School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the School in September.

The School Welcome and Orientation Programme begins on Monday 23rd September, although many of you will be going to University-wide events in the days beforehand – we hope you enjoy both and find them helpful.

We have a number of events organised through the week that will help you to adjust to University life and get the most from your studies. You will have received a copy of this with your Welcome Letter, and it is also available below.

Welcome Week Timetable 2013 (pdf)

These events include meetings with your Advisor of Studies, Personal Tutors, the Archaeology and Geography societies, computing and library staff, and Year 1 module coordinators.

We will update this page over the next week, so please check for any extra information we feel maybe beneficial to you.

 

Welcome Week

This runs from Monday 23rd to Thursday 26th September. You will receive help from your Advisor of Studies with your academic registration and timetable, meet your Personal Tutor, learn about the resources and support services available to you as a QUB student, and meet staff and students in the School as well as the wider University community like the Students Union and Community Living.

Welcome Week is an essential start to your time here, where you will obtain further information on how your timetable works (you will already have the dates and times as part of your registration); obtain advice on beginning your studies; meet other students in your classes.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can e-mail the School on gap@qub.ac.uk

If you are trying to enrol on elective modules and are having difficulties, please be advised that this requires departmental consent and this can be arranged during your appointment with your advisor of studies which will take place on the first few days of Welcome Week.

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A new online interactive historical atlas of the city of Derry/Londonderry is now available. The 'Digital Atlas of Derry/Londonderry' is the result of a collaborative project between Queen’s University Belfast, the Royal Irish Academy, and Derry City Council, and forms part of Derry’s 2013 ‘UK City of Culture’ programme.

Using state of the art digital technologies, the atlas allows users to explore and navigate the changing urban landscapes of Derry over five centuries. Keith Lilley, Conor Graham and Lorraine Barry in the School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology developed the digital content and online delivery of the atlas, which is the first of its kind as part of a European-wide project producing historic towns atlases.

Access the online Digital Atlas of Derry/Londonderry

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Ensuring the effective restoration and conservation of some of our best-loved buildings involves understanding the longterm changes that occur inside the individual blocks of stone used in their construction.

Until recently, the absence of the technology needed to do this limited knowledge of those processes. Now, thanks to EPSRC funding, Jennifer McKinley is delving deeper, using equipment and techniques normally associated with oil and gas exploration.

 

Full Article

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We are delighted with the news that David Livingstone, Professor of Geography and Intellectual History in the School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology at Queen's University, has been awarded an Honorary DLitt by the University of Aberdeen. Professor Livingstone is the current holder of a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship and was awarded an OBE in 2002 for services to Geography and History.

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A discovery, which is thought to be a Medieval Lime Kiln dating back to the 12th Century, has been excavated on the site of Dundrum Castle in County Down. The Castle has been part of the County Down landscape for almost 1000 years, and now a group of Archaeology students, from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), have played a role in unearthing this major discovery on the site. The lime kiln is thought to have been used to create the mortar which would have been needed for construction on the site and therefore may predate the Castle which stands on the Dundrum hills. The excavation work has been overseen by the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork (CAF), which is based within the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at QUB. CAF carries out archaeology work for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). The students have been working directly with CAF staff to record soil samples and artefacts, which are found during the work.

Brian Stone, CAF’s Assistant Excavation Director, commented: “We started exploring this section last year and knew something was here, now through this excavation we have discovered what we think to be a lime kiln, most likely used to make the mortar to build the Castle. We think that the lime kiln may date back to the 12th Century. We hope that when we reach the bottom, we will find evidence of the fuel they used, mostly likely charcoal, and will be able to use this to carry out carbon dating. We are also finding a number of artefacts, such as pottery and animal bones. This helps us to piece together what life would have been like for people living close to the Castle at the time the kiln was in use.”

Dundrum Castle has been the site of archaeological interest for many years, and recently has been the venue for the filming of Channel 4’s Time Team. The current excavation has taken several weeks and the students have been able to assist in each stage of the work, from initial surveys to recording of artefacts.

First Year Archaeology student Roisin O’Neill said: “It has been exhausting taking part in the work but really worthwhile. We have been working on the site for four weeks, and it has been a great opportunity as we have never been involved in an archaeological dig like this before. I have had a great experience and I know that few universities offer students the chance to be involved in this type of excavation work.”

Fieldwork is an important element of many of the courses within the School as it allows students the opportunity to see how their theory is applied in real life situations. It also gives additional experience in practical fieldwork, which is vital for students who have aspirations of continuing into employment, in professional archaeology.

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The end of the academic year has been marked within the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology with the annual Prize-Giving and Pre-Graduation Ceremony, which took place on Wednesday 3rd July 2013.

This year 124 students graduated from the School with undergraduate or postgraduate degrees. Prize winners and family members gathered at the School, before the formal graduation ceremony, to recognise the achievements of both students and graduates throughout their time within the School. Prize winner Camilla Thompsell, who is originally from London and graduated with a First Class BSc in Geography, said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Queen’s, I have had so many opportunities to further myself. I would like to say thank you to Queen’s and to the School for all the help and support".

Camilla has now been accepted onto the Civil Service Fast Track Programme and will take up her post, in Ofsted, in September 2013.

Speaking at the prize-giving awards ceremony the Head of School, Professor Keith Bennett, congratulated students and graduates for their efforts and for their commitment to their studies. He also thanked parents, family and friends for the support they have shown, throughout the students' time, within the School.

As graduates of the School celebrate the completion of their studies the majority are now focused on what to do next and many have chosen to continue their studies in order to build upon their undergraduate learning.

Graduate Sharon Trimble is enthusiastic about her future prospects and her plans to undertake teacher training stating: "this choice will help me to get into a career which I know I’m going to enjoy".

The graduation ceremony brings to a close another busy year within the School, which has seen great success in 2012/13. We are now ranked in the Top 100 for Geography in the World (QS Rankings, 2013) and 8th in the UK for Archaeology, (The Guardian University Guide, 2014).

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Closing date: 16th September 2013

Two fully-funded PhD studentships are to be offered by QUB as part of the successful application to the ESRC to fund the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study Research Support Unit (NILS-RSU) from 2012 to 2017. These will be focused around the general theme of ‘Northern Ireland in Transition 1991-2011’. This is a key part of the research and dissemination agenda described in the application. The first of the studentships is planned to start in late 2013 and will be based on the linkage of 2011 and 2001 Census data to the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS). The other, to commence in late 2014, will take advantage of the full linkage of the 1991 Census data to the NILS. The closing date for applications for the first studentship is 16th September 2013.

The NILS is a large-scale longitudinal data linkage study. It covers 28% of the Northern Ireland population (based on a sample of 104/365 birthdates drawn from health cards) and has approximately 500,000 members. It is a powerful resource for health, social, demographic and labour market research through time and can be used for finely-grained spatial analysis given its sample size. The linkage of 2011 Census data to the NILS will be completed in Autumn 2013 with the linkage of the 1991 Census data finalised by Autumn 2014. Full details of the resource, its uses to date, and the routes to accessing it are available from the following website (http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/NILSResearchSupportUnit/).

Further details 

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Professor Paula Reimer, School of GAP, received the Lyell Medal on Wednesday 5th June 2013 from the Geological Society of London President David Shilston.
The medal, named for one of the 19th century's most influential geologists, was awarded for the development and application of radiocarbon calibration for a range of geological, archaeological, and Earth System Process applications.

On receiving the award Professor Reimer commented:
"It is the dedication and efforts of my colleagues in the IntCal working group, as well as many others, that have facilitated the progress in our understanding of the mechanisms behind atmospheric and marine radiocarbon variations and their relationship to the global carbon cycle."

You can find out more about Professor Reimer's work via her webpage.

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The efforts made by GAP's staff and students in helping the School, and the University, to improve its environmental performance and reduce its carbon emissions were celebrated at the annual Green Awards Ceremony held at Riddel Hall on Monday 27th May 2013. The Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, James O’Kane, presented the Awards and commented upon the dedication of both staff and students.

This year, in the run up to the Awards, GAP's environmental champions identified several "Teams", which focused in on specific areas including laboratories and offices. GAP won 7 awards, in total, including: 2 Gold, 4 Silver and 1 Bronze as follows:

GOLD AWARDS:

Geography Laboratory: John Meneeley, Pat McBride.

Palaeoecology Laboratory: Gill Plunkett, Paul Trainor (Postgraduate Student), Peter Gray.

SILVER AWARDS:

Fitzwilliam Building Offices: Gill Plunkett, Naomi Carver

Elmwood Building: Martin Stroud, Caoimhe O'Neill (Undergraduate Student).

Radiocarbon Laboratory: Julia Simpson, Stephen Hoper.

School Office: Stacy Gilmore, Caoimhe O'Neill (Undergraduate Student).

BRONZE AWARD

GIS Laboratory: Conor Graham.

The Head of School, Professor Keith Bennett, commented:
“This is an excellent outcome for the School. We entered the competition for the first time last year and were pleased then to receive one award. This year we have capitalized on that work and have now won seven awards, including several Gold and Silver, thanks to the efforts of Environmental Champions across the School. I'd like to especially acknowledge the able support and efforts of undergraduate and postgraduate students in helping us to improve our environmental awareness and change behaviours in the ways recognised by these awards.”

If you would like to know more about the Green Impact initiative within the School of GAP please contact: Ms Maria Bennett or Dr Gill Plunkett

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The School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology (GAP) at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) invites applications from suitably qualified students for a 3 year, fully-funded (UK fees and maintenance) Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Award PhD studentship.

Closing date: Wed 10th July 2013

From Garrison to Atlantic Port: material culture, conflict & identity in early modern Carrickfergus
Supervisors: Prof. Audrey Horning (QUB) and Sinéad McCartan (National Museums Northern Ireland)

Further details

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An excavation took place at Divis Barn in the National Trust Divis and Black Mountain property between 22 April and 17 May 2013. This was part of a wider project managed by the Belfast Hills Partnership and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, designed to provide local people with an opportunity to participate in an archaeological excavation and through this promote a greater awareness of the rich heritage of the Belfast Hills. The excavation was supported by the National Trust, Northern Ireland Environment Agency: Built Heritage and the Ulster Archaeological Society.

The event attracted widespread media attention and over 1,000 people participated in the excavation throughout the duration of the dig. Children from 16 local schools and a variety of community groups also took part, despite some challenging weather conditions. The School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology was strongly represented at the event, with staff from the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork supervising the excavation and students from the master’s degree course in Professional Archaeology assisting in all aspects of the project.

The excavations took place in the area of a proposed new car park adjacent to the Warden’s base, where several prehistoric flint scatters had been noted. A geophysical survey prior to the start of the dig suggested the presence of a structure at the south-east of the site and trenches were sited to investigate these possibilities. Finds included many prehistoric flint items, a range of pottery sherds and metal items, but of great interest were the foundations of a vernacular house. Associated with this were some lovely finds, such as a complete glass ink-pot, clay pipe bowls and clay floor tiles.

The event has already added greatly to the archaeology of the Divis and Black Mountain area, which has only been accessible since its acquisition by the National Trust in 2005.

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Geography student Patrick McGurk took a break from his revision this week to pick up his prize of a new iPad, which he won for recently taking part in the National Student Survey.

On winning the iPad Patrick said: "I'm really glad I took the time to fill in the survey, it's also good to have an opportunity to have our say on what we think about our course."

Patrick is a final year Geography student who has successfully secured graduate employment, in a managerial position, with a local company.

Well done to Patrick and thank you to all who took part in the survey this year.

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Applications are invited for three full-time lectureships in Human Geography in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen's University Belfast, which has been ranked among the top 100 in the world for Geography (QS World Rankings 2013). The successful applicants will contribute to the research programme of the Society, Space and Culture Research Cluster and to the School's teaching and administration/outreach activities. Applications are welcome from persons with research interests in any aspect of Human Geography but preference may be given to those whose research focuses on (i) the geographies of science and society, (ii) political geography or (iii) population studies and who will complement or enhance the research activities of the Society, Space and Culture Research Cluster.

Closing Date: Thursday 20 June 2013

Anticipated interview date: Thursday 4 and Friday 5 July 2013

Further information/application procedure on the posts is available here.

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As a result of AHRC funding supporting a knowledge transfer project, Dr Keith Lilley with colleagues from Chester Grosvenor Museum, King’s College London and the University of Southampton, launched a new exhibition in Chester on the medieval city, as well as a web-resource called “Discover Medieval Chester”.

“Discover Medieval Chester” comprises digital and interactive mapping created in the School of GAP as part of an earlier AHRC funded project called “Mapping Medieval Chester”. The new web-resource also features downloadable tours and will be compatible with mobile devices to allow visitors to Chester to explore the city’s rich medieval heritage using GPS-enabled smartphones. As well as digital mapping of medieval Chester, the web-resource also features artefacts from local archaeological collections, archive and modern images of the city, and audio-visual files describing aspects of urban life in Chester in the Middle Ages.

The web-resource is accessible here

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Some 40 members of the Belfast Branch of the Young Archaeologists’ Club braved the hail stones on Saturday 11th May to take part in the excavation of a nineteenth-century farmstead on Divis Mountain. The excavation is directed by the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork’s Dr Harry Welsh and is being undertaken in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the Belfast Hills Partnership and the National Trust. The children were not in the least deterred by the weather (although the same cannot be said about some of the YAC leaders and parents!) and they worked painstakingly to recover pieces of pottery, flint and even a tiny black glass bead. Further information about the YAC can be found here and further news about the excavation at Divis will follow.

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The latest QS World University Subject Rankings place QUB Geography in the World Top 100 for 2013. This is the latest stage of a steady improvement in the recognition of QUB Geography from a placing of 151-200 two years ago to the latest 51-100 placing. The survey shows substantial improvement in our reputation among academics and employers, increasing citation rates, as well as strong h-index scores (new in QS for 2013). GAP is proud of this international recognition of the work all our staff do to strengthen our research and teaching, and will belooking to continue to improve quality in these areas.

Full details of the Geography results:
http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2013/geography

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Queen’s University student Declan Cole has recently represented the UK with 8 other charity workers during a visit to Sudan. The delegation visited the country through Active Citizens, which aims to support global change in emerging countries.

When in Sudan, the delegation carried out a number of visits which included consulting with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), holding business advisory sessions for local entrepreneurs and undertaking community work in rural areas.

Declan, who is a third year student, studying BSc Geography, tells how his course prepared him for travelling to the country, ‘In my first semester of Level 3 I studied ‘Spaces of Urbanisation in Emerging Economies and Sustainable Development’, I thoroughly enjoyed this module and see the developing world in a different light. The videos and case studies on places like Gujarat in India and Guayaquil in Ecuador were a visual aid to what was actually going on in a developing country. When I arrived and saw the same conditions in villages in Sudan I was humbled at actually seeing what people dealt with on a day-to-day basis.’

The delegation worked with the Sudanese Young Entrepreneurs programme and offered advice for young people to make inroads in the business world. NGOs including the Environmentalists society had the opportunity to discuss their current practices and how they planned to develop their organisation in the future. The group also had the opportunity to meet with rural communities, during which they encouraged them to take a lead and promote social change with focuses on health, education, water and gender inclusion. During the visit the delegation had the opportunity to witness the conditions which many people find themselves living. Schools in the area had upwards of 40 per class with problems with educational attainment in rural villages. Opportunities for education at a third level are also beyond the means of many Sudanese people. Declan continues, ‘I could relate a lot of my work to the Level 2 module of Geographies of Uneven Development to show what capitalism and colonialism has done to the developing world. Wherever there is affluence there is poverty-there is no balance. The trip to Sudan was an amazing experience in which I could actually see what Dr Majury and Dr Kumar were talking about and a sense of Development studies in action. If I had not embarked on the trip or taken the modules, I would have not known what was outside of the developed Western world.’ Through his studies Declan has had the opportunity to visit many countries in Europe as well as studying for a year in the USA. Students who choose to study Geography at QUB get many opportunities to travel as part of their course in order to gain a wider understanding of their subject and its global impact.

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Students and Staff from the Institute of Technology (IT), Sligo recently travelled to Belfast to visit Irelands only centre dedicated to carbon dating. The 14Chrono Centre is based at the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at Queen’s University Belfast and is used to provide researchers and industry with findings regarding carbon dating.

The students from IT currently study modules in Archaeology; therefore this visit gave them first-hand experience of how carbon dating is carried out within a research environment. The main focus of the tour was the Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS). This equipment is the only one of its kind in Ireland and is used by the University and Research students as part of their on-going research projects. The tour included students being shown the process of how the equipment can be used to breakdown organic material to identify the carbon content, which is used to accurate date the artefact.

Feedback from the students was that they found the visit interesting and that the facilities they saw were fantastic. QUB Lecturer Paula Reimer, who lead the tour commented, ‘the students enjoyed the visit and found it extremely beneficial to their studies.’

For further details regarding the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeology at Queen’s University Belfast, please contact:

Gordon Brown, Marketing Officer
gordon.brown@qub.ac.uk

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Combining coverage of key themes and debates from a variety of historical and theoretical perspectives, this authoritative reference volume offers the most up-to-date and substantive analysis of cultural geography currently available.

This significantly revised new edition traces the historical evolution of cultural geography through to the very latest research. It covers a number of new topics such as biotechnology, rural, food, media and technology, borders and tourism, whilst also reflecting developments in established subjects including animal geographies. An accessible thematic structure features section on topics such as identities, nature and culture, and flows and mobility. The Companion is edited and written by the leading authorities in this fast-developing discipline, and features a host of new contributors to the second edition. Together they provide an international and interdisciplinary perspective, reflecting the advancing academic traditions of non-Western institutions, especially in Asia

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On 7 March the 2013 Eaton Lecture was held in the School. These annual lectures, supported by the Eaton Foundation, are arranged by the Centre of Canadian Studies, which is housed within the School. This year the Centre co-hosted the event with the Society Space and Culture Cluster. The lecturer was Professor John Meehan, incoming President of Campion College, University of Regina, who spoke on Flags, Loyalists and Nationalists: The Canadian Experience.

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GAP's Dr Ian Shuttleworth analyses the results of the 2011 Census and what it tells us about patterns of residential segregation in Northern Ireland on BBC's 'The View'.

Click here and scroll to 14:00.01 

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Professor Bruce Campbell has been invited to deliver the Ellen McArthur Lectures at the University of Cambridge on 4th, 6th, 11th and 13th February 2013.

The lectures are given triennially and are funded by a bequest to the University of Cambridge by Ellen McArthur (1862-1927).

Ellen McArthur was educated at Girton College, Cambridge, where she later became Tutor in history. In 1893 she became the first female lecturer at the University of Cambridge Local Examinations and Lectures Syndicate. She was the first woman to receive the degree of Doctor of Letters (Litt. D.) from the University of Dublin, under ad eundem arrangements.

Previous Ellen McArthur lecturers include some of the most distinguished names in economic history and include Alexander Gerschenkron (1968), Edward Miller (1970), Eric Hobsbwam (1972), Carlo M. Cipolla (1975), Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie (1979), Francois Crouzet (1983), Sir Tony Wrigley (1987), Herman van der Wee (1989), Lord Briggs (1992), Nobel prize winner Robert Fogel (1996), Jan de Vries (2000), Charles Feinstein (2003), Ken Pomerantz (2006), and Nick Crafts (2009).

To have been invited to deliver the 2012/13 lectures is therefore a very considerable honour. Moreover Professor Campbell is the first medieval economic historian to have been asked to give these lectures since Herman van der Wee in 1989.

All lectures are open to the public and will be delivered in Lecture 3 of the Mill Lane Lecture Rooms, Cambridge.

The lectures will also be filmed and made freely available as podcasts on the www.

Download pdf

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We invite applications from suitably qualified students for a 3 year, fully-funded (UK/EU fees and maintenance) Leverhulme Trust PhD studentship.

Closing date: 21st March 2013.
The funded doctoral project available is: 

"Stories of subsistence: People and Coast over the last 6000 years in the Limfjord, Denmark “ (PDF)

Supervisors: Prof. Paula Reimer and Dr Eileen Murphy (School of GAP), Dr David Ryves (Loughborough University). Advisor: Dr Jesper Olsen (Aarhus University)

The Studentship is available to students both from within and outside the EU, but fees are only covered at the UK/EU rate; EU and non-EU students must fulfil a residency requirement to be eligible for full awards. Leverhulme studentship stipends have been set to £13,658 per annum (pa) for 2013-14, plus UK/EU tuition fees.   The project is expected to start on 1 April 2013, but the studentship can start on May 1^st 2013.  The applicant must therefore be available to start on this date or as soon as possible thereafter. Questions on the project can be directed to Prof Reimer (p.j.reimer@qub.ac.uk), whilst questions on the application process can be directed to the Postgraduate Co-ordinator, Dr Nicki Whitehouse (n.whitehouse@qub.ac.uk)

Online application is available via Queen’s University postgraduate applications portal.

The application process for the Strategic PhD studentships involves submitting, via Queen’s University postgraduate application portal, a written research proposal (1000 words, in applicant’s own words), together with a CV and covering letter, all of which must be uploaded via the portal as a single document. The short proposal must be written by the applicant (i.e. not a verbatim copy of the project proposal document) and must demonstrate the applicant's knowledge and understanding of the proposed project. The covering letter must map students’ own experience/education/interests onto the specific project.

As well as these two key documents, other standard applicant details, such as CV, educational qualifications, transcripts, references, etc also need to be uploaded via the QUB portal. Applicants should read the university postgraduate application guidelines carefully.

Prospective applicants should discuss their applications with the project supervisors (Prof Reimer, Dr . Murphy, Dr. Ryves or Dr. Olsen) before submitting their application and also must be prepared to attend an interview held in the School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology at Queen’s University after shortlisting.

Further details on the application and shortlisting processes may be found at the end of this web page.

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Alberto graduated with MSc (Earth Sciences) from Simon Fraser University, then PhD (Earth and Atmospheric Sciences) from the University of Alberta. He is currently interested in developing stratigraphic, geomorphic, and geochemical records of climate change and associated earth system impacts during late Cenozoic warm intervals, particularly Pleistocene interglaciations.

Current research themes include:

-Extent of the south Greenland Ice Sheet during Pleistocene interglaciations (with colleagues at Oregon State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

-Paleoclimate potential of Cenozoic sub-fossil wood from the northwestern North America (with colleagues from University of Alberta, Swansea University)

-Middle Pleistocene stratigraphy and paleoenvironments in unglaciated Yukon & Alaska (with colleagues from University of Alberta, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Recent publications:

Jensen, B.J.L., Reyes, A.V., Froese, D.G., Stone, D. (in press) The Palisades is a key reference site for the middle Pleistocene of eastern Beringia: new evidence from paleomagnetics and regional tephrostratigraphy. Quaternary Science Reviews.

Kaufman, D.S., Jensen, B.J.L., Reyes, A.V., Schiff, C., Froese, D.G., Pearce, N.J.G. (2012) Late Quaternary tephrostratigraphy, Ahklun Mountains, SW Alaska. Journal of Quaternary Science 27: 344-359.

Wolfe, A.P., Csank, A.Z., Reyes, A.V., McKellar, R.C., Tappert, R., Muehlenbachs, K. (2012) Pristine early Eocene wood buried deeply in kimberlite from northern Canada. PLoS One .

Colville, E.J., Carlson, A.E., Beard, B.L., Hatfield, R.G., Stoner, J.S., Reyes, A.V., Ullman, D.J. (2011) Sr-Nd-Pb isotope evidence for ice-sheet presence on southern Greenland during the last interglacial. Science 333: 620-623.

Reyes, A.V., Cooke, C.A. (2011) Northern peatland initiation lagged abrupt increases in deglacial atmospheric CH4. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 108: 4748-4753.

Reyes, A.V., Zazula, G.D., Kuzmina, S., Ager, T.A., Froese, D.G. (2011) Identification of last interglacial deposits in eastern Beringia: a cautionary note from the Palisades, interior Alaska. Journal of Quaternary Science 26: 345-352.

Reyes, A.V., Froese, D.G., Jensen, B.J.L. (2010) Permafrost response to last interglacial warming: field evidence from non-glaciated Yukon and Alaska. Quaternary Science Reviews 29:3256-3274.

Reyes, A.V., Jensen, B.J.L., Zazula, G.D., Ager, T.A., Kuzmina, S., La Farge, C., Froese, D.G. (2010) A late-Middle Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage 6) vegetated surface buried by Old Crow tephra at the Palisades, interior Alaska. Quaternary Science Reviews 29: 801-811.

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The School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology invites applications from suitably qualified students for two fully-funded (fees and maintenance) DEL Strategic award Studentships, for the following 2 research projects:

1. Tracking lake eutrophication in UK lakes: the potential of testate amoebae. Supervisors: Dr Helen Roe (GAP), Dr Helen Bennion (UCL), Dr Chris Harrod (QUB)

2. Trace element abundance and renal disease. Supervisors: Dr Jenny McKinley (GAP), Dr Ulrich Ofterdinger (SPACE), Dr Damian Fogarty, Centre for Public Health, QUB, Chair of the UK Renal Registry Committee. External supervisory collaboration: Prof Peter Atkinson, University of Southampton.

Closing date: 12th February 2013

More information

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Dr. Ian Shuttleworth, an expert on census analysis, has made a number of media appearances to help make sense of recently released 2011 census figures. His contribution to BBC Radio’s Good Morning Ulster can be listened to here (scroll to 1.06:25). His analysis has also been reported in the Belfast Telegraph;  the Newsletter ; the Irish Examiner ; the Irish Independent ; the Guardian and others.

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The latest NSS survey shows excellent results for GAP in the 2012 census period.

Headline results

• Archaeology students are 100% satisfied with their course – the best result in the country, making GAP number 1 in this category.
• Both Geography and Archaeology show GAP better by up to 12% than other UK universities in all categories, and always above the average of all our comparison subjects.
• When all questions are averaged, Archaeology is the joint top of the subject in the UK.

Details

Scores of 100% were achieved in the following categories:

• Staff are good at explaining things
• Staff have made the subject interesting
• Staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching
• The course is intellectually stimulating
• I have received sufficient support in my studies
• Any changes to the course or teaching were communicated effectively

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The Head of School cordially invites you to attend the GAP LECTURE by Professor John Agnew:

“Territorial Politics after the Financial Crisis”

Monday 19th November 2012 at 4:00pm. Main Lecture Theatre (0G 029), Elmwood Building and afterwards to a reception in Room 01 009 (Elmwood Building).

RSVP to Stacy Gilmore, (028) 9097 3829, stacy.gilmore@qub.ac.uk.

Download poster (TIFF)

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It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Prof Bernie Smith (Professor Emeritus, Queen’s University Belfast) on 31st October 2012 at the age of 61 years.  Bernie died peacefully at home after a long and debilitating illness and will be greatly missed by his family, friends and colleagues.

Bernie described himself first and foremost as a Geographer who practised Geomorphology in its broadest sense.  He was proud to be a Geographer and in my many conversations with him over the years he was at pains to emphasize the unique nature of a discipline, which focuses on providing explanations of how the human and physical environments operate and the complexity of their interactions.  He always felt privileged to be able to earn a living from his ‘hobby’, a ‘hobby’ which required him to travel the world and experience first-hand many of the planet’s most impressive landscapes and the peoples that inhabited them.

Bernie graduated with his PhD from the University of Reading in 1975 and relocated to Nigeria with Dorothy his wife, where he taught in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.  On his return to the UK Bernie took up a lecturing position in Queen’s University Belfast in 1979 and held the Chair in Tropical Geomorphology from 1998.  Bernie continued in post up until illness necessitated his early retirement in 2011.

Bernie supervised the launch of many geomorphological careers (my own included) with his thoughtful and generous PhD supervision and influenced the career decisions of many of the undergraduate students who came into contact with him.  Bernie was an inspiring teacher who believed that it was essential for the future of geomorphology that all students and practitioners should have a thorough understanding of the history and development of the subject.

His research interests were wide and varied but were rooted in his love of hot deserts and tropical landscapes and his desire to better understand the processes that shape them.  Whilst the interpretation and exploration of landscapes formed the central core of Bernie’s career, his fascination with process studies and weathering processes in particular led him onto some of his most significant geomorphological work and establishment of the Weathering Research Group in the early 1990s in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at Queen’s.

The focus of this group was on improving our understanding of stone weathering in both natural and built environments and resulted in Bernie’s involvement with local conservation architects and the wider building conservation community in the UK, Europe and further afield. He really enjoyed this work because of the many wonderful historic and archaeological structures that it gave him access to.

In the last decade or so, Bernie’s core interest in landscape interpretation came back to the fore as he became increasingly involved with UNESCO initially through his advisory role for Northern Ireland’s own World Heritage Site at the Giant’s Causeway and then on a broader global stage as a world heritage evaluator.

Throughout his career Bernie’s quiet advice has influenced so very many people in many different disciplines and he leaves a significant legacy of research and publications that will undoubtedly continue to influence the direction of future Geographical and Geomorphological research.  He will be sorely missed.

Patrica Warke

1 Nov 2012

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