News

The Irish Medical Times - a magazine for practicing health care professionals in Ireland – has reported on a recent article by Jonny Geber and Eileen Murphy entitled 'Scurvy in the Great Irish Famine: Evidence of Vitamin C deficiency from a mid-nineteenth century skeletal population' published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology 147 [DOI 10.1002/ajpa.22066].

The IMT article can be read in full here.

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Manchester University Press has just published The Rural War: Captain Swing and the Politics of Protest by Carl Griffin, Lecturer in Human Geography at Queen’s. Beginning in Kent in the summer of 1830 before spreading throughout the country, the Swing Riots were the most dramatic and widespread rising of the English rural poor. Seeking an end to their immiseration, the protestors destroyed machines, demanded higher wages and more generous poor relief, and even frequently resorted to incendiarism to enforce their modest demands. But occurring against a backdrop of revolutions in continental Europe and a political crisis, Swing was perceived to represent a genuine challenge to the existing ruling order, provoking a bitter and bloody repression. In the first systematic study of ‘Swing’ in over forty years, Griffin places the movement into the wider context of social relations in the early nineteenth-century countryside and shows that the protests were more organised, widespread, intensive and politically-motivated than has hitherto been thought. The result is a landmark book that forces us to rethink the impacts of industrialization and commercialization on rural society, histories of the changing British state, social welfare, criminality and gender.

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The Queen’s Postgraduate Centre organised the first ever Postgraduate Week during 30 April to 4 May 2012. Two of the individual competitions for research students during the PG Week 2012 were ‘Three Minute Thesis’ and ‘Excellence with Impact’.

The ‘Three Minute Thesis’ involved presenting one’s research in a three-minute pitch with the aid of one PowerPoint slide. The grand finale with 14 finalists selected through Faculty heats was held in the Great Hall in the forenoon of 3 May 2012.

The judging panel chaired by Professor James McElnay. Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Postgraduates) selected three ‘Overall Faculty Winners’. Ajith Kaliyath, final year PhD Student from School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology was selected as the ‘Overall Faculty Winner’ from the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences for his doctoral project on “Land as a Critical Ecological Resource for Sustainable Cities: A Case of Chennai, India”

The competition ‘Excellence with Impact’ involved a 500 word written submission setting out the importance and potential impact of one’s research for the society. Ajith Kaliyath’s research on the Sustainable City of Chennai was declared as the ‘Overall Faculty Winner’ from the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Besides the citation, he also received cash awards in each of the two categories.

Ajith is from the Society, Space and Culture Research Cluster (Human Geography) and is supervised by Dr. M. Satish Kumar and Prof. Stephen A. Royle. 

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GAP's International Professor of Political Geography, John Agnew, has now joined the School. He is one of the world’s leading political geographers with a reputation extending far beyond the boundaries of the discipline into political science, international relations, sociology and economics. Professor Agnew has published over twenty-five books and a huge range of scholarly articles, he is warmly welcomed to the school.

More...

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The 2012 Eaton Lecture will be held on Wednesday 23 May at 19.00 in the Canada Room It is to be given by:

Bill Blaikie

Bill is Adjunct Professor of Theology and Politics at the University of Winnipeg and Director of the Knowles-Woodswoth Centre for Theology and Public Policy following long service in the Canadian House of Commons.

 

Download poster (pdf)

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On March 30th 2012, the School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology (GAP), at Queen’s University Belfast, played host to a group of thirteen students and two members of staff from St. Mary’s High School, which is based in Manchester.
The group was led by a former School of GAP Geography graduate, and Teacher at St. Mary’s, Mr Andrew McGeown.

Dr Alastair Ruffell, the Director of Education for Geography, welcomed the visitors to the School and to the University, and provided them with a brief introduction to the School and an itinerary for the visit.

Following on from this Dr Satish Kumar delivered a presentation on the role of Geography in International Development, based on the successful Development Partnerships in Higher Education (DELPHE) that currently operate in West Bengal.
The importance of arsenic remediation was discussed, at some length as part of this topic and this talk was followed by a lively Q&A session on this subject.

Dr Carl Griffin presented the students with a general overview of the Geography degree course at Queen’s and went on to explain how we deliver modules, run field courses and interact with other disciplines both within the School and across the University, most especially with Archaeology and Palaeoecology.

The group concluded their visit to GAP and QUB with a tour of the McClay library, which was hosted by GAP’s subject librarian, Ms Carol Dunlop.

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A successful EPSRC project workshop (www.qub.ac.uk/greening) on climate change and the algal 'greening' of new-build and heritage masonry took place in the Derrygonnelly Field Studies Council centre, Co. Fermanagh (19th - 20th April). Co-organised and hosted by project partners Prof. Heather Viles (Oxford University Centre for the Environment) and Dr Stephen McCabe (School of GAP), along with postgraduate Daniel McAllister (School of GAP), the workshop brought together international experts from science and conservation backgrounds to discuss climate change impacts on stone structures, raising awareness and developing protocols for the management of structures under wet conditions.

Photos show some attendees discussing the stone test facility at Derrygonnelly FSC:
In the first photo - L-R, Samin Ahmad (Oxford University), Dr Ewan Hyslop (Historic Scotland), Dr Julie Eklund (Oxford University).

And the second - L-R, Dr Oliver Sass (University of Innsbruck), Chris Wood (English Heritage), Prof. Matthew Hall (Nottingham University), Prof. Andrew Whiteley (Oxford Centre for Ecology and Hydrology), Prof. Anna Gorbushina (Free University of Berlin), Prof. Heather Viles (Oxford University), John Savage (Consarc Design Group) and Dawson Stelfox (Consarc Design Group). Also present were Prof. Muhammed Basheer and Sudarshan Srinivasan (SPACE, QUB), Dr Claire Foley (NIEA), Katrine Wilhelm (Oxford University) and Catherine Adamson (GAP, QUB).

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On Wednesday 18th April 2012, the School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology (GAP), hosted a visit from a group of twelve students and two members of staff from the Institute of Technology, which is based in Sligo.

Professor Paula Reimer, Director of the 14CHRONO Centre, welcomed the visitors to the School and provided them with a tour of the CHRONO Centre and a presentation on the functioning of the Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS).
Students were also given a demonstration on how samples are prepared for AMS radiocarbon dating.

This visit, which was coordinated by a Lecturer from the Institute Ms Fiona Beglane, was designed to give the IT students an opportunity to see an AMS in action. The live demonstration was particularly valuable to the students as they are currently undertaking a module in the Science of Archaeological Materials as part of a degree in Applied Archaeology.

The group concluded their visit to the School of GAP and to Belfast with a visit to the Ulster Museum.

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On Friday 20th April the School will host a one day conference organised in association with the Royal Irish Academy’s Sub-Committee for the History of Science in Ireland. It will draw together postgraduate and other researchers working within and outside the university sector in Ireland to discuss topics related to the history of science, technology and medicine. The conference is part-funded by QUB’s Student Led Initiative and by the Royal Irish Academy.

For further details please see the conference facebook page.

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The Irish Quaternary Association (IQUA) Spring Meeting and AGM will be held on Saturday the 14th of April, 2012 in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Join us on the meeting facebook page HERE.

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The School is now advertising a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position associated with a 2 year AHRC-funded project entitled ‘Scientific Metropolis: Belfast in an Age of Science, c. 1820-1914’. The postholder will undertake extensive primary research, contribute to academic presentations and peer-reviewed papers and participate in impact activities carried out in association with the project's partner, National Museums Northern Ireland. They will also be part of the School’s Society, Space and Culture research cluster.

For further details and to apply, click here.  A summary of the project is available here: Scientific Metropolis Project Summary (pdf)

If you have any additional queries please contact Dr Diarmid Finnegan (d.finnegan@qub.ac.uk)

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On March 12, School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast, along with Christian Aid hosted a Sixth Form Geography Lecture: ‘The Human Costs of Tectonic Hazards: A Personal Story from Haiti’ in the Peter Froggatt Centre In Queen’s.

The speakers included Mr. David Thomas, Christian Aid Education & Campaigns Coordinator, together with Dr. Alastair Ruffell and Dr. M. Satish Kumar from the School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology. The key speaker for the event was Christian Aid Country Manager for Haiti, Mr. Prospery Raymond.

In attendance were some 240 Geography students and their teachers. The event was recognized as a major success by the students and teachers. The talks helped to raise awareness of natural hazards, and vulnerability of populations living in highly seismic zones of the Earth as well as the impact and response to disaster management and development. The presentations documented the existing structural, historical, social, and environmental challenges, which manifest at varying periods of human history from 1548 to 2012. It also raised awareness of the valuable work undertaken by Christian Aid and their sister charities in the developing world. The event helped to highlight the key competencies of GAP in engaging with environmental and social challenges to prospective students wishing to seek admissions to the university.

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GAP doctoral student, Duncan Taylor, is the recipient of the RGS-IBG 'Geographical Club Award'. Only one award per annum is made to projects in human geography. This £1000 award will help to support Duncan's current research visit to Jamaica where he is working in the archives, gathering material for his thesis: "Circulating Tropical Nature: an historical geography of the botanical gardens of Jamaica".

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GAP UCAS Days in 2012 are as follows:

Wednesday 15th February 2012: 2pm-4pm

 

Wednesday 14th March 2012: 2pm-4pm

 

Saturday 31st March 2012: 10am-noon

 

Applicants will be provided with further details of the UCAS Day Programme. In the meantime, if you have any enquiries please contact the School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology office (gap@qub.ac.uk) or Queen's University Admissions & Access Service (admissions@qub.ac.uk) as appropriate.

We look forward to seeing you!

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This 3 year studentship will exercise an interdisciplinary approach to explore past and present patterns in diversity, assessing the extent to which environmental change drives evolutionary processes and diversification. The project will yield new information on the potential long term consequences of anthropogenic climate change on evolutionary processes, which is critical to conservation planning.

The student will be jointly supervised by Dr Alison Cameron in the School of Biological Sciences, and Dr Nicki Whitehouse in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, at Queen’s University Belfast.

Application closing date: Friday 2nd March 2012

Prerequisites: 2:1 BSc (Hons) in Geography, Archaeology, Biology, Zoology, Ecology or similar. Mathematical competence

Highly desirable: MSc in Palaeoecology, Phylogenetics, Entomology, Mathematics, Statistics or similar.

Contact: Dr Nicki Whitehouse (n.whitehouse@qub.ac.uk) or Dr Alison Cameron (a.cameron@qub.ac.uk). Further details of the project may also be found here.

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The School is now advertising two new lectureships in environmental change. These posts are available to undertake research and teach in any aspect of the physical environment (including environmental science, physical geography, geomorphology, oceanography, climate modelling and related disciplines) which will complement, diversify or enhance research activities in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology. Further information about the posts can be found here. The closing date is Friday 16 March 2012.

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The School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology is pleased to announce that two funded PhD projects are available for entry in 2012 in the field of Geography/Environmental Change. The particular projects to be funded are: 1. “Biotic responses to the evolution and drainage of glacial Lake McConnell, Northwest Territories, Canada”; 2. “The geography of Ireland’s ‘disappeared’: locating missing persons using archives, interviews and field-surveys”.

Further details on the projects may be downloaded here.

The studentships on offer are the result of the GAP’s successful bid in this year’s University’s Strategic Research Studentship competition.

The closing date for applications is March 8 2012.

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On 8th February at 7.30pm Jarlath Cunnane and Paddy Barry will talk about their arctic polar circumnavigation on the purpose-built sailing vessel Northabout. They will cover the planning, building of Northabout and their transit of the demanding Northwest and Northeast Passages. For further details see here.

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The School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology (GAP), Queen’s University Belfast, has an offer a range of new doctoral research topics for entry in autumn 2012.

For details on specific projects and advice on how to apply please follow this link: http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/gap/ProspectiveStudents/PostgraduateStudies/PhDProjects2012-2013/

Closing dates for applications is 31st January 2012.

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In his recently-published Portrait of an industrial city: ‘clanging Belfast’, 1750-1914, Stephen Royle explores the causes and consequences of Belfast’s industrial development. His book details Belfast's development from the eighteenth-century market town, where only hindsight can discover the seeds of industrial greatness, to the titanic city - in every respect - of the period prior to Great War. Royle documents the constant movement of workers and goods, the smells and sounds of constant industrial activity, and that distinctive clang of metal on metal, which dominated the city’s daily life. The book also brings to life the hectic nature of the thriving and constant activity on the streets of the city and the equally rumbustious local and national political goings-on at a critical time in Ireland’s history. Throughout the book, the deft use of primary sources and documents illuminates the intriguing story of industrial, ‘clanging’ Belfast. Portrait of an Industrial City is published by The Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society in association with Ulster Historical Foundation

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Five Queen’s University students, including Vincent McAllister a GAP graduate, have been recognized for their academic excellence by President Mary McAleese at the Undergraduate Awards Ceremony 2011 in Dublin Castle. The Undergraduate Awards aim to inspire, support and celebrate the ideas of undergraduates whilst promoting innovation and independent thinking both within and outside of coursework. Out of the 2,381 submissions, 237 students were shortlisted and 23 were selected as the winner in their category so Vincent had to fend off some very stiff competition.

Vincent, from Portglenone in County Antrim, won the Physical Sciences category for his essay entitled ‘A Fieldwalking Survey of Site 12 Ballynease-Macpeake, Co. Derry’. After initially training as an architectural technician, he decided to manoeuvre his career path in the direction of his true passion and enrolled in a BSc in Archaeology and Palaeoecology which he attained with First Class honours, going on to win the Kerr Prize for best overall performance at the final year examinations. Vincent received his award from President Mary McAleese at Dublin Castle on Friday 28th October 2011.

When asked to reflect upon his recent achievements Vincent commented; "I fully believed that I had accomplished my goals when I attained a BSc in Archaeology-Palaeoecology, with first class honours, and by winning the Kerr Prize for best overall performance at the final year examinations. In truth, however, I never imagined that such achievements could be surpassed until I won an undergraduate award and received the Oscar Wilde gold medal from President Mary McAleese; this is truly the icing on the cake and a fairy-tale ending to what has been a long and arduous journey."

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Diarmid Finnegan has won the Frank Watson Prize for his book Natural History Societies and Civic Culture in Victorian Scotland. Established in 1993 and administered by the Canadian Scottish Studies Foundation, the biennial prize recognises the highest scholarship in Scottish history. Diarmid was presented with the prize at the Foundation’s Fall Colloquium held at the University of Guelph on 17th September. He also gave a plenary lecture at the event on ‘Nature, Science and Civic Culture in Victorian Scotland’.

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GAP hosted an exciting and successful symposium and workshop on Stable Isotope Analysis and Modelling in Freshwater Ecosystems on 14 September 2011. The symposium highlighted recent international research in freshwater ecology using stable isotopes. The primary aim of the symposium was to discuss applications of stable isotope applications and point out how modelling provides insights into the dynamic processes operating in freshwater environments. Presentations were given by Dr Jari Syväranta (University of Jyväskylä Finland), Dr. Mark Trimmer (Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)), Prof. Susan Waldron (University of Glasgow), Dr Peter Smyntek (QMUL), Chris Barry (Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute, N. Ireland, Phillip Sanders (QMUL), Dr. Andrew Jackson (Trinity College Dublin) and Dr Evelyn Keaveney (QUB). Links to videos of presentations will be posted on the GAP website as soon as available.

An afternoon workshop on SIAR (Stable Isotope Analysis in R) was lead by package writers, Dr. Andrew Jackson (Trinity College, Dublin) and Dr. Andrew Parnell (University College, Dublin) and provided attendees with an opportunity to learn to use the program both from examples and with their own data.

The symposium attracted 35 delegates from Britain, Ireland and Finland and was organised by Dr Evelyn Keaveney and PhD student Rory Flood with assistance from other students and staff.

More information on the NERC funded project on terrestrial carbon in Lough Erne can be found on the EC research page

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Hidden History Below our Feet, the first comprehensive publication about the archaeology of Belfast, was launched by Minister for the Environment Alex Attwood in front of a capacity crowd in the Ulster Hall on Thursday, 8 September. Written by Ruairí Ó Baoill, a fieldwork director with the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork , the volume was produced by Tandem Design and funded by the Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). The publication, which synthesises data on hundreds of sites in the Belfast region from the Mesolithic through to the present-day, evolved out of a baseline survey of Belfast’s archaeology that the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork performed for NIEA. The author, a Queen’s archaeology graduate, specialises in the medieval and post-medieval archaeology of Ireland and has been directing archaeological excavations since 1991. In speaking to the crowd on Thursday, Ruairí noted that he had been brought up on the Antrim Road, playing on the slopes of Belfast castle and MacArt’s Fort, but that he had been ‘unaware that there were so many archaeological sites in the Belfast hills or anywhere else in Belfast, for that matter. There were no books and very few articles.’ Through Ruairí’s hard work and the cooperation between the City Council, NIEA, Tandem and the university, that information is now available. Speaking at the launch, new Professor of Archaeology Audrey Horning praised Ruairi for his achievement noting that ‘to me, this illustrates the added value that the university can bring to the archaeological management activities of NIEA and to facilitating public engagement.’

This well-illustrated volume is sure to appeal to anyone with an interest in archaeology and in Belfast specifically, from the general reader to the specialist.

Congratulations to Ruairí!

The book is available from Tandem Design at www.hiddenhistorybelfast.com (ISBN 978-0-9569671-0-7) at a cost of £14.99.

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As members of the Forensic Geology Group of the Geological Society of London, Drs Alastair Ruffell and Jennifer McKinley will be appearing at the British Festival of Science on Tuesday the 13th September and giving a series of talks on ‘how geologists solve crimes’.

For more details please see here

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A new article, co-authored by Dr Jesper Olsen, has just been published in the international journal Science that considers Holocene variations in Arctic sea ice. The paper draws together evidence on large fluctuations in the amount of summer sea ice during the last 10,000 years. During the so-called Holocene Climate Optimum, from approximately 8000 to 5000 years ago, when the temperatures were somewhat warmer than today, there was significantly less sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, probably less than 50% of the summer 2007 coverage, which was absolutely lowest on record. The studies also show that when the ice disappears in one area, it may accumulate in another. We have discovered this by comparing our results with observations from northern Canada. While the amount of sea ice decreased in northern Greenland, it increased in Canada. This is probably due to changes in the prevailing wind systems. This factor has not been sufficiently taken into account when forecasting the imminent disappearance of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean.

For more details see here

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Dr Nicki Whitehouse, has been elected President of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) Commission on Humans and the Biosphere. The Commission’s central goal is to promote and facilitate communication and interchange among specialists in palaeontology, palaeobotany, palaeoecology, archaeology, palaeoanthropology, geology and the earth sciences, in order to understand human responses to global and regional changes of the past, present, and future.

She was elected to this position at the INQUA Congress in Bern, 20-27th July 2011, where she also presented several papers on her research and co-organized two scientific sessions.

Further details of INQUA'a activities may be found at : http://www.inqua.org/

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A new article, co-authored by Dr Gill Plunkett, has just been published in the international journal Geology that considers how often ash clouds from eruptions such as the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption affect NW Europe. The paper draws together evidence for the occurrence of volcanic ash in peat bog and lake sediments from Ireland to Estonia over the last 7,000 years. Using data from the last 1,000 years, Dr Plunkett and her colleagues show that ash falls have been recorded at intervals ranging from 6 to 115 years (on average every 56 ± 9 years), with a 16% probability of an ash fall event in northern Europe in any one decade. These new findings will have important implications for the aviation industry, planning and safety authorities, insurance companies, and the travelling public.

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GAP's Weathering Research Group have launched three short videos on YouTube showcasing EPSRC-funded research on the impact of climate change on stone-built heritage. They are available on GAP's Facebook page and directly from YouTube video 1; video 2; video 3.

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We are delighted to announce the release of our NEW brochure providing information about the four taught MSc courses currently offered by the School of GAP: 

• Archaeology and Environment
• Dating and Chronology
• Heritage Science
• Professional Archaeology

Our MSc programmes include a 60-credit dissertation / report / portfolio and 120 credits of taught modules with most modules accounting for 20 credits each. Selected modules may be taken individually as part of a continuing professional development programme, or collectively to make either a total of 60 credits for a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) or 120 credits without the dissertation for a Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip).

Our programmes of study enable students to select a course of specialist training as a foundation for a range of careers and advanced research with core modules providing essential skills whilst elective modules provide flexibility and tailor-made study.

If you are interested in learning about how physical and human environments have evolved, and are equally intrigued by how knowledge of the past can enliven the study and understanding of the present and the future, then we would encourage you to join us as a postgraduate student where you’ll become a welcome part of an active and intellectually challenging learning environment.

To access the brochure click here. For further details click here

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Conor Graham, Jenny McKinley, Rachael Parker and Alastair Ruffell were delighted when on Tuesday 28th June wreckage of a famous Spitfire was recovered at the site they confirmed as a likely crash location. The full story and extra photographs can be accessed by the QUB GAP Facebook site.

 

An episode of the television programme 'Dig WW2' will be based on this work, to be televised in early 2012.

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Sir John Scott was a minor member of the English gentry until 1460 when at a decisive moment he supported the landing of the future Edward IV and threw open the gates of Canterbury. Scott’s rise to fame as a courtier and statesman is documented in a new volume by Dr Mark Gardiner, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology. The book published by the Sussex Record Society examines Scott’s household and the construction of a fashionable brick castle intended to reflect his new status as courtier. The accounts in the new volume give a remarkable insight into both national events and the home life of one of the figures caught up in them.

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Hay fever sufferers typically dread spring and summer, with their allergy to pollen giving them months of misery. As part of their coping strategy, many sufferers watch the pollen forecasts on the television weather forecasts, or click the ‘pollen forecast’ button on the Meteorological Office website at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/pws/invent/weathermap/, updated daily at 12.00 am.

The pollen forecasts for Northern Ireland will be more accurate in future, because the School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology at Queen’s University Belfast has now started pollen trapping for the Met Office pollen forecast. Since pollen trapping ended over a year ago at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, the Met Office have had to extrapolate pollen levels in Northern Ireland from counts made in Edinburgh.

Members of the Queen’s Pollen Trapping Group with
the new Pollen Trap

Dr Chris Hunt, who coordinates the Queen’s Pollen Trapping Group, says ‘Pollen forecasting is really difficult, because you are dealing with complex natural systems. The pollen forecast partly depends on the weather forecast, and we all know that there are still days when the weather doesn’t follow Met Office predictions, even though their systems are much improved. But plant behaviour is also complex, as their timing and rate of flowering is partly determined by the weather in the previous weeks and months. As a rule of thumb, you get high pollen counts in sunny, windy weather, while rain washes pollen out of the air. The grass pollen has already started this year, which is a couple of weeks earlier than normal for round here, so while I’m hoping for sunny weather, my wife, who suffers from hay fever, is hoping for rain.

Counts made by the Pollen Trapping Group at Queen’s are integrated with weather models at the Met Office to produce forecasts of pollen levels up to five days ahead. This is explained on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp43Vhk1BFg&feature=youtu.be

Information about the Met Office pollen forecast can be found at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/health/public/pollen-forecast

Pollen grains split open, releasing their allergens, when they come in contact with wet surfaces like your nasal membranes and eyes. Grass pollen grains are the main culprits for many people’s hayfever http://chrono.qub.ac.uk/pollen/pollen/P/Molinia_caerulea.256x384.gif

The numbers of pollen grains in the air depend heavily on the weather, but also on the time of day. The worst weather for people with hayfever is dry, sunny and windy, since plants produce a lot of pollen in warm sunny conditions and pollen travels well in the wind. Very high humidity and rain take pollen out of the air. The graph below shows grass pollen figures for four days with different weather.(click to enlarge)

The influence of weather on grass pollen levels

Further pictures of pollen grains taken by Professor Keith Bennett can be found at http://chrono.qub.ac.uk/pollen/pc-pteri.html

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Postgraduate research student Jonny Geber has been awarded a £16,000 (160,000 SEK) research grant from the Swedish foundation Jakob & Johan Söderbergs Stiftelse for his research on human remains and mass burials dating to the Great Irish Famine found by the former union workhouse in Kilkenny City, Ireland. Jakob & Johan Söderbergs Stiftelse was founded in 2004, and has since then given financial support to numerous scholars and research projects in natural science, law, economy, medicine and culture. The grant is to cover living and research expenses for 17 months.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/gap/Research/PostgraduateResearch/JonnyGeber

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We are delighted to announce that David Livingstone, Professor of Geography and Intellectual History, has received the Royal Geographical Society’s Founder’s Medal. The Society’s prestigious gold medal was awarded in recognition of his ‘outstanding encouragement, development and promotion of historical geography’. On receiving the award, Professor Livingstone told a packed Ondaatje Theatre at the Society’s headquarters that he considered himself a “rather bookish geographer, a traveller in the archives, a cartographer of ideas”. He added: “It is an enormous honour and privilege to receive the Royal Geographical Society’s Founder’s Medal. My work has largely focused on bringing geography’s history into the wider conversation of the history of science, culture and philosophy, and also in turn, examining the geography of science itself – where it is practised and how this affects our findings.”

The Royal Geographical Society’s media release is found here.

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Satish Kumar, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, has appeared in the fifth episode of BBC 2’s The Country House Revealed. In this episode Dan Cruickshank looks at Clandeboye House near Bangor, County Down and explores the life of Lord Dufferin (1826-1902), Viceroy of India and one time President of the Royal Geographical Society. Among the relics of empire preserved in the House is Lord Dufferin’s photograph album which includes images of Burma before it was incorporated into the British Raj. Dr Kumar discusses these astonishing images and the historical background to British rule in the country they so vividly represent.

The programme is available on BBC iPlayer here

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On Friday 27th May GAP’s Head of School, Professor Keith Bennett, joined the ranks of Seamus Heaney, Mary Robinson, Ernest Walton and Erwin Schrödinger by becoming a Member of the Royal Irish Academy. The Royal Irish Academy, which was founded in 1785, currently has over 400 Members and is considered to be the principal learned society in Ireland. Membership of the RIA is the highest academic honour in Ireland and is awarded to those who have attained the highest level of distinction in education and research. Amongst the newly elected Academy members are experts representing the Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities. Professor Bennett’s distinction was awarded on the basis of his contribution to the Sciences and most notably in recognition of his international reputation for inquiries into the macro-evolutionary effects of the selective impacts of climatic fluctuations during the Quaternary period.

Further information about the Royal Irish Academy can be found on the following link: http://www.ria.ie/

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Three enterprising postgraduate students from the School of GAP; Rebecca Enlander, Victoria Ginn and Rebecca Crozier, hosted a very successful two-day symposium on the Interpretation of Identity on the 27th and 28th May 2011.

The principal aim of the event was to discuss and to learn how to address the theme of Identity, within a pan-European prehistoric context, with a focus on Ireland and the northwest of Britain. The School was delighted to welcome the participation of two keynote speakers; Professor Helle Vankilde, of the University of Aarhus and Dr Joanna Brück, of University College Dublin. Several guest speakers presented case studies exploring the role that the construction and consumption of artefacts, settlement, burial and ritual monuments has had in generating and maintaining a social identity in the past.

The symposium attracted over 50 delegates from Britain, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the United States.

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A new book by Nuala Johnson, Reader in Human Geography, has been published by I. B. Tauris. In Nature Displaced, Nature Displayed: Order and Beauty in Botanical Gardens Johnson explores three gardens – the University of Cambridge botanical garden, the Royal Dublin Society botanical garden, and the Belfast botanical garden – to show how the presentation and display of such gardens was influenced by place and how aesthetics, science, entertainment and ideas of empire all played important roles in the final outcome. The result is an outstanding work of scholarship that says much about the spatiality of scientific knowledge and embraces many of the key themes in contemporary historical geography.

Further details..

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Steve Royle was invited to give the Eccles Lecture at the recent British Association for Canadian Studies Annual Conference held in Birmingham University. The Eccles Lecture is sponsored by the Eccles Centre at the British Library. Steve was the Eccles Centre Visiting Fellow in North American Studies at the British Library in 2007-2008, in connection with work towards his 2011 book Company, Crown and Colony: The Hudson’s Bay Company and Territorial Endeavour in Western Canada (IB Tauris). He spoke on ‘Insecurity in Canada’s past: James Douglas keeps the peace on Vancouver Island’. The conference was attended by the artist Heather Spears who took the sketch during the lecture. She assured Steve that the words by his left shoulder, ‘a man of immense pomposity’, referred to the subject of the lecture, James Douglas, Governor of Vancouver Island, and not to the lecturer. The lecture will be published by the Eccles Centre later this year.

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A new book by Valerie Hall, Professor Emerita of Palaeoecology, has just been published by The Collins Press. The Making of Ireland's Landscape tells the story of Ireland's changing landscape over 11,000 years ago since the last Ice Age ended and how the landscape of Ireland has subsequently been shaped. It describes how natural forces as well as people influenced the landscape, its plants and animals, and traces the history of the wild places as well as the development of the farmed landscape. The photographs, many of which are of modern subjects, emphasise how the past Irish landscape continues to resonate today.

 

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A new book has been written by Dr Harry Welsh of the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology and published by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency: Built Heritage and TSO to provide an introduction to the megalithic tombs of Northern Ireland. The book is in three main parts, the first of which provides the background into what we currently know about the prehistory of Northern Ireland and how and why megalithic tombs were built. The second part looks in greater detail into the four main types of megalithic tomb present in our landscape and gives details about the tombs themselves and the sorts of artefacts that have been found in them. The third part, entitled ‘Tomb Travelling’, gives details of twenty-five monuments throughout Northern Ireland that are currently in state care, along with directions on how to get to them and of other interesting places to see in the area. The aim of the book is to encourage people to learn about the wonders of our prehistoric past, often neglected in tourist guides, but which is a fascinating legacy from our distant ancestors.

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http://www.iamg.org/images/File/documents/Newsletters/NewslettersHSP/NL81mres.pdf

Prof Walther Schwarzacher, a charter member of IAMG and a Krumbein Medalist, published a paper in the first issue of the Journal of Mathematical Geology. Walther joined Queen’s University Belfast in 1951. He retired in 1991 with emeritus status. His research on repetitions and cycles in stratigraphy and use of Markov chains in the study of sedimentary cycles and simulation of rock sequences is highly renowned. Dan Merriam, IAMG historian writes ‘It is highly appropriate that the IAMG recognize this internationally recognized scientist with a Honorary Membership in the Association.’

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Keith Bennett, Head of School and Professor of Late-Quaternary Environmental Change, was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) at the society’s annual general meeting on 16 March. The RIA is Ireland’s premier learned body and promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. Professor Bennett’s election was in recognition of his international reputation for inquiries into the macro-evolutionary effects of the selective impacts of climatic fluctuations during the Quaternary period.

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PhD research student Rebecca Aroon Enlander has been awarded The John and Bryony Coles Bursary to the value of £300 by the Prehistoric Society to undertake a comparative field survey of rock art sites in the Kilmartin Valley, Argyll to better explore the relationship between Irish rock art and its Scottish counterpart. The result of the survey will place the north of Ireland in its wider Irish and British cultural context and demonstrate how this rich and internationally acknowledged resource is being studied and interpreted against a wider cultural backdrop.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/gap/Research/PostgraduateResearch/RebeccaEnlander

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The School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology is to host a two day symposium entitled ‘Interpreting Identity. Our construct or theirs?’ on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th May 2011. The symposium will concentrate on the theme of identity within prehistoric Western Europe, with a focus on Ireland and northwest Britain. Speakers will present a case study to discuss the role that the construction and consumption of artefacts, settlement, burial, or ritual monuments has had in generating and maintaining a social identity within a small geographic region, or on a wider, island-wide or intra-island scale. The keynote speaker will be Prof. Helle Vandkilde of the University of Aarhus and the conference will conclude with an address by Dr Joanna Brück of University College Dublin.

 Futher Details and Registration

Programme Fri 27th May and Saturday 28th May 2011
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DEPARTMENT OF ENTERPRISE, TRADE AND INVESTMENT

14 February 2011

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster today launched a £4million EU funded geological project to carry out further analysis of Northern Ireland’s natural resources.

The cross-border Tellus Border project has been funded by the INTERREG IVA development programme of the European Regional Development Fund, which is managed by the Special European Programmes Body. This is the largest of the latest awards under the Environment theme of INTERREG IVA and is part funded by the Department of the Environment and the Republic of Ireland Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

The Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) will manage the project in partnership with Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI), The Queen’s University, Belfast and Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT).

The project is an extension of the award-winning Tellus Project in Northern Ireland, which produced new maps and digital data of soils, rocks and stream waters of the whole of Northern Ireland.

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster today launched a £4 million EU funded geological project to carry out further analysis of Northern Ireland’s natural resources.
Pictured (L-R) (Front row) Dr Jenny McKinley, QUB, GAP, Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster, Professor Peter Gregson, Vice-Chancellor, QUB, DOE Minister, Edwin Potts, Mike Young, GSNI Project Manager, (L-R) (Back row) Alex Donald, GSNI, Dr Ulrich Ofterdinger, QUB, SPACE, Dr Theresa Kearney, DOE, Eimear Murphy, SEUPB, Programme manager and Terry Johnson, acting Director, GSNI

Launching the Tellus Border Project in Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster said: “This project will provide high quality geological information to ensure sustainable use of Northern Ireland’s natural resources. It will continue the analysis of the information gathered under the Tellus Project and help inform government development decisions including sustainable use of land in planning decisions, and enhance further private sector investment in areas such as mineral exploration.”

Minister Poots, whose department has injected £0.6million into the scheme, said: “This is an exciting project which will provide us with further detailed information on Northern Ireland’s natural environment and help us understand more the pressures which it faces. In particular it will provide important background information on geology, stream water quality, and potential pollution sources, which will help to inform the work of a number of different partners including my own Department.”

Welcoming the launch of the EU funded project Pat Colgan, Chief Executive of the SEUPB, said: “Upon completion this innovative project will inform and improve sustainable land management practices across Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland. It has been supported under the cross-border infrastructure element of the EU’s INTERREG IVA Programme which is encouraging sustainable development in a number of sectors including environmental protection.”

The project will involve scientists from Queen’s School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology and the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering. Queen’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson said: “Queen’s University is pleased to be part of this major investment in earth science and environmental research in Ireland. Our leading researchers in geosciences will use the latest scientific techniques to quantify and map levels of carbon in our soils and to identify and monitor groundwater pollution.

“Queen’s research will be a vital component of the Tellus Border project and will help us better understand our natural environment and work towards a more sustainable future for Ireland, north and south.”

Continuing the analysis of the Tellus data, the Border project will undertake innovative research, particularly in the scientific assessment and management of wetlands, soil-carbon and ground-pollution. The project will also integrate the geo-science information mapped on both sides of the border and improve cross-border collaboration in the management of earth resources and the environment.

The area covered by the project includes Northern Ireland, (excluding the Belfast Metropolitan Area) and the six northern counties of the Republic of Ireland (Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Monaghan, Cavan and Louth).

SEUPB
The Special EU Programmes Body is a North/South Implementation Body sponsored by the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland and the Department of Finance in Ireland. It is responsible for managing two EU structural funds Programmes PEACE III and INTERREG IV designed to enhance cross-border co-operation, promote reconciliation and create a more peaceful and prosperous society. The Programmes operate within a clearly defined area including Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland.

The INTERREG IVA 2007-2013 Programme, funded though the European Regional Development Fund, is worth €256 million and aims to address the economic and social problems which result from the existence of borders. It has two distinct priority measures to create co-operation for a more prosperous and sustainable cross-border region.

For more information on the SEUPB please visit http://www.seupb.eu

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Professor Bernard Smith from the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology has just returned from participating in an expert working group organised by UNESCO in Addis Ababa (7 to 11 February) to devise a ‘Road Map’ to promote the inscription of African human origin sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list. As with the preceding meeting in Burgos – to consider global sites – Professor Smith represented International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and was there specifically to advise on how his and their experience in evaluating and inscribing natural fossil sites could be used to inform a strategy for sites of human evolution. In particular, how a landscape-based approach involving the geomorphological and geological settings of sites might be incorporated into future inscriptions. This meeting is part of a wider programme initiated by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in recognition of the fact that properties with strong links to human origins are insufficiently represented on the World Heritage List. The values of these properties are also generally under-recognized, and it is often challenging for governments, especially in less economically developed regions, to conserve this heritage and manage its specific vulnerability. As a consequence, UNESCO have brought together representatives of Advisory Bodies such as IUCN, members of the World Heritage Committee and national experts to identify priorities for cooperation in the framework of the Global Strategy for World Heritage. Included in the meeting was the possibility to view some of the iconic fossil remains held in the National Museum and the opportunity to visit the Oldowan prehistoric site at Melka Kuntare and museum in the Awash Valley. Which highlight the challenges for countries such as Ethiopia in the management and protection of key sites and environments, as well as the preservation, researching and presentation of some of the world’s most important heritage objects.

Web link:

http://geoserver.itc.nl/melkakunture/index.asp

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The final episode of Iain Stewart's series finds out about the story of humble janitor James Croll, who used the planets to work out the natural rhythms of the earth's climate. Diarmid Finnegan throws light on this maverick pioneer's insights into ice age history.

See the whole episode on the BBC iPlayer here

(available until 3rd February 2011)

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David Livingstone, Professor of Geography and Intellectual History, has been awarded a Major Research Fellowship by the Leverhulme Trust to cover a three-year project on ‘The Empire of Climate’. Professor Livingstone’s project aims to deliver a critical genealogy of the the idea that climate has exerted irresistible power over human health, wealth and history. Along several axes, it will investigate the long-standing conviction that climate has determined, inter alia, economic growth, the pathways of hominid evolution, as well as human physical and mental well-being. The project will also bring contemporary concerns into dialogue with past episodes and seek to provide cultural resources for fostering responsible strategies for the future.

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The School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast, is pleased to announce its Postgraduate Awards and Research Topics for entry in Autumn 2011. We encourage applications from suitably qualified candidates; the closing dates for all awards is the 31st January 2011.

Please click here for further details.

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We were very pleased to hear that one of our Masters graduates, Anna Pielach, won one of the prestigious Science Shop awards. The awards are made on the strength of the student’s dissertation. Anna’s thesis was entitled ‘Floristic Implications for Introducing Coppicing as a Long-term Management Practice in Straidkilly Nature Reserve, Co. Antrim’ and was supported by the Ulster Wildlife Trust. Anna is originally from Poland and came specifically to take our Masters as she has a great interest in Heritage Manangement, especially in the natural environment. She is now undertaking a PhD in Galway.

For a short film of the award, see here.

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At the request of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork recently carried out an excavation at First Derry Presbyterian Church, currently being renovated. Two trenches, each measuring 2m by 2m, were excavated between gaps opened for the placement of temporary roof supports. Two articulated skeletons as well as a skull were found emerging from the side wall of one of the excavation trenches. The human remains lie below a stone wall running under part of the existing church. Artefacts found in the soil around the human remains and beneath the wall, such as clay pipe bowls and pottery from Britain, Ireland and Continental Europe, date to the seventeenth century some to the later seventeenth century. This suggests that the burials which were found with them are likely also to date to the later seventeenth century, possibly to the period of the Siege of Derry, and that the stone wall above them may be part of the fabric of the initial phase of construction of the First Derry Presbyterian Church in 1690. There has been Presbyterian worship at or close to the site of the First Presbyterian Church since 1675 when a Presbyterian Meeting House was built. The earliest incarnation of the First Derry Presbyterian Church was constructed on Magazine Street Upper in 1690, with the assistance of a grant from Queen Mary in recognition of the bravery of the townsfolk displayed during the siege. The earliest incarnation of the First Derry Presbyterian Church was constructed on Magazine Street Upper in 1690, with the assistance of a grant from Queen Mary in recognition of the bravery of the townsfolk displayed during the siege.

For media reports, see here and here.

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A new book by Stephen Royle, Professor of Island Geography and Director of the Centre of Canadian Studies, has been published by I. B. Tauris. In Company, Crown and Colony: The Hudson's Bay Company and Territorial Endeavour in Western Canada Royle tells the story of the Hudson’s Bay Company when, in the mid nineteenth century, they were engaged to set up a colonial administration on Vancouver Island to protect British interests at a time of growing expansionism from America to the south and possible threats from a Russian Alaska to the north. Drawing on rich archival resources, Royle provides a detailed account of this turbulent period, revealing the difficulties faced by a leading merchant company as they sought to resolve their conflicting interests of commerce and settlement in a complex situation, and providing fresh and lively insights into the emergence of a region of North America that is today one of the principal commercial centres of Canada.

For further details see here

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The School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology research day will take place on Wednesday 19th January in the Canada Room and Council Chambers. We have an exciting programme of talks, discussions and also poster presentations.

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The Queen’s Graduates’ Association Scholarship is an award available only to top graduates who have returned to Queen’s for postgraduate study. Students are recommended by their School in order to be eligible for an award. Shortlisted candidates are then called to give a presentation on their research, its value and relevance to the wider community to a panel of judges. This is followed by an interview where the merit of both the research project and the candidate is investigated in depth. Just two scholarships, to the value of £2,500, are available each year so competition is intense. To receive such an award is therefore an honour, as well as of great financial value to aid the course of research.

The research topic Andrea is currently undertaking is entitled ‘The Transformation of the Ulster Landscape 1750-1850.’ This project aims to look at the impact of agrarian change on Ulster’s landscape during a period where field boundaries were being radically altered throughout Britain. The neatly hedged and fenced fields we are so familiar with today are actually of relatively recent origin. The agricultural landscape of the mid-18th century lacked many substantial boundaries; instead, farmers worked plots that were divided from their neighbour’s by little more than a furrow or low earthen bank.

The purpose of this research project is to analyse the various factors at play that influenced the transition from a pre-enclosure landscape to an enclosed agricultural system in Ulster. Why did a farming type which had operated for centuries change when and where it did? Technological, social and economic elements must all be considered. It is intended that this research will shed light on potential patterns regarding the progress of enclosure: for example, are there certain kinds of places where enclosure occurred earlier or more readily – was there a difference between farms close to urban centres and those more remote? How did the landscape and topography affect the change? What socio-economic factors are important?

In Ulster, the countryside is never far away, even in the most urban parts of the country. Most people have an ancestral link to farming and it forms an important part of our cultural heritage. The focus of this project is therefore relevant to everyone - an increased understanding of our environment and history leads to better enjoyment of our surroundings. The research may also be of particular interest to those investigating their family history and genealogy, a popular pastime in recent years; the ability to see how the landscape in which one’s ancestors lived and worked actually looked – and changed over time – helps to bring the past to life.

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Diarmid Finnegan has appeared in the final programme of a BBC 2 TV series on pioneering Scottish geologists. In The Big Freeze ­ broadcast in Scotland on Tuesday 14th December ­ geologist Iain Stewart tells the story of Louis Agassiz, the first proponent of the ice age and James Croll, a physical geologist of humble background who studied planetary orbits to work out the natural rhythms of the earth's climate. Diarmid also acted as an academic consultant for the programme.

It is available at this link on BBC iPlayer until Tuesday 21st December and will be broadcast in England, Northern Ireland and Wales in early 2011.

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PLANTATION – THE TRUTH & THE LEGACY, broadcast on UTV, Wednesday 15th December at 11pm

To mark the 400th anniversary of the Ulster Plantation, UTV will be showing a one-hour documentary on the topic, visiting some of the most attractive sites and the excavations at Dunluce “lost” village, and telling some of the unknown stories of this historic event. The programme will be presented by Dr Emily Murray of the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, while other members of the CAF taking part in the programme are Dr Colm Donnelly, Brian Sloan, and Ruairi O Baoill.

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In a series of 5 programmes on BBC Radio 4, David Livingstone, Professor of Geography and Intellectual History, examines how ideas about climate, both ancient and modern, have profoundly shaped our moral and political imaginations. Arguing that ‘climate has always been a moral issue’, David sifts through a host of politically charged debates that have surrounded the subject of climate in the Western world for centuries. With climate very much on our own political agenda, David’s intervention could not be more timely. The ‘empire of climate’ will be broadcast every day this week (beginning 29 November) from 1545-1600 on BBC Radio 4. You can listen to these programmes again by visiting the ‘empire of climate’ web page

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The Athena SWAN assessment panel have awarded the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology a Silver SWAN award which recognises good practice in UK university departments supporting the career progression of women in science, engineering and technology (SET). The presentation of the award will take place at the formal SWAN awards lunch on Thursday 16 September 2010 at the Royal Society.

The GAP SWAN review and planning process is the culmination of proactive involvement in the Queen’s Gender Initiative (QGI) by members of the schools’ Self-Assessment Team (SAT). The longest serving member of GAP’s SAT is Professor Valerie Hall, a Super SWAN champion, who has been involved with numerous QGI initiatives over many years. Dr Jennifer McKinley, current SWAN champion for GAP and member of Queen’s SWAN Champion committee was pivotal in carrying out the work, which led to GAP’s successful submission.

On receipt of the Award the Head of School, Professor Keith Bennett, commented;

‘I am delighted and believe that the SWAN Silver award provides recognition of the expansion in the role of women within the School. GAP has a high proportion of female undergraduates and postgraduates, and the School strongly supports visibility of women in academic positions as role models and as a contribution to providing a vision of a working environment where men and women contribute equally.’

GAP’s SAT comprises Professor Keith Bennett (Head of School), Ms Maria Bennett (School Manager), Dr Nuala Johnson, Professor David Livingstone, Dr Joanne Murdy, Dr Eileen Murphy, Dr Gillian Plunkett, Professor Paula Reimer, Dr Helen Roe, Dr Alastair Ruffell, Dr Patricia Warke and Dr Nicki Whitehouse.

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Thursday 9th September and Friday 10th September

Archaeology and Palaeoecology
Subject area talks at 10.30am and 12noon
Room G43, 42 Fitzwilliam Street

Staff will be available to introduce some of the Archaeological Collection – 10.00am, 11.00am, 12noon and 2.00pm.

View pdf version

 

Geography
Presentations and subject area talks (30 minutes) at 11am each day
Room G029 Elmwood Building

Thursday 9th September
Geographies of Protest

Friday 10 September
How geographers use ‘space’ to study Geohazards

Staff will also be available in the foyer of the Elmwood Building from 9.30 until 2pm.

View pdf version

 

Click here to download the University Open Day Brochure 

Click here to download the School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology Student Handbook

 

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Dr Colm Donnelly, Dr Harry Welsh and Ronan McHugh from Queen’s Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork (SGAP) undertook a week-long excavation at St Patrick’s church in Lowell, 30 miles north of Boston, in a collaborative venture with the University of Massachusetts at Lowell during the period 16 – 20 August 2010. The excavation was crewed by 6 students from UMass Lowell.

The excavation focused on the site of an early 19th century settlement of Irish labourers who were employed in the digging of the canals associated with the textile mills at Lowell.

The week-long excavation unearthed 1300 artefacts associated with the period and encountered structural features which the team hope to further investigate in 2011.

Check this link for a report and news video footage from Boston’s Channel 4  and a report in the Lowell Sun.

Other links

Hoping to unearth Irish history, they'll be digging again in Lowell - The Boston Globe
Famine Irish shanty town will yield its secrets - IrishCentral
Irish archaeologists search for their countrymen in Lowell - wbur.org

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