstakeholders include: n Businessesn Education providers n Government bodiesNew Engineering Foundation, our charitable arm, focusses onSciTech skills development. NEF work in vocational trainingand further education is supported by a Panel drawn from keyindustries. Our Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange is aprofessional body and a “do tank”, led by the InnovationCouncil to support the role of innovation in society.

LGCQueens Road, TeddingtonMiddlesex, TW11 0LYTel: +44 (0)20 8943 7000 Fax: +44 (0)20 8943 2767E-mail: [email protected]: www.lgcgroup.com

LGC is an international science-based company andmarket leader in the provision of analytical, forensicand diagnostic services and reference standards tocustomers in the public and private sectors.

Under the Government Chemist function, LGCfulfils specific statutory duties as the referee analystand provides advice for Government and the wideranalytical community on the implications ofanalytical chemistry for matters of policy, standardsand regulation. LGC is also the UK’s designatedNational Measurement Institute for chemical andbiochemical analysis.

With headquarters in Teddington, South WestLondon, LGC has 36 laboratories and centres acrossEurope and at sites in China, Brazil, India, SouthAfrica and the US.

Contact: Dr Elizabeth Rollinson, Executive SecretaryThe Linnean Society of LondonBurlington House, Piccadilly,London W1J 0BFTel: 020 7434 4479 ext 12E-mail: [email protected]: www.linnean.org

As the world’s oldest biological society, the LinneanSociety of London is an essential forum and meetingpoint for those interested in natural history. The Societyholds regular public events, publishes three peer-reviewed journals, promotes the study of the naturalworld with several educational initiatives and is home toa world famous library and collection of natural historyspecimens. The Society’s Fellows have a considerablerange of biological expertise that can be harnessed toinform and advise on scientific and public policy issues.

A Forum for Natural History

Contact: Anna Lucuk,

Director of Corporate Communication,

L’Oreal UK & Ireland

255 Hammersmith Road, London W6 8AZ

Tel: 0208 762 4374

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.loreal.co.uk

L’Oréal employs more than 3,800 researchersworld-wide and dedicates over €850 million eachyear to research and innovation in the field ofhealthy skin and hair. The company supportswomen in science research through the L’OréalUNESCO For Women In Science Programme andengages young people with science through theL’Oréal Young Scientist Centre at the RoyalInstitution. L’Oréal also collaborates with a vastnumber of institutions in the UK and globally.

Contact: Dariel BurdassDeputy Chief ExecutiveMicrobiology SocietyCharles Darwin House12 Roger Street, LondonWC1N 2JUE-mail: [email protected]: www.microbiologysociety.org

The Microbiology Society is the largest learnedmicrobiological society in Europe with a worldwidemembership based in universities, industry, hospitals,research institutes and schools. The Society publisheskey academic journals, organises internationalscientific conferences and provides an internationalforum for communication among microbiologists.The Society promotes the understanding ofmicrobiology to a diverse range of stakeholders,including policy-makers, students, teachers,journalists and the wider public, through acomprehensive framework of communicationactivities and resources.

SCIENCE DIRECTORY


Contact: Henry LovettPolicy & Public Affairs OfficerHodgkin Huxley House30 Farringdon LaneLondon EC1R 3AWTel: +44 (0) 20 7269 5722E-mail: [email protected]: www.physoc.org

Physiology is the science of how molecules, cells and

organs work in the body. Representing over 3500

life scientists, The Physiological Society supports

scientific research through its grants schemes,

conferences and its three open access journals.

The Society also supports the teaching of physiology

in schools and universities, and works to promote an

understanding of physiology amongst policy-makers

and the general public.

Prospect

Contact: Sue Ferns, Director of Communications and Research,New Prospect House8 Leake St, London SE1 7NNTel: 020 7902 6639 Fax: 020 7902 6637E-mail: [email protected]

Prospect is an independent, thriving and forward-looking trade union with 117,000 members acrossthe private and public sectors and a diverse range ofoccupations. We represent scientists, technologistsand other professions in the civil service, researchcouncils and private sector.

Prospect’s collective voice champions the interests ofthe engineering and scientific community to keyopinion-formers and policy makers. Withnegotiating rights with over 300 employers, we seekto secure a better life at work by putting members’pay, conditions and careers first.

Contact: Dr Andrew Muirc/o STFC Innovations LtdHarwell Campus Oxford OX11 0QXTel: 0121 710 1990E-mail: [email protected]: www.rainbowseedfund.com

The Rainbow Seed Fund is a £24m, early-stageventure capital fund dedicated to kick-startingpromising technology companies emerging fromthe UK science base. The Fund is backed by ten UKpublicly-funded research organisations and theDepartment of Business, Innovation and Skills andholds investments in some of the UK’s mostinnovative companies in areas as diverse as novelantibiotics, research into Alzheimer’s disease,“green” chemicals and airport security. The Fund ismanaged by Midven, a specialist venture capitalcompany. We are prepared to invest early and helpbuild a proposition to attract additional investmentand get to market.

Contact: Helen WilkinsonDallam Court, Dallam LaneWarrington, WA2 7LTTel: 01925 41 3984E-mail: [email protected]: www.risksol.co.uk

Risk Solutions helps our clients make better decisions ina complex and uncertain world. Using traditional qualitative and quantitative methods,combined with cutting-edge participative approaches,we work with clients from across the public and privatesectors, their stakeholders and customers, to bring adepth of understanding of the issues and to developconsensus about how to tackle them.Our small, highly motivated and client focused teamdelivers:• policy design, appraisal and decision support• risk assessment and risk based strategies and plans• evaluation, assurance and organisational review, and• training, coaching and guidance.

Contact: Juniour BlakeExternal Relations ManagerRoyal Academy of Engineering 3 Carlton House TerraceLondon SW1Y 5DGTel: 020 7766 0600E-mail: [email protected]: www.raeng.org.uk

As the UK’s national academy for engineering, webring together the most successful and talentedengineers for a shared purpose: to advance andpromote excellence in engineering. We have fourstrategic challenges: drive faster and more balancedeconomic growth; foster better education and skills;lead the profession; and promote engineering at theheart of society.

Contact: Office of the Science DirectorateRoyal Botanic Gardens, KewRichmond, Surrey, TW9 3ABTel: 020 8332 5050/5248Email: [email protected]: www.kew.org

RBG Kew is a centre of global scientific expertise in plant andfungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable use, housed intwo world-class gardens. Our scientific vision is to documentand understand global plant and fungal diversity and its uses,bringing authoritative expertise to bear on the criticalchallenges facing humanity today.

Kew’s strategic priorities for science are:

1. To document and conduct research into global plant andfungal diversity and its uses for humanity.

2. To curate and provide data-rich evidence from Kew’sunrivalled collections as a global asset for scientificresearch.

3. To disseminate our scientific knowledge of plants andfungi, maximising its impact in science, education,conservation policy and management.

These priorities enable us to curate, use, enhance, exploreand share Kew’s global resource, providing robust data and astrong evidence base for our UK and global stakeholders.Kew is a non-departmental government body with exemptcharitable status, partially funded by Defra.

Royal BotanicGardens, Kew

PHARMAQ LtdContact: Dr Benjamin P North PHARMAQ Ltd Unit 15 Sandleheath Industrial Estate Fordingbridge Hants SP6 1PA. Tel: 01425 656081 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.pharmaq.no

PHARMAQ is the only global pharmaceutical companywith a primary focus on aquaculture. Our mission is toprovide environmentally sound, safe and efficacioushealth products to the global aquaculture industrythrough targeted research and the commitment ofdedicated people. We have a product portfolio thatincludes over 20 fish vaccines along with specialist feedadditives, anaesthetics, antibiotics, sea lice treatments andbiocide disinfectants. Through our sister company,PHARMAQ Analytiq, we also offer a range of diagnosticsservices that can be used to help safeguard fish welfareand improve productivity.

Contact: Alex MilesDeputy Director, External Relations (Public Affairs)University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RDE-mail: [email protected] Mobile: 07917115197Twitter: @AlextoMileswww.nottingham.ac.uk

With 43,000 students and campuses inNottingham, China and Malaysia, The University ofNottingham is ‘the nearest Britain has to a trulyglobal university’. With more than 97 per cent ofresearch at the University recognised internationallyaccording to the Research Excellence Framework2014, the University is ranked in the top 1% of theworld’s universities by the QS World UniversityRankings.

Contact: Nick AllenExecutive OfficerBoughton Green Road, Northampton, NN2 7ALTel: 01604 735500Fax: 01604 716502E-mail: [email protected]: www.northampton.ac.uk

The University of Northampton is an institution

committed to science education through initial

teacher training, a STEM Ambassador network

which works within the community and teaching

and research to doctoral level. We are an Ashoka U

‘Changemaker Campus’ status university

recognising our commitment to social innovation

and entrepreneurship.

SCIENCE DIRECTORY


Society of Maritime IndustriesContact: John MurraySociety of Maritime Industries28-29 Threadneedle Street,London EC2R 8AYTel: 020 7628 2555 Fax: 020 7638 4376E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.maritimeindustries.org

The Society of Maritime Industries is the voice of

the UK’s maritime engineering and business sector

promoting and supporting companies which

design, build, refit and modernise ships, and supply

equipment and services for all types of commercial

and naval ships, ports and terminals infrastructure,

offshore oil & gas, maritime security & safety,

marine science and technology and marine

renewable energy.

Royal Society ofBiology Contact: Dr Stephen BennDirector of Parliamentary AffairsRoyal Society of Biology Charles Darwin House12 Roger StreetLondon WC1N 2JUTel: 020 7685 2550E-mail: [email protected]: www.rsb.org.uk

The Royal Society of Biology is a single unified voice,representing a diverse membership of individuals,learned societies and other organisations. We arecommitted to ensuring that we provide Governmentand other policy makers – including funders ofbiological education and research – with a distinct pointof access to authoritative, independent, and evidence-based opinion, representative of the widest range ofbioscience disciplines. Our vision is of a world thatunderstands the true value of biology and how it cancontribute to improving life for all.

Society of Cosmetic Scientists

Contact: Gem Bektas,Secretary GeneralSociety of Cosmetic ScientistsSuite 109 Christchurch House40 Upper George StreetLuton Bedfordshire LU1 2RSTel: 01582 726661Fax: 01582 405217E-mail: [email protected]: www.scs.org.uk

Advancing the science of cosmetics is the primaryobjective of the SCS. Cosmetic science covers a widerange of disciplines from organic and physicalchemistry to biology and photo-biology, dermatology,microbiology, physical sciences and psychology.

Members are scientists and the SCS helps themprogress their careers and the science of cosmeticsethically and responsibly. Services include publications,educational courses and scientific meetings.

ScienceChemistryInnovationContact: Reshna RadivenSCI14-15 Belgrave SquareLondon SW1X 8PS

Tel: 020 7598 1500E-mail: [email protected]: www.soci.org

The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) is a unique multi-science and multi-disciplinary forum that connectsScientists and Business people. Established in 1881, asa hub for innovation, by leading scientists, inventors,entrepreneurs and investors, SCI continues to work inthis way. Many current SCI members include leadersand innovators representing many different areas ofindustry and academia.

SCI’s community promotes applied science throughmore than 100 conferences and events each year, 7leading scientific journals and Chemistry and Industrymagazine. We also support and celebrate sciencethrough bursaries and awards for a spectrum ofscientific areas.

Society for Underwater Technology

Society for Underwater TechnologyContact: David Liddle, BusinessDevelopment Executive1 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1 BRTel: 020 3440 5535Fax: 020 3440 5980E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.sut.org

The SUT is a multidisciplinary learned society thatbrings together individuals and organisations with acommon interest in underwater technology, oceanscience, and offshore/subsea engineering. Thesociety was founded in 1966 and has membersfrom over 40 countries, including engineers,scientists, other professionals and students workingin these areas.

The Royal SocietyContact: Becky PurvisHead of Public AffairsThe Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House TerraceLondon SW1Y 5AG.Tel: 020 7451 2261 Email: [email protected]: www.royalsociety.org

The Royal Society is the UK academy of science

comprising 1400 outstanding individuals

representing the sciences, engineering and

medicine. It has had a hand in some of the most

innovative and life-changing discoveries in scientific

history. Through its Fellowship and permanent staff,

it seeks to ensure that its contribution to shaping

the future of science in the UK and beyond has a

deep and enduring impact.

Contact: Clare VineyExecutive Director, Communications, Policy and CampaignsRoyal Society of Chemistry, Thomas GrahamHouse (290), Science Park, Milton Road,Cambridge, CB4 0WFTel 020 7440 2267Email [email protected] Website: www.rsc.org

The Royal Society of Chemistry is the world’s leadingchemistry community, advancing excellence in thechemical sciences. With over 50,000 members and aknowledge business that spans the globe, we are theUK’s professional body for chemical scientists; a not-for-profit organisation with 170 years of history andan international vision of the future. We promote,support and celebrate chemistry. We work to shapethe future of the chemical sciences – for the benefitof science and humanity.

Society forAppliedMicrobiologyContact: Lucy HarperSociety for Applied MicrobiologyBedford Heights, Brickhill DriveBedford MK41 7PHTel: 01234 326661Fax: 01234 326678E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.sfam.org.uk

SfAM is a UK organization, serving microbiologistsinternationally. It works to advance, for the benefit ofthe public, the science of microbiology in its applicationto the environment, human and animal health,agriculture, and industry. With Wiley-Blackwell, SfAMpublishes five internationally acclaimed journals. Valuefor money and a modern, innovative and progressiveoutlook are its core principles. A friendly society, SfAMvalues integrity, honesty, and respect, and seeks topromote excellence and professionalism and to inspireyoung microbiologists.

Contact: Dr Gail CardewDirector of Science and EducationThe Royal Institution21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BSTel: 020 7409 2992 Fax: 020 7670 2920E-mail: [email protected]: www.rigb.org,www.richannel.orgTwitter: ri_science

The Royal Institution (Ri) has been at the forefront ofpublic engagement with science for over 200 yearsand our purpose is to encourage people to thinkfurther about the wonders of science. We run publicevents and the famous CHRISTMAS LECTURES®, anational programme of Masterclasses for youngpeople in mathematics, engineering and computerscience, educational activities at the L’Oréal YoungScientist Centre and policy discussions with sciencestudents. And through the Ri Channel we share thestories behind cutting-edge science with peoplearound the world.

SCIENCE DIRECTORY


Contact: Chris EadyThe Welding Institute, Granta Park, GreatAbington, Cambridge, CB21 6AL

Tel: 01223 899614Fax:01223 894219E-mail: [email protected]: www.twi-global.com

The Welding Institute is the leading institutionproviding engineering solutions and knowledgetransfer in all aspects of manufacturing, fabrication andwhole-life integrity management.

Industrial membership provides access to innovativeproblem-solving from one of the world’s foremostindependent research and technology organisations.

Non-Corporate services include membership andregistration, education, training and certification forinternationally recognised professional developmentand personnel competence assurance.

TWI provides Members and stakeholders withauthoritative and impartial expert advice, knowhowand safety assurance through engineering, materialsand joining technologies.

STEMNET

Contact: Kirsten Bodley, Chief Executive5th Floor, Woolgate Exchange 25 Basinghall StreetLondon EC2V 5HATel: 020 3206 0450E-mail: [email protected]: www.stemnet.org.uk

STEMNET is an independent charity which enables youngpeople to meet inspiring role models, understand real worldapplications of STEM and experience practical activities thatbring learning and career opportunities to life. We do thisthrough three core programmes:• STEM Ambassadors - We run the UK network of STEMAmbassadors: over 30,000 inspiring volunteers

• STEM Clubs Programme - We provide free, expert adviceand support to all schools which have set up or plan todevelop a STEM Club

• Schools’ STEM Advisory Network (SSAN) - We deliver freeimpartial advice to teachers and use our business links andpartnerships to enhance the STEM curriculum in secondaryschools in the UK

UniversitiesFederation for Animal WelfareContact: Dr Robert HubrechtChief Executive and Scientific DirectorThe Old School, Brewhouse HillWheathampstead, Herts. AL4 8AN.Tel: 01582 831818. Fax: 01582 831414.Email: [email protected]: www.ufaw.org.uk Registered in England Charity No: 207996

UFAW, the international animal welfare sciencesociety, is an independent scientific and educationalcharity. It works to improve animal lives by:

• supporting animal welfare research

• educating and raising awareness of welfareissues in the UK and overseas

• producing the quarterly scientific journal AnimalWelfare and other high-quality publications onanimal care and welfare

• providing advice to government departmentsand other concerned bodies.

www.scienceinparliament.org.uk

Where Science, Innovationand Politics Meet


Documents

SCIENCEiIN PpARLIAMENT - The Parliamentary and Scientific ... · Chairman, Parliamentary and Scientific Committee CONTENTS The Journal of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee