News
- 01/03/2013: Queen’s astronomer offers insight into Russian meteor strike in BBC Horizon special
- 28/02/2013: 400 construction jobs supported as Queen’s announces new Centre build
- 20/02/2013: Queen’s alumni give £80K boost to students
A leading Queen's astronomer is appearing on the BBC’s Horizon programme this weekend to explain what we know about the asteroid that hit Russia two weeks ago injuring more than 1000 people.
In The Truth About Meteors: A Horizon Special to be shown at 9pm on Sunday evening on BBC2, Professor Alan Fitzsimmons from Queen’s Astrophysics Research Centre gives an insight into what happened in Russia and what we can do about such events in the future.
Professor Fitzsimmons is part of the European NEOShield team, who are currently studying the best way to deflect larger asteroids that may be on a collision course with earth. Speaking about the events in Russia, he said: "It was the largest asteroid strike on our planet for more than 100 years. When the asteroid entered the Earth's atmosphere near the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, it took just 16 seconds to descend from 90km down to 15km above the ground.
“Most of the asteroid broke apart and vapourised in a catastrophic explosion at an altitude of 30km, releasing many times more energy than the nuclear bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima at the end of World War II. The resulting shockwave hit the ground a minute later, causing the 1400 reported injuries.
"Perhaps the shocking thing is how small this asteroid was to cause such an effect, only about 15 meters in diameter."
Coincidentally, Professor Fitzsimmons has just returned from working with the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii, a Queen's University supported project that discovers previously unknown asteroids that could hit our planet in the future.
He explained: "Pan-STARRS 1 is designed to detect the larger asteroids that would cause significant damage should they enter our atmosphere. Although it sometimes spots smaller asteroids, no-one could have seen the Chelyabinsk impactor coming as it approached us from the direction of the Sun."
Professor Fitzsimmons is also one of the organisers of a Planetary Defense Conference to be held in the United States later this year.
The Truth About Meteors: A Horizon Special will be broadcast at 9pm on Sunday evening on BBC 2.
Further information about the work of Professor Fitzsimmons and his colleagues is available online at be http://star.pst.qub.ac.uk
Media inquiries to Claire O’Callaghan, Communications Officer. Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5391 or email c.ocallaghan@qub.ac.uk
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Peter Gregson; Gary Jebb; Norma Sinte & Prof Patrick Johnston, pictured before work begins on the new CEM site
Queen’s University today announced that it has appointed O’Hare & McGovern as the main contractor for its £32M Centre for Experimental Medicine (CEM).
At the peak of construction the building of the Centre will support 400 jobs in the sector, including O’Hare & McGovern staff and other construction-related jobs. Work begins on site this week and is due for completion in spring 2015.
More than 110 new jobs will also be created for scientists and allied professions when the Centre opens.
The new CEM is being built on Queen’s Institute of Health Sciences campus on Jubilee Road, Belfast, where a number of dedicated, high quality research centres focused on cancer, infectious disease, public health and population genetics are already based.
The facility, which will have an internal area of 9,000m², will provide accommodation for some 330 members of staff specialising in research into finding cures for eye disease and diabetes, and the development of a global programme to aid understanding of the genetics of complex chronic diseases. The work of the Centre is a focus of Queen’s ambitious £140M Beyond fundraising campaign which will provide philanthropic funding to support research of global significance and importance.
The four storey building will be co-located with the existing Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology to encourage joint working and discovery between researchers.
Speaking at the announcement, Gary Jebb, Queen’s Director of Estates, said: “O’Hare & McGovern is one of Northern Ireland’s leading construction firms, and as such, Queen’s is delighted to appoint it as lead contractor for our new Centre for Experimental Medicine. In the last year, the University has invested over £35M in building projects, creating over 700 construction-related jobs in the local economy, and we are proud that today’s announcement reinforces Queen’s continuing commitment to supporting the Northern Ireland economy and especially the local construction sector.”
Eamon O’Hare, Managing Director of O’Hare & McGovern, said: “The construction industry is currently a very difficult sector to be operating in. We are delighted to have been awarded this contract to continue our longstanding relationship with Queen’s. The new centre will offer world class facilities for the University with exceptional design, construction and engineering. This announcement will help to secure jobs and offers an impetus to the local construction industry.”
Professor Patrick Johnston, Dean of the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences added: “This new Centre will be a key driver for change in a range of health and biotechnology activities in Northern Ireland and further afield. Today’s announcement that construction is due to begin is good news for everyone in Northern Ireland as we can all look forward to benefitting from improved diagnosis and treatments of debilitating diseases."
Other companies who will be working on the CEM build as part of the design team include: Ostick and Williams, Belfast, and Ashen and Allen, London (Architect and Lead Consultant); WYG, Belfast (Mechanical and Electrical Engineer); Albert Fry Associates, Belfast (Civil and Structural Engineer); Turner and Townsend, Belfast (Quantity Surveyor); Faithful and Gould, Belfast (CDMC Co-ordinator); and Delap and Waller, Antrim (BREEAM Assessor).
The CEM is being funded through a series of grants and philanthropic donations from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Wellcome Trust, The Wolfson Foundation, The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust, Insight Trust for the Visually Impaired and The Queen’s University of Belfast Foundation.
Media inquiries to Anne-Marie Clarke, Communications Officer. Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5310 or email comms.officer@qub.ac.uk
An engineering project on the DeLorean electric car and a range of cultural events promoting Malaysian identity are just two of 19 student projects to have been awarded almost £40,000 from Queen’s University’s Annual Fund.
Queen’s Annual Fund raised over £84,000 last year from graduates, staff and friends of the University. Of this amount, £21,000 has been allocated to the University’s Scholarship Fund and £21,000 to Green Chemistry, a priority project in the Beyond fundraising campaign, while the largest element, £42,000, is being used to enhance the student experience.
Speaking at the special dispersal ceremony, Natasha Sharma, Queen’s Annual Fund Manager, explained: “Through the Annual Fund our donors are making a tangible difference to the lives of current students. Awards ranging from £200 to £7,000 will greatly enrich the student experience of University and help develop the leaders of tomorrow.”
The colourful occasion was also used to launch the University’s next telephone campaign which is currently underway and which includes, for the first time, a dedicated campaign to raise funds for a new Queen’s Medical Fund to support Medical Education.
The Chair of Queen’s Annual Fund Committee, Professor Sean Gorman, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, presented representatives of this year’s successful projects with certificates and commented on the latest medical initiative: “Thanks to our graduates and donors, the Annual Fund gives a major financial boost to a wide variety of projects and makes an immediate impact on the quality of the Queen’s experience for our students.
“Support for the new Medical Fund will enable students to undertake summer studentships in our leading research centres and to consider taking an intercalated degree, focused largely on research,” added Professor Gorman.
Over 1,000 graduates made a gift to Queen’s last year, 400 of whom were new donors. Regular telephone campaigns ensure that Queen’s alumni are offered the opportunity to support innovative projects which are part of the recently launched £140 million Beyond campaign which is aiming to increase and enhance the impact the University makes on society and the economy, locally and internationally.”
Media inquiries to Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office; tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5321; g.power@qub.ac.uk
