AUTIMN 2012016666 Leaves & Leather IIISSUEISSUE 20 The Newsletter of Bath Spa University’s Environmental Science and Biology awards

In this issue: We’ve done it – again!

MSc Envt’l Mgmt At 36 pages, Issue 19 was our biggest ever … issue (yay!!!) . I thought that w ould be hard to beat. But, guess what? Our contributors have only gone and done it again. So, it is with great pleasure Alumni Profiles (2, 11, we release into the community issue 20 of this august organ (that goes from strength to 15, 19, 22, 26, 32, 35) strength) with another text and image-stuffed 36 page issue. But! Such bumper issue are only possible with student, alumni, and staff contributions. Industry Mentors To maintain – and maybe even exceed? – our success to date we need stories, YOUR stories. If Kilimanjaro climb interested in penning a piece for the Newsletter, contact the Editor to discuss. Copy for Issue 21 – Freshers’ Week 2016 – now invited! Red panda update Mastering the science of environmental management The farmer’s daughter Bath Spa University’s MSc Environmental Management got off to a great start with its first Meet the staff (7, 23) intake of students in September 2015. The students are a mix of UK (including Bath Spa graduates) and international students, the latter from Zimbabwe and Colombia. The students Purbeck memories are really enjoying the course. All teaching is on Fridays, which is pretty intensive. However, Go Galapagos! this has the advantage of leaving the rest of the week to read, prepare coursework, and have a job to keep you afloat... Animal (a)musings MSc in Environmental Management will have its second intake in September/October Cambodian gap 2016. This is a broad-based and flexible course that can be studied on a full or part-time basis. It can aid you in a range of environmental careers, from environmental specialist to working as Wise words of science a manager with an environmental remit, e.g. as an environmental consultant, in waste/pollution management or as a business sustainability co-ordinator. Lake District quest Plant (a)musings Safari adventure The nightingale and the bee… Small World Initiative When seaweeds attack

Dietary advice? As a graduate of Biology or Environmental Science, this course could be relevant to Newton Park trees II you and we would welcome an application from you. Did you know that as a Bath Spa Coffee and climate University graduate alumnus, you will be eligible for a £1,200 fee waiver? change If you are considering taking a Masters in the near future you may need to bear in mind the item on loans for postgraduate study in the Chancellor’s recent Budget Statement; loans for Somerset Coal Canal postgraduate study will be available to applicants for the coming academic year (2016/17). Quotable Ecology There may also be scholarships and awards available, including those from the university. If you’d like more information on the course, please visit the course webpage . There India adventure you will find a course video featuring Paida Mtutu from Zimbabwe . If you’d like to discuss the course with someone, then please contact the Course Director, Dave Watson. Ben’s biochemistry

Prize-winning students Course webpage: http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/schools/society-enterprise-and- environment/courses/postgraduate/environmental-management Dr Mortimer Video: https://youtu.be/CkqP5BjHyh8 Sandwich Year Dave Watson, Head of Culture and Environment

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Robert Davies [BSc (Hons) Environmental Science, 2014]

What have you done since graduating from

Bath Spa? Typical day in the job For the first few months after graduating I My typical d ay revolves around a normal 9am began looking for a job, any job within the field to 5pm Monday to Friday in the Lab. The first

of environmental science. During this time I job of the day is usually the temperature

took driving lessons (an important life skill and profiling and calibration of the equipment we

essential for nearly all jobs!) and qualified in use to prepare the samples. The bulk of the

January. I also volunteered at a local scout day is taken up by the preparation of samples

group. After many unsuccessful applications for subsequent analysis. My particular area of

and a couple of interviews I was offered a expertise is soil preparation using three temporary position with the Royal Mail at a methods of acid-digestion. Standard local sorting depot during the three weeks reference solutions have to be prepared to leading up to Christmas. Working the late shift run alongside the samples. The results are “I immediately sent (2pm – 10pm) is exhausting but it was a step in then sent to the project managers and on the them an eMail the right direction to getting a more client. I also do stock-takes and ordering for asking if they had permanent position in the field of my degree. I the metals department and deal with some any positions … I was stationed at ‘outward parcels’ and I can client queries. was offered an now see why Royal Mail is notorious for interview and was breaking things (!). During my time at Royal Most favourite part of your job? accepted as a Mail I discovered a laboratory specialising in The varied nature of the samples and what permanent environmental testing called Jones suite of analyses the client wants is very laboratory Environmental Forensics [ https://www.jones- interesting. Also the diversity of the metals technician. environmental.com/ ] located on Deeside we test for is fantastic from arsenic to Industrial Estate close to where I live. I zirconium, I really enjoy the pure chemistry in immediately sent them an eMail asking if they action, helping our clients to identify had any positions available or could offer work contaminated sites (or areas that might be “We sometimes get experience. I was offered an interview and was viable to exploit for resources!). samples which accepted as a permanent laboratory contain high technician. … least favourite part? concentrations of We sometimes get samples which contain uranium, arsenic, What is your current job? high concentrations of uranium, arsenic, asbestos and I currently work within the metals department asbestos and cyanide, which is unnerving. cyanide, which is in the preparation and analysis of water and unnerving.” soil samples by Inductively Coupled Plasma How did your course at Bath Spa help to Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) prepare you for employment? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductively_cou My degree has definitely helped prepare me

pled_plasma_atomic_emission_spectroscopy ]. for my current role, particularly my third year

We use several preparation methods for water module ‘Environmental Consultancy’ which “My degree has and soil samples and can analyse for every definitely helped gave me an insight into what it might be like prepare me for my metal in the periodic table (depending on what as a consultant. This has allowed me to better current role, the client is looking for). The majority of the understand the professional relationship particularly my third clients are environmental consultants working Jones Environmental Forensics has with its year module alongside developers, quarries, landfill sites client portfolio. Other modules have also ‘Environmental and local authorities. Samples range from helped me understand why our clients need Consultancy” locations within the UK to South Africa and these tests doing and where Jones South Korea, which leads to very varied Environmental Forensics fits into the sector samples, from cores of rock to river sediment. as a whole.

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Robert Davies’ biography concluded Best experience/memory of your time at Bath Spa? “Crack on with My best experience has to the Bath Spa samba band Bloco Talento, the varied gigs around the assignments early on country (from Plymouth to London!) and great family and party atmosphere I think is a great so they are easier to amend and add to way to round off a student lifestyle at Bath Spa. later. ”

Top tip(s)/advice for current Bath Spa Biologists/Environmental Scientists? Crack on with assignments early on so they are easier to amend and add to later. Leap on any opportunity for work experience/knowledge/field trips/talks. Become immersed in the culture of Bath and the South West. Join as many societies/clubs as possible for great fun and for a break from studying (great for defeating mind blocks when writing essays).

Don’t forget the Mentors! During my final year at Bath Spa I was feeling quite anxious and stressed about the future, “Through the about getting all my deadlines done, about graduation and about what was to come university’s Careers afterwards. However, and although I was busy, I made time to look into things that would Service I applied to increase my chances of employability and help me to be more confident when applying for join the mentoring jobs. The trouble was that I didn’t even know where to start, there’s so much out there, so scheme. ” many different routes you could go down, that just a simple thing like updating your CV can seem daunting. Through the university’s Careers Service I applied to join the mentoring scheme [http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/business/support/mentoring ]. “Simple things, but

they were so helpful – I’m not sure what for originally, but in the hope that it would help direct me, I was paired with and effective. ” industry professional and Environment Manager Jamie Edmonds (a Bath Spa Environmental Science alumnus; https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jamie-edmonds-1b646b2b ) from a large construction company (Kier Group; http://www.kier.co.uk/ ). At our first mentoring session I was accompanied by Miranda Blofeld (from Bath Spa’s Careers Service), and the meeting was … we scheduled our mostly about identifying what each party hoped to get from the experience. I focused on the meetings for shorter term: I wanted to improve my CV and make it more appealing to employers. Jamie was whenever was able to offer this support – and his honest opinion as he regularly employs candidates. I felt convenient …” overwhelmed about where to start searching for a job, so he introduced me to environmental job sites that regularly post positions. Simple things, but they were so helpful – and effective.

Going forward, we scheduled our meetings for whenever was convenient; some took place at “I was also extremely uni. and some in a coffee shop in town, so it was very flexible. Through the process I was able lucky to be given help to gain confidence in what I was interested in doing after uni., and how to go about that and advice with my process. I was also extremely lucky to be given help and advice with my dissertation – having dissertation – having someone else to someone else to proof-read it and bounce ideas off of was extremely helpful. proof-read it and

bounce ideas off of I highly recommend signing up for the mentoring scheme so you can get some extra help and was extremely support. You never know what opportunities are round the corner. I’d just like to say a huge helpful. ” thank you to Jamie and his colleague Chris Grimes (another Bath Spa alumnus; http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/homepage/news/environmental-award-win-for-bath-spa- university-and-kier-services ) for all of their help and support during the mentoring scheme. “I highly recommend Kat Rolle , BSc (Hons) Environmental Science, 2015 signing up for the mentoring scheme so [Ed. – The first step for students who’d like to take advantage of Bath Spa University’s you can get some Mentoring Scheme is to email [email protected] and express your interest in finding a extra help and mentor…] support. ”

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Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for clean water… “I accepted the flyer, In September 2014 a flye r was handed to me as I got off the bus for my first day of Uni. Fresh - went to a meeting faced and eager as I was, I accepted the flyer, went to a meeting and ended up signing up to raise and ended up £3000 for the charity Dig Deep (http://digdeep.org.uk/) and climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Along with signing up to raise 18 other students and a group leader, I embarked on what would be a year-long commitment £3000 for the charity and a life-changing experience. Dig Deep ” The fundraising was an opportunity to think of lots of money-making ideas. We held numerous jumble and bake sales. I put on some fundraising events including raffles, casino nights and dinner parties. These activities were beneficial to my organisational skills, events management and baking prowess. Reaching my target also involved begging family members for “In September 2015 donations and saving money from a part-time job. the real adventure In September 2015 the real adventure began. We started the 5 day climb at Machame began. ” Gate, situated at an altitude of 1640m. This is the rainforest zone of Kilimanjaro and flora

includes orchids, ferns, and fig and olive trees. We also spotted some Blue and Colobus monkeys. By the second day we were over 3000m high and into the low alpine zone which is less humid and characterised by semi-arid grasslands and moorlands. The giant groundsels Dendrosenecio “This is the kilimanjari (similar to deformed palm trees) were particularly striking. rainforest zone of Kilimanjaro and flora includes orchids, ferns, and fig and olive trees. ”

“The giant groundsels Dendrosenecio kilimanjari (similar to deformed palm trees) were particularly striking. ”

“The third day saw us reach the 4000m mark and enter the alpine desert zone ”

“The ground was littered with black obsidian and at night The author and a Dendrosenecio kilimanjari temperatures were The third day saw us reach the 4000m mark and enter the alpine desert zone. It was below zero. ” fascinating to note the change in landscape and climate as we ascended. By this point, there was not much life apart from small everlasting flowers Helichrysum kilimanjari and some tussock grasses. The lava formations were spectacular rock towers and immobile rivers. The ground was littered with black obsidian and at night temperature s were below zero.

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Mt Kilimanjaro experience concluded On day 4 we entered the Summit zone, where oxygen levels are half those at sea “On day 4 we level. The only life visible was lichen (and fellow ‘mountaineers’…). The sun burns during the entered the day and at night the cold is unforgiving. We only stayed at the 5000m summit long enough to Summit zone, take some pictures before heading back down. There are still some impressive glaciers where oxygen (according to recent research, they began to form in 9700BC) around the crater (Kili is a levels are half dormant volcano) but they are diminishing in size at an alarming rate; the mountain is those at sea level. ” forecast to lose its ice cap by 2030. Forest and farmland below are affected by the loss of this critical water catchment.

We were helped all the way up by 10 guides and 65 (!!!) porters who carried “…the mountain is camping and cooking equipment. It was quite challenging to be faced with the unfairness of forecast to lose its the porters’ plight who each carried over 20kg up a mountain with clothing and shoes of ice cap by 2030.” questionable quality. Luckily, progress is being made regarding porters’ rights, notably thanks to the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (http://www.kiliporters.org/ ). All in all, I found this to be more of a mental challenge than a physical one (I was fortunate enough to not get altitude sickness). It has inspired me to do more charity work “I enjoyed and climb more mountains! I enjoyed experiencing Kilimanjaro through an environmental experiencing scientist’s eyes and taking an interest in the geology, climate, fauna and flora, and the local Kilimanjaro people. through an environmental Nina Clayton , Year 2 Environmental Science scientist’s eyes ”

Red Panda naming update

[to the Secret Zookeeper item in Issue 19, page 10]

Keeper Robert has said Leo [the top name from the public vote for the Red Panda bairn] is now climbing around the enclosure and becoming more curious every day. AJ, his father, was found cuddled up to Leo on their favourite shelf earlier in the week which is a great sign of bonding within the family group. Both AJ and Rufina (father and mother) are now used to their keepers and can be hand-fed [which is a great way to get a closer look at the animals for vital daily health checks and grooming]. Rob has told me that Leo actually came to take a piece of apple from his “Great work, team hand which is an incredible step to have taken so early on! Great work, team Red Panda! It’s Red Panda! ” lovely to see little Leo growing up so fast and strong; fingers crossed for more in 2016!

Images Left to Right: Leo outside on his own; Leo and Ruffian; the author and furry friend… [thank you, Samantha and Rob for permission to use the pictures…]

Sophie Williams , Year 2 Biology

Leaves & Leather Page 6 The farmer’s daughter: Decisions…

Life is about decisions. Tea or coff ee, barley or wheat, recycle or don’t. The thing that I’ve learnt most over the course of the Nature Conservation in Context module is that making choices isn’t always the easiest thing. In farming there are a whole series of choices that have to be made; each of which can have an effect on the future of the farm and whether the farm as a business survives. Spring on our farm means lots and lots of little lambs. Lambing season comes with decisions that often mean life or death. For example, just last week we had a ewe that was struggling with one large lamb and the choices are these, do you get the vet out to do an emergency caesarean? Do you carry on helping the ewe yourself? Or do you let the ewe and lamb die? As harsh as that last option is it sometimes happens. In this case we had the vet out, the caesarean cost £140 plus VAT. Unfortunately, the lamb and ewe both died the next day. In the cold light of day you can look at that and say well that was £140 spent with no net gain. Although it isn’t all about money. In conservation there are another whole set of choices that have to be made. George Orwell once wrote in his novel Animal Farm that “ALL animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” One of the trickiest questions conservationists have to answer is what species do we put our efforts into saving? In an idealistic world we would be able to save every species that needed saving, but this is not the case. There are many References restrictions on conservationists including time, money and legislation that stop Orwell, G. (1945) conservationists from being able to be the superheroes of the natural world. This leads to an Animal Farm . London: uncomfortable statement that no one wants to hear: Some species will have to go extinct. In Secker and Warburg. the same way that sometimes you have to let a sheep die on the farm. There are just not enough resources and it’s not viable to save everything. IUCN (2014) Although a sobering topic it is for the best. In conservation by pursuing a single Leontopithecus species or a single area and giving it everything to get it to thrive we end up with situations rosalia. Available: like that of the Golden Lion Tamarin monkey ( Leontopithecus rosalia for short). These http://www.iucnredlist. org/details/11506/0 delightful little monkeys come from Brazil and were originally thought to have been extinct, [Last accessed but in the 1970s there was only a population of 200 monkeys. Wit h 30 years of conservation 30/03/2015] efforts the numbers have increased to 1000 monkeys in the wild with many more being bred in captivity and then released (WWF, 2014). Although, according to the IUCN’s Red List, WWF (2014) Golden the monkeys are still endangered and will require a doubling of their numbers to get off the Lion Tamarin. red list all together (IUCN, 2014). This story and many others show that it is all worth it in Available: the end. http://wwf.panda.org/a To summarise, decisions are difficult but we make decisions so that the option we bout_our_earth/teach choose has the best odds. Thi s certainly worked out for the Golden Tamarin, as well as many er_resources/best_pl other species like the Indian Tiger and the Great Panda. It’s the same back on the farm, ace_species/back_fro although that sheep and her lamb did not survive there were many more decisions to make, m_the_brink/golden_li such as to bottle-feed orphan lambs or find them new mothers that benefitted both the on_tamarin.cfm [Last lambs and the farmers. accessed 30/03/2015] To conclude, in conservation, whether to save a species or not is a huge question, one that would take a novel per species to decide. But, with the collaboration of policy makers, conservationists and public help it is one that must be decided. And, who knows, maybe after all of my negativity we can be superheroes and at least try to save them all.

Laura Cottam , BSc (Hons) Biology, 2015

[Ed. – this piece has been slightly amended from a blog item that Laura contributed for assessment in the 3rd year Nature Conservation in Context module. Laura continues to blog at https://thatbiologist.wordpress.com/ ]

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Meet the staff: Dr Nigel Chaffey

What is your role? lectures/practicals to second and third I have several distinct but frequently over- years on the Wednesday and Thursday…). lapping roles: Course Leader for the Environmental Science programme; Senior My favourite part of the job: Lecturer in Botany; Year 3 Tutor; Module Working with students who really try and Leader for Ecology, Environmental Science, give of their best. Marine Biology, and Plants and People; and Personal Tutor to several undergraduates at … Least favourite: The author with each year. Students who don’t try… uncharacteristic sombre shirt What do you do? Most likely to be heard saying: [Image credit: KG Chaffey] One of the great aspects of the job(s) is that This idea has just come to me, so it won’t there is really no such thing as a typical be in the prepared-in-advance lecture week or even day. To give an example of the notes on Minerva! [surely that ought to “I have several variety this is a snapshot of a not-untypical encourage student attendance at all distinct but frequently week. taught sessions..?] over-lapping roles…” Two solid days were spent marking workbooks for the core first-year biology Least likely to say: module (which task is enlivened by some Dear colleagues, would you like me to do really great work which shows that a student your massive pile of marking for you? has gone above and beyond to provide a first-class great answer…). A large part of Favourite Colour: another day was spent looking back at past Guess! Here’s a clue, leaves of plants are achievements and writing a report on what primarily what colour..? My favourite part of

I’d been doing, for my staff appraisal the the job: following week. Amongst all of that I was Favourite Plant: Working with students doing the admin – e.g. booking transport, There are at least 352,000 species of who really try and give of their best. writing the Risk Assessment, collating the flowering plants – apart from the rest of dietary, contact and medical information for the plant kingdom, and the algae and the 24 students on the trip – for the annual seaweeds, and blue-greens – and you

Marine Biology residential field trip to Dale want me to pick just one? I won’t do it. (west Wales); liaising with technical staff to It’s just not fair on all the others who are finalise a heavy metal practical for the not chosen! following week; revising the schedules for that practical; conducting mid-term Favourite Animal: evaluations for modules that I Lead; signing Maybe the human being – you just never Favourite Animal: a form for an alumnus who is applying for know what amazingly daft thing they are Maybe the human membership to the IEMA; editing several going to do next(!) They certainly never being – you just never alumni profiles for the Newsletter; cease to amaze! know what amazingly counselling various students – one of whom daft thing they are was having a major ‘wobble’ about his Hobbies: going to do next(!) course, and negotiating a more appropriate Thinking and writing about plants and They certainly never work plan for another who was convalescing plant biology – principally via my monthly cease to amaze! at home and recovering from injury… All-in- Plant Cuttings column in the Annals of all a rather busy week (and that doesn’t Botany include delivering eight hours of [http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/1 13/1.toc ]

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Memories of Purbeck… Having taken Biochemistry, Introduction to Psychology, and Human Biology in my first year, I got some very odd looks from my lecturers when I took the Ecology module for the second year. But, when Nigel asked me about the apparent shift in interest, I replied that it seemed a shame to come to Bath Spa and not take an Ecology-related module [Ed. – good answer!]. Furthermore, I was interested by the proposed fieldtrip [for Ecology/Environmental Science/Biodiversity…modules]. Despite sounding like a very serious and dull affair, at least it would be outside rather than in a lab. I was very much surprised at the relaxed attitude, which

was anything but dull (although the trip did have its serious aspects…).

Somebody loves Day one: We experienced the thrills of the rickety minibuses on the way to the hostel ecology! [Brenscombe Outdoor Centre, near Corfe Castle in Dorset;

http://www.brenscombeoutdoor.co.uk/ ], before arriving and realising that half of us had

forgotten to bring a packed lunch. Nonetheless, we dumped our luggage and departed to

scrutinise the nearby heathlands. David, Nigel and Steph (our intrepid trio of ecology lecturers) located an example of nearly every type of vegetation within a half kilometre radius and proceeding to provide both the common and scientific names [I soon learnt not to call them Latin names…] for each (e.g. “Cross-leaved heath, Erica tetralix!” ). We then proceeded to perform a transect of the area. The aim was to deduce which vegetation preferred the drier soil Qu: What do you higher up, and which could be found in greater concentration in the moister conditions below. get if you cross an That would have been fine if the transect hadn’t proceeded straight through the murky brook at apple with a pine..? the bottom which livened up the day immensely when those who didn’t bring wellies realised

their error.

Day two: The most intensive day, when we studied, not one, but two different environments. First, we visited the sand dunes that backed onto the beach at Studland and, to everyone’s

Sage advice..? dismay, they, too, were covered in heather, which we had grown thoroughly sick of on the preceding day. Nonetheless, everything proceeded and people forgot their misgivings until we sat down to a welcome lunch as we discussed the activities of the Nigel Chaffey Appreciation Society (on Facebook – can you believe there is such a thing?!?) and traded science jokes (e.g. what do you get if you cross iron with a benzene ring? A ferrous wheel! And, that timeless ‘classic’, what’s brown and sticky..?). We continued the day by analysing the grasslands and debates arose as to which type of grass was being observed. (“That’s red fescue, I’m sure of it!” “No, that’s… Are you sure…? Let’s ask David.”) I must say that I now have a newfound appreciation for varieties of grass. There’s grass with tufts and grass with absurdly large ligules. There’s even oddly coloured grass, such as purple moor grass, which sounds like something out of a Mr. Men book. Still, it’s interesting just what you see when you actually look at something properly. Finally, we visited the “fossil Sunny sand-dune museum”. I won’t dwell too long on that, as it may spoil the surprise for future visitors. days… Day three: Not much happened as weather warnings resulted in little desire to stay in the salt marsh too long. We therefore left early, lugging booklets full of data to pore over for the write- up. An: a (full-groan…) pineapple… Ben Charters , year 2 Biology

[Image credits: N Chaffey]

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Galapagoan gap year “during my gap Last summer, during my gap year, I spent 10 weeks travelling around Ecuador on an year, I spent 10 environmental volunteering programme organised by The Leap ( http://theleap.co.uk/ ), a weeks travelling company that specialises in Gap Year experiences. This was not an inexpensive trip (for around Ecuador on which I worked and saved) but it was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done, and I an environmental tho roughly recommend it to anyone looking for places to volunteer abroad. During this time volunteering our group did some remarkable things – we contributed to reforestation in the Ecuadorian programme ” jungle, dug irrigation trenches to feed water pipes to farms in the Andes and s aw some wondrous sights on our breaks over the weekends. But what made this experience truly special was our time spent on the fabled Galapagos Islands. Being passionate about the world, I’d never felt so privileged to be somewhere of such environmental significance. I thought that the Galapagos, being the environmental haven that it is, would be “I thought that the Galapagos … would clean, well looked after and seemingly untouched by human life. I was wrong. There was just as much litter and pollution as on the mainland. I was shocked by this realisation, and I be clean, well looked after and knew then that we would certainly have our work cut out for us. Having spent the previous six and a half weeks planting trees and digging trenches seemingly untouched by on the mainland, we were exhausted when we arrived on San Cristobal Island. But this was human life. I was no time to sit and rest – we had work to do, and plenty of it! Our project on the Galapagos wrong. There was mainly consisted of the removal of invasive plant species. just as much litter The hacienda we stayed in wasn’t the most luxurious accommodation. We slept in and pollution as on rickety old bunk beds in muggy rooms without air-conditioning and we weren’t provided the mainland.” with mosquito nets either, leaving us exposed to giant moths, spiders the size of my hand and, on more than one occasion, the local cats! But we’d had worse places to sleep. We didn’t know what to expect on our first day of work (apart from exhaustion and dehydration), but we stumbled across something incredible that day. I never thought I’d see one in the wild, but there it was: a giant tortoise. What a sight to see on the first day of “I never thought I’d work…! Unfortunately, however, this particular tortoise had been tied up to a tree stump, see one in the wild, and had a crack in her shell. She was being prepped for slaughter. There is a group of people but there it was: a on the island who believe that consuming giant tortoises allows them to live longer. It was giant tortoise.” heart-wrenching to see such a beautiful creature in so much pain. So what else could we do? Well, we carried her back to the hacienda of course! She was extremely heavy, so we had to take it in turns to carry her. She made it there safe and sound, and she rested in the long grass by the house. In fact, towards the end of our time on the Galapagos, we saw her “There are over 800 again wandering freely and gorging on the luscious grass. That was a real highlight for me. species of invasive There are over 800 species of invasive plants in the Galapagos, including: hawthorn, plants in the elephant grass and Spanish cedar. We helped to remove a large amount of these plants in Galapagos, the surrounding area using machetes. This was very gruelling work, but it had two perks – including: hawthorn, we felt awesome swinging large blades around for one thing (despite nearly decapitating elephant grass and one of my teammates), but more importantly, we weren’t using any herbicides, which Spanish cedar. We would have serious implications for the island’s ecosystem. helped to remove a This was not, however, the only work we undertook. In fact, we had a wider variety large amount of of work here than anywhere else on our programme. We herded cows, wrangled calves, these plants in the planted some indigenous plants, painted a school for under-privileged children and also surrounding area worked very closely with the Galapagos Science Centre located on the island. This was very using machetes.” interesting work. Our job with them was to clear high altitude areas of plants for meteorological measuring stations to be established. These would aid the island in better predicting extreme weather – a frequent occurrence in the archipelago.

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“We herded cows, Galapagos gap year concluded wrangled calves, planted some indigenous plants, painted a school for under-privileged children…”

“This experience was one of the most taxing things I’ve ever done ”

The author and rescued ‘giant’ tortoise; The author and other ‘Leapers’ on the last day of work.

This experience was one of the most taxing things I’ve ever done. But at the end of every day of work, having poured the sweat out of my wellies, put cream on my sunburn and “It’s a truly got over the hundreds of fire ant bites, we’d all take a taxi truck down to the beach and wash extraordinary place, the day away with the sea lions and the marine iguanas. All the work we did was worth it but it won’t b e around because of all the incredible things we’d seen together, especially on snorkelling trips around much longer if it isn’t the other islands. respected as the As this was our final phase of volunteer work in Ecuador, I felt great relief when I beautiful haven for life planted my last yucca plant on our final day of work. Not just because we had a week of R&R that it still has the on the beach after that, but because I’d made my mark on the Galapagos, and made a potential to be. ” difference. We made a much better mark than tourists usually leave. It’s a truly extraordinary place, but it won’t be around much longer if it isn’t respected as the beautiful haven for life that it still has the potential to be.

Peter Blake , Year 1 Environmental Science

Animal (a) musings… Qu: What happens to a frog's car when it breaks down? An: It gets toad away.

Qu: What did the duck say when he bought lipstick? An: "Put it on my bill."

Two bats are hanging upside down on a branch. One asks the other, "Do you recall your worst day last year?" The other responds, "Yes, the day I had diarrhoea!"

Qu: How do you count cows? An: With a cowculator.

Qu: Can a kangaroo jump higher than the Empire State Building? An: Of course. The Empire State Building can't jump…

http://www.laughfactory.com/jokes/animal-jokes/

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Heather Selwyn-Smith [BSc (Hons) Envt’l Sci., 2014 What have you done since graduating from Bath Spa? Wanting to specialise in one area of environmental science. I went straight into studying for a Masters in Environmental Managemen t at the University of Reading. This allowed me to explore subject areas which had been covered during my course at Bath Spa in more detail, including EU environmental law, waste management, and water quality.

What is your current job? I am currently working on a project for Syngenta [http://www.syngenta.com/global/corporate/en/Pages/home.aspx ], a global agricultural company. I work with the Weed Control Research team who specialise in identifying and profiling biologically-active compounds for their potential to control weeds in crop protection Heather ready for a and professional markets. Specifically, I work with ‘Early Profiling Screen’ (which tests a large day at the office… number of active ingredients on a limited number of weed species), and with ‘Primary Profiling Screen’ (which tests a smaller number of active ingredients on a wider range of weed and crop species…). least favourite part? Typical day in the current job... Cleaning the My days are split between spraying the plants with herbicides using a large track sprayer greenhouse bays and machine, and assessing the plants for damage and effectiveness of the herbicides. On a ‘spray disposing of plants day’, I will either be formulating the chemicals using serial dilutions, loading the plant troughs after spraying and into the machines, operating the machines, or organising plant troughs in the greenhouse. analysis. The During an ‘assessment day’, I will be looking for signs of damage on the plants and recording spraying machines these data so that they can be analysed using computer programs, and the results forwarded to can also be the chemists who design the herbicides. temperamental at times, which can Most favourite part of your current job? make a spray take longer than usual I particularly enjoy a ‘spray day’ as this allows me to work with large and complex machinery.

Loading the plant troughs into the sprayer is generally fast-paced and requires a lot of concentration to make sure that the right compound is being sprayed onto the right plants. I “I never thought I also enjoy working alongside friendly and chatty people, as this means that there’s never a dull would be saying this, day. but all of Nigel’s practical classes in How did your course at Bath Spa help to prepare you for employment? the labs on plant I never thought I would be saying this, but all of Nigel’s practical classes in the labs on plant species identification species identification have really become very useful. Within my first three weeks I had learnt have really become the names and how to identify all 40 plant species which are used in the tests. very useful.”

Best experience/memory of your time at Bath Spa? My favourite memory is the Marine Biology residential field trip. We were lucky with the weather, spent time with friends on the course, and even got to have a drink with Derek, Darrel “My favourite memory and Nigel at the local pub. is the Marine Biology residential field trip. ” Top tip(s)/advice for current Bath Spa Biologists/Environmental Scientists? Have a good working relationship with your tutors; they are marking your assignments(!!), and make the most of all the university’s facilities, whether it’s careers advice or joining university societies.

[Ed. – and we are very pleased to share with our readers news that Heather gained a Distinction in her Masters. Very well done, Heather!]

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Mind the gap in Cambodia I learnt so much on my gap year in Cambodia, which is not something I was expecting(!). I spent 6 months in Cambodia working with Cambodian Hope Organization [http://www.cambodianhopeorganization.org/ ], a non-governmental organization (NGO). The NGO is situated on the Cambodia/Thailand border an area where the children and women are very vulnerable to trafficking into Thailand. Also, the families living out in the villages cannot find paid work in Cambodia so illegally cross over the border to work in Thailand – risking their lives for a job where they still might not get paid. One tactic the

How else would we employers use is to call the police on pay day so the illegal workers have to hide and do not celebrate ‘leap’ receive their pay. Working with these vulnerable people is the main focus of the NGO. year? Their most successful project, and which I was able to help out with, is providing micro loans. These loans are interest-free and enable families and communities to set up their business. Along with the loan, the NGO also provides training for the individuals in business management and accounting. Here is an example of a fully flourishing micro loan “They were given a business. micro loan, training A micro loan was given to a family where previously the parents had tried to grow and their first set of crops in Cambodia. However, with the shortage of water the crops had died so they had frogs. ” given up on the idea of farming and started illegally crossing the border with their oldest son to find work. They were given a micro loan, training and their first set of frogs. They used their loan to build an area that could contain water to keep and breed the frogs in. They were then able to sell these frogs at the market. T his was so successful they now have “They now have a different areas for the frogs which are kept at different stages in their growth. They now constant flow of have a constant flow of income – without working illegally in Thailand – and are making income – without working illegally in enough money to support themselves and send their youngest children to school. They’ve Thailand – and are even started supporting others in their village to start their own businesses. making enough Being involved in starting these projects and helping various families along the way money to support came in various forms mostly getting very muddy clearing land, digging beds for crops and themselves and even digging a well. I was able to sit in on some training and the eagerness of these people send their youngest to learn was so evident, I could really see how this project was helping people to sustain children to school. ” themselves without risking their lives in Thailand or relying on the support of an NGO. Another issue I became aware of whilst working with the NGO was the impact of climate change on the local people and in particular the farmers, there was a drought whilst I was there meaning the crops did not get the necessary water so the farmers had to “I learnt some come up with ways to cope. This included making pumps to pump water up out of ponds valuable lessons and into their fields. These times of drought and monsoon rains not coming at the right and saw lives being time seems to be something that the farmers have to deal with on a more regular basis. I transformed close learnt some valuable lessons and saw lives being transformed close up. up. ” Lauren Clark , Year 1 Environmental Science

Wise words about science/scientists... “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” [Albert Einstein]

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” [Isaac Asimov]

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/science

Leaves & Leather Page 13 Today, the weather in the L ake District will be… Doing the module of Advanced Geographical Fieldwork gave me the option of either going to Barcelona or the Lake District for the fieldtrip, I had chosen the Lake District due to my preference for physical geography (however, I heard the Barcelona trip was great, too…).

Our trip started with everyone piling into two mini buses, before the gruelling 6 hour journey to Keswick where we were staying at the field study centre. We were greeted by the staff and shown to our class room and our bedrooms. It was at this point when we found out that the bed were bunk beds and realised the struggle we would have trying to sleep in them, as the 4 people in my room were all over 6ft 2! After we had unpacked we had an evening lecture where we discussed the physical geography of the Lake District, and the aims of the field trip, To:

1. Evidence advanced research skills through conducting independent research related to a specific The author (not in the Lake District, study area; but good old 2. Demonstrate teamwork, organisation, confidence and the ability to work in unfamiliar overseas Somerset) environments; [image credit: Lisa 3. Collect, analyse and present data and findings using various techniques; and, Thomas] 4. Evaluate the effectiveness of the research process.

“Doing the module of Advanced Geographical Fieldwork gave me the option of either going to Barcelona or the Lake District for the fieldtrip…”

“but it was a perfect excuse to also go on a tour of the Jenning’s Brewery, where we not only explored the beer making process, but Sunset at the lake in Keswick also sampled our own pints.” The Second day started with a tour of the area with a brief lecture at each site, describing the different types of geomorphology. Each site had a pretty spectacular view, but I did wish I brought a hat as the wind started to pick up during the morning. After this we were treated to a boat trip along the Ullswater towards Pooley Bridge-Glenridding. Although we were supposed to be observing the geomorphological impact on the area, we were more concerned with taking in the amazing views. In the afternoon we went to view the impact of the Cockermouth Flood. We did, but it was a perfect excuse to also go on a tour of the Jenning’s Brewery, where we not only explored the beer making process, but also sampled our own pints.

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Lake District sojourn concluded “After all of the data The fourth day was our first project day wh ere we visited Dead Crags, here we carried out were collected we surveying of protalus rampart (“u nsorted, non-stratified, coarse angular rock debris forming walked to the local arcuate low ridges ” – http://www.landforms.eu/cairngorms/protalus%20rampart.htm ), using waterfall to be total stations, GPS systems and a laser scanner.; this look most of the day. After all of the data greeted by another were collected we walked to the local waterfall to be greeted by another spectacular view. spectacular view.

Image Left: The view from above the water fall at Dead Crags. Image Right: The view at the field study centre.

“Overall, it was an On our last day in the Lake District we had another project day this time at Grainsgill Beck, here amazing trip, which we carried out channel survey and palaeoflood reconstruction, this was done at an abandoned was very relaxed mine. We were again using the total station to plot the cross section of a previously flooded area. but also very We also measured the different axis of large boulders, as this would allow us to calculate the rewarding” magnitude of the flood required to move such boulders.

Overall, it was an amazing trip, which was very relaxed but also very rewarding. Highlights had to be the brewery tour(!), the relaxed atmosphere [full credit to the trip’s organisers for helping to ensure this!] and the hands-on experienced gained.

Tom Malthouse , Year 3 Environmental Science

Plant -based (a) musings… "The best way to garden is to put on a wide-brimmed straw hat and some old clothes. And with a hoe in one hand and a cold drink in the other, tell somebody else where to dig." [Texas Bix Bender, Don't Throw in the Trowel ]

Qu: Why do potatoes make good detectives? An: Because they keep their eyes peeled.

http://gardendigest.com/humor.htm

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Peter Ammel [BSc (Hons) Biology, 2015] What have you do ne since graduating from Bath Spa? I went straight back into education; I wasn’t quite finished with Bath Spa University and enrolled on the Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course. This is a one year course enabling me to teach science within secondary schools and Biology to post 16 pupils.

What is your current job/role? The course involves around 10 weeks of university training with the remaining time centred at various placements. The two main placements will introduce me to the classroom environment, giving me the opportunity to teach science. Numerous shorter placements will allow me to see different aspects of education. Currently, I have spent 10 weeks at my first main placement, one week at a primary school, two weeks at a professional studies school “after graduating I went straight back and a few days at a special needs school. into education; I

wasn’t quite finished Typical day in the current job... with Bath Spa” A typical day on the PGCE course would be at one of the placement schools which actually involves teaching secondary school pupils. The average trainee teacher will teach 12 lessons per week compared to a fully qualified teacher who will typically teach 22 lessons. Although this appears to be quite laid back, initially each lesson was taking up to 3 hours to plan . “My favourite part of However, as the course progressed lesson-planning skills improved and the time spent the PGCE course is planning decreased. The teachers in school are always happy to give feedback on current being immersed in performance and offer advice o n how to improve. Personally I believe the best way to learn science on a daily to teach is to start teaching, make mistakes and learn from them. basis….”

Most favourite part of your current job? My favourite part of the PGCE course is being immersed in science on a daily basis (eve n though this includes the other sciences we do not speak of…) and being able to pass on my enthusiasm for science and Biology. “The Bath Spa

University … least favourite part? undergraduate My least favourite part of the PGCE course is the work load. I thought my di ssertation was Biology course gave time-consuming! However, the pupils’ eureka moments really make it worthwhile. me solid grounding for the PGCE course ” How did your course at Bath Spa help to prepare you for employment? The Bath Spa University undergraduate Biology course gave me solid grounding for the PGCE course, as it had given me advanced subject knowledge and also taught me the fundamentals of report writing. There are three assignments to complete during the PGCE course and I “Enjoy and make the think I would have struggled immensely without the prior experience of assignment writing most of your time at during my undergraduate course. university, you will be surprised how quickly Best experience/memory of your time at Bath Spa? it goes ” I have some spectacular memories of Bath Spa University; however, I have to say the Marine Biology field trip has to be one of the most memorable experiences of the course and I would highly recommend it to anyone on the course! (However, “what happens on the field trip...stays on the field trip” so I can say no more).

Top tip(s)/advice for current BSU Biologists/Environmental Scientists? Enjoy and make the most of your time at university, you will be surprised how quickly it goes!

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Safari so good… As Christmas has come and gone and life as a mature student at Bath Spa is now back in full swing, I find myself reflecting on how far I have come to be where I am today. A pivotal moment in that journey started out initially just as a career break from the “norm” I had become accustomed to, but developed into an “opportunity of a lifetime” after I was accepted onto a six-months’ internship in South Africa. The programme, delivered by Global Vision International [ www.gvi.co.uk], was designed to give an insight into life in the African bush. Bags packed and bound for Johannesburg, I was to be met at arrivals along with other volunteers by the GVI representatives. After a brief orientation we were set for our next destination, a mere six-hour minibus drive away. Situated in the Limpopo province of South Africa, Venetia game reserve [ http://gvisouthafrica.blogspot.co.uk/ ] would be somewhere we would learn to call home for the next six weeks. Within the heart of the game reserve was base camp, The author caught which contained tented accommodation, an educational centre, and essential amenities. not entirely unawares on the Ecology Isle of Purbeck field trip… [image credit: N Chaffey]

“So now the fun could begin, we hit the dirt road with baited breath anxiously wondering Left: A Class Act! – Volunteers immersed in the day’s lesson. if it would be Right: Training day – Tuning in to bush “TV” Leopard, Lion, Buffalo, Rhino or Elephant ” Once settled, the GVI team delivered an in-depth breakdown of what to expect for the weeks

ahead. GVI’s Research Officer explained what would be typical for all the volunteers involved. The

daily routine would consist of vehicles conducting two game drives per day at first light and dusk. “As dusk fell, and it Each Game Viewer vehicle was staffed accordingly with two experienced field guides, helped trained was time to return to volunteers to perform a range of tasks including map reading, GPS tracking, and telemetry and data camp, we hit a collection. roadblock. A herd of So now the fun could begin, we hit the dirt road with baited breath anxiously wondering if it elephants stripping would be Leopard, Lion, Buffalo, Rhino or Elephant (known collectively as the “Big Five”) to reveal trees of their foliage themselves first. Two hours in and nothing! But not to worry, our first lesson in animal tracking was was to greet us…” afoot with each volunteer searching track’s for paw prints and how to identify each species. In addition to this was the chance to use telemetry. This worked by detection of radio signals received from GPS collars fixed to animals inhabiting the reserve, with the strength of “BEEP” received through a transmitter, indicating the proximity of the animal. As dusk fell, and it was time to return to camp, we hit a roadblock. A herd of elephants stripping trees of their foliage was to greet us! For the next hour we got to view this beautiful spectacle [photo next page]. As the days wore on the chance to build on what we had learnt soon had me locking onto the telemetry signal of Africa’s apex predator, the Lion ( Panthera leo ) [photo on next page]. This became commonplace for all volunteers involved and often at the end of the day we would return to share stories of what had unfolded.

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Leaves & Leather Safari continued… “The end of the week gave everyone involved a chance to unwind and enjoy the best of South African cuisine with a traditional braai (BBQ). ”

“One such offer was the chance to go for a drink inside a tree ”

Left: Up ELE…Scope! First sighting of the day; Right: “PRIDE” of the family – Mother watches out as sub-adult cubs have a chance to drink. “Time at Venetia The end of the week gave everyone involved a chance to unwind and enjoy the best would soon pass of South African cuisine with a traditional braai (BBQ). Each week volunteers – who are and would leave its allocated 1-½ days off each week – are offered opportunities to visit neighbouring national mark. ” parks or other tourist hotspots. One such offer was the chance to go for a drink inside a tree. The “Baobab Bar” originates from the genus Adansonia whose most distinctive feature is an extraordinarily wide trunk:

A “TREE”mendous place to relax !

As the weeks passed, volunteers gained invaluable experience of life in the African bush. With the addition of daily lectures – involving all things conservation – each volunteer’s knowledge of fauna and flora expanded greatly. Time at Venetia would soon pass and would leave its mark. Whilst I count myself lucky with the sheer number of wildlife encounters I experienced, one stands out above them all, the sighting – if only for a moment – of a black rhino, a majestic animal with an uncertain future, due to an increase in poaching.

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Safari concluded (for now..!) “Karongwe, s ituated Before the start of a new chapter it is customary to finish the old with a fancy dress party, just south of Kruger a night of laugher, fun and ridiculous costumes would be the perfect send-off: National Park, was a direct contrast to what we’d experienced at Venetia. ”

“. In addition the

guides organised Images Left: Party on! Bush style; bush walks through Right: Stuck in the middle with “YOU” – Teamwork the essential ingredient! the reserve. ”

Then, onward to Karongwe [http://www.gvi.co.uk/programs/wildlife-research-south-

africa-expedition/ ], the second reserve of the trip. Situated just south of Kruger National Park, it

was a direct contrast to what we’d experienced at Venetia. As a smaller reserve tailored towards eco-tourism, GVI’s role here was to obtain data on individual wildlife populations. The role of “I had the chance to volunteers would be to help in the collection of those data using the practices we had honed to live one of my perfection at Venetia. As before, we would follow the same pattern of two daily drives with a lifelong dreams: I designated team to perform base camp chores of cooking and cleaning. In addition the guides would be heading to organised bush walks through the reserve. Lasting for an afternoon, this gave volunteers the a Cheetah opportunity to learn from guides about the vast variety of fauna seen throughout the reserve. conservation project Away from the bush, GVI’s main emphasis was education within the local community. Each based in Kwazulu week volunteers were offered the chance to help deliver fun educational days for children at local Natal…” schools in the hopes of raising awareness. On arrival volunteers split into groups and helped to run activities. The day unfolded with board games aimed at helping the children to improve their animal identification, and also help with spelling and maths. Later on the fun moved out of the classroom and in to the playground with a variety of ball games including football and rounders. During this six-week instalment, interns were invited to apply for a 3-month work

experience placement chosen by GVI within the conservation sector. I did, and when my

destination was confirmed I had the chance to live one of my lifelong dreams: I would be heading

to a Cheetah conservation project based in Kwazulu Natal…

Craig Buckton , Year 2 Biology

[Ed. – Read more about Craig’s ‘African tails’ [yes, pun intended!] in 2016’s Freshers’ Week issue of the Newsletter]

Another Bath Spa alumnus blogger… Louisa Berrington and friend blog as The Nightingale and The Bee, a site devoted to “delicious, nutritious food for families, foodies and friends” The bird and the [https://thenightingaleandthebee.wordpress.com/the-nightingale-and-the-bee-an-introduction/ ]. bee and … With posts such as “Are Potatoes Really Bad For You?” and “Thai Meat Balls with Spicy Broth, Rice blogging… Noodles and Spinach” it serves meat-eaters and vegetarians in equal measure. Louise graduated with BSc (First Class Honours) in Human Nutrition in 2015, and is an alumnus of the Plants and People module (which is all about different types of communicating science…).

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Jack Reeves [BSc (Hons) Environmental Science, 2012] What have you don e since graduating from Bath Spa? My first job after leaving uni. was in marketing and advertising of all things! After completing an internship I was offered a job as an account executive for a London brand engagement agency, working on the Warner Bros account. I also worked with other big brands such as Disney, Sony, Microsoft, Apple, Russian Standard, and Lindt. Although this was a great experience, and it really helped to boost my communication and project management skills, I wanted to move into a more scientific job. I found out a local brewery needed an assistant brewer, so I contacted them, and apart from a six month trip around the USA with my girlfriend, this is where I have been since.

“I also worked with What is your current job? other big brands In my current role as second brewer at Flack Manor brewery in Romsey (Hampshire – such as Disney, http://www.flackmanor.co.uk/ ) I am responsible for undertaking almost all the brewing, Sony, Microsoft, sample analysis and the cleaning/maintenance of the brewing equipment. Additionally, Apple, Russian along with the head brewer I implement and conduct quality control, and assurance Standard, and procedures. I am encouraged to develop my professional skills, which has led me to apply for Lindt. ” a post-graduate course in brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University.

Typical day in the current job Arrive at the brewery around 0645 to mash-in. I then oversee the rest of the brewing process “At the end of the until the day’s brew, all 3,272 litres of it, has been collected into a holding vessel where it day I usually will start to ferment, at around 5 pm. Whilst the brew is ongoing I am taking and analysing engage in a bit of samples, colour, pH, attenuation tests, yeast counts and yeast viability, and cleaning QA (i.e. have a equipment. At the end of the day I usually engage in a bit of QA (i.e. have a beer). beer).”

Most favourite part of your current job?

Creating new beers, the week-long anticipation of what the beer will turn out like and trying … least favourite one for the first time. part? “Cask-racking, the How did your course at Bath Spa help to prepare you for employment? dispensing of beer Firstly, I wouldn’t have got the job without my degree. Other than that, it gave me valuable from the fermentation lab experience which came in especially handy when I was tasked with setting up the lab at vessel into casks the brewery. I also gained a great basis in the foundations of biology, which is critical for ready for secondary understanding fermentations, enzyme reactions in the mashing and malting processes, and fermentation and many other elements of the brewing process. sale. ”

Best experience/memory of your time at Bath Spa? I convinced my friend Tim that we had to ride the same numbered chair lift all day on the “Be pro-active, eMail board sports ski trip (because our passes had microchips unique to that number, of course). potential employers prospectively, you are Top tip(s)/advice for current Bath Spa Biologists/Environmental Scientists? much more likely to Be pro-active, eMail potential employers prospectively, you are much more likely to stand stand out if you don’t have to be picked out out if you don’t have to be picked out of a pool of applicants, and it shows that you are keen of a pool of and resourceful. Network! Simply put; the more people you know the more likely you are to applicants, and it hear of upcoming jobs, and get recommended. Don’t underestimate the soft skills you will shows that you are gain at university; when you’re looking for your first job in your chosen career it will likely be keen and entry level, and those are often the most important skills for these positions. resourceful. ”

[Ed. – in January Jack commenced an MSc in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt university, which is funded by his employer(!). We wish him all the best juggling his studies and work commitments – and look forward to an update on progress in due course! ]

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It’s a (very) small world… If you have kept pace with medical news over recent months, you cannot fail to be aware of concerns among many health professionals that we are on the verge on entering what has been called the ‘post-antibiotic era’. This is the concern that with so many of the common antibiotics that we have come to rely on becoming less and less useful due to the spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria, we may very soon be faced with untreatable infections. Indeed, at the end of 2015, bacteria were found to be resistant to the antibiotic of last resort, colistin, which is often held back until all other antibiotics have failed. Medical professionals

The author and a report they are increasingly being faced with bacterial infections resistant to all treatments rather large microbial they try, a situation that was extremely rare just a few years ago. Given the global reliance on ‘friend’… antibiotics, this is an extremely worrying situation. A future without effective antibiotics would be very different to the health care service we currently take for granted, and some experts liken it to returning to the dark ages medically speaking. Common cuts and scrapes could become fatal, surgical procedures would be far more risky as would childbirth, and procedures which impair the immune system including treatment for cancer.

“Common cuts and Consequently there has been an upsurge in research trying to tackle this problem. Such scrapes could research involves a variety of approaches, from reviving the use of bacteriophages to treat become fatal…” infections, faecal microbiota transplants to treat gut disorders and searching for new classes of

antibiotics. There have been no new antibiotics discovered since the 1980s but a new

technique developed in the US and Germany has raised hope that new antibiotic discoveries

may be on the horizon.

“There have been no Almost all of our current antibiotics originate from bacteria and fungi in the soil, and these new antibiotics microbes use the antibiotics to kill off competitors. The problem in relation to isolating these discovered since the microbes and extracting the antibiotic is that less than 1% of the total microbial species living in 1980s... ” the soil can be cultivated in the lab. This leaves a huge potential resource to explore which is where the Small World Initiative (SWI; http://www.smallworldinitiative.org/ ) research project comes in.

Started in Yale University in the USA in 2012, SWI is an international research project which uses the principles of crowd-sourcing to hopefully discover new antibiotics from soil bacteria. “Bath Spa University The SWI was introduced to the UK in 2015 and Bath Spa University became just one of 6 became just one of 6 universities in the UK to successfully bid to take part in the initiative. As a result of this, second universities in the UK year students on BY5507 Applied Microbiology are culturing bacteria from the soil in their to successfully bid to gardens or from the University campus in the hope of finding a new antibiotic. The new take part in the technology they are using to do this is the iChip (isolation chip): initiative. ”

iChips before and after soil-burial (can you work out which is which..?

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Small World Initiative concluded The i Chip allows the bacteria to be cultured in their natural environment, the soil, rather “Any bacteria Thethan pressure in the lab, of andever this-looming allows deadlines, much better be theyisolatio forn a of paper, species a presentat that previouslyion or anwere exam, not producing an resultsculturable. in many Students students bring becoming a sample reliantof their upon soil intothe ‘onthe-the-go’ lab, dilute ease it andof the add coffee it to theshop iChip antibiotic will be identified using a culturewith some which agar took at a the level western which worldshould by contain storm 1throug bacteriumh the in21 eachst Century. individual Bath well city ofcentre the range of techniques iChip.alone has:These 2 Costas,agar wells 2 Starbucks, are sealed 2 with Café permeable Nero’s, a Prêt mem-A-Manger,branes which as well allow as moisture,multitude of nutrients and growth factors to permeate into the wells but prevent the bacteria from from traditional independent stores catering for the city’s population. Bath Spa University’s Newton Park staining through to escaping.campus is Theits own iChips little are hub then within buried the back world’s where coffee the sculture,oil was takenwith 5 from outlets and on-site left for – a few weeks. After this time, the iChips are brought back to the lab, the individual colonies of PCR, and all results Starbucks, The Refectory, East Wing Café, the Students’ Union (SU) and vending machines. will be reported back bacteria are isolated and cultured, and then tested for the presence of antibiotic activity The nature of this ‘on-the-go’ culture leads to high volumes of waste production which can to the SWI database against a range of pathogens. Any bacteria producing an antibiotic will be identified using a severely dent the green ethos desired by the university. This leads to the question, What can in the USA.” rangebe done of abouttechniques all this from extra traditional waste we staining are sending through to t heto PCR,landfill and at all our results own cost?will be reported back to the SWI database in the USA. When served a beverage, it is important to remember that it is not just a cup that a customer takes away with them: They get a cup, a plastic lid (and potentially a cardboard heat sleeve), and a spoon or stirrer. Although the cup may appear recyclable from the outside, its inner “This is a really layer is coated with a polymer, which means that the cup is not recyclable. Whilst the extra exciting and components are recyclable within the BSU waste management system, a key question is important research whether the consumer will invest the time to separate the recyclable parts from the non- project and it is great recyclable components. A quick calculation shows that if every student and member of staff that Bath Spa were to purchase one beverage a day, without using their own cup, 8,333 cups would be sent students are able to participate in an to landfill – with a total weight of approx.. 344 kg – daily . Consequently, an academic year of international research Image33 weeks Left: – 231examining days – atiChip maximum for bacterial output colonies would be 1,924,923 cups weighing almost 80,000 Image Right: spotting out suspected colonies onto agar for growth and analysis project. ” kg (80 tons!!!) deposited into landfill. Although these calculations are based on the daily extremes, this exercise illustrates the enormity of the issue that could potentially be As well as SWI initiatives in Universities in the USA and UK, a range of events have been held presented to BSU. where the public can bring in their own soil samples for analysis, and schools are also getting Throughinvolved ain campus-wide collecting soil survey samples. of bothThis isstaff a really and studenexcitingts andit was important revealed research that less project than 35% and ofit is the great population that Bath was Spa aware students of the are non-recyclability able to participate of thein an paper international cup, and researchthat most project. I “The prospect of purchasewill be presenting a take-away on the drink experiences on campus of between embedding 2 and th e4 Smalltimes World a week. Initiative It also showed in a University that being a part of Starbucksmodule as was well the as anymost preliminary popular outlet results used at theon campus.Microbiology From Societyspeaking conference to the SU inand Liverpool isolating a new Starbucksin March 2016. regarding And whothe sales knows, figures, maybe, it is just apparent maybe, th therat combinede might be they a new used lifesaving roughly 12,000 antibiotic which could cupsantibiotic a month, lurking which somewhere would be in approximately the grounds of 100,000 Bath Spa per University academic or year. in the This gardens would of suggest one save countless lives thatof its in current order tostudents. resolve Whatthe recycling a fantastic conundrum contributi theon focusto science would that need would to be be. campus-wide. is amazing. ” Suggested ways of solving the issue include: composting, customers using their own reusable mug,Iain Haysom and the, Senioraddition Lecturer of a charge in Food for Safetya disposable cup (to offset the landfill costs).

KirstieAnd here’s Thistlethwaite, what two of year the 3 students Environmental have to Science say about it all.

“Taking part in the “I'd just like to say about the Small World Initiative that it's very exciting to be able to work [Ed. – this was a project undertaken as an assignment to for the environmental sustainability initiative has made on a worldwide research project which could actually make a difference. The prospect of component of the second year Environmental Science core module and me very interested in being a part of isolating a new antibiotic which could save countless lives is amazing.” [Robin the subject of Bruce] antibiotics as a whole, and is "I have found the Small World Initiative quite exciting and it has really interested me. I wasn't something I am now completely sure if I was going to enjoy the module but I really have so far. It’s exciting that considering to carry there is potential to find antibiotics with the small world initiative and I think it’s something on with after my more universities should do. Taking part in the initiative has made me very interested in the undergraduate subject of antibiotics as a whole, and is something I am now considering to carry on with course.” after my undergraduate course." [Laura Murray]

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Nicole Craig [BSc (Hons) Environmental Science, 2014] What have you done since graduating from Bath Spa? Since graduating from Bath Spa I was offered a job as a Cover Supervisor at a local (to home in West Yorkshire) OFSTED outstanding school, which I did for a year. During that year I covered a 4 month leave of absence for a geography teacher where I planned, delivered and completed all data sets for all her classes – ranging from years 7- 10. From this I was offered an assessment-only route into secondary geography teaching through the school during which I would be paid a full-time salary and the school would pay for me to complete my teacher training. This offer was too good to turn down and so I withdrew my acceptance on a PGCE course. Many of the skills I use in terms of organisation, presenting and people skills I developed during my course at Bath Spa and through my role as duty manager of a hotel which ran alongside my studies.

What is your current job? In my current role as a trainee geography teacher I am involved in the development of the

curriculum and working alongside other department members to adapt and update resources

in order to increase student participation and diversify lessons. I am the lead teacher for 8 “I was offered an assessment-only classes including two GCSE classes. My job involves planning lessons, delivering them at an route into secondary outstanding level, creating resources, marking classwork and devising useful and challenging geography teaching homework to allow students to progress. From this I then complete data tracking and liaise through the school with people at home and within the school to ensure all students are meeting their potential. during which I would Alongside this I also participate in CPD and I am completing my EPS and “Outstanding be paid a full-time Teaching Module” as part of my training. salary and the school would pay for me to Typical day in the current job... complete my teacher A typical day for me is teaching 4 lessons (out of a possible 5), using my break to set up for my training” lovely and extremely keen year 7 classes – who appear to not want a break as they spend it in my classroom for some reason – and then running round at lunch chasing students who may owe me work or have requested to spend time with me to complete additional work. Despite the crazy working days I love my job! Teaching is so rewarding and seeing the students leave my classroom happy and producing high quality work is such an amazing feeling. Knowing that I have made a difference and maybe encouraged them to continue with the subject at GCSE is

incredible. “Despite the crazy

working days I love my job! ” Most favourite part of your current job? The favourite part of my job is when a student who may not necessarily be the most able within the subject leaves the classroom positive and has completed amazing work and is proud of their achievement. The relationships you build with students allows you to see past the odd bit of bad behaviour and realise that they are far more than just a statistic or a grade, they are all individuals and bring something to your lessons.

“…teaching is … least favourite part? definitely a different The lack of a social life is a killer! No matter how rewarding the job is, teaching is definitely a way of life … not for different way of life. Yes I work 8.30-3.10 on paper, but it never stops. The constant emails, the faint-hearted. ” the planning and marking is so time-consuming that half terms aren’t a time to relax but instead are swallowed-up preparation for the next half term. Down-time is rare and precious: teaching is not for the faint-hearted.

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Nicole Craig on teaching concluded “The skills you develop at university How did your course at Bath Spa help to prepare you for employment? are priceless” The skills you develop at university are priceless. Whether it’s meeting deadlines, delivering presentations in seminars or writing assignments, they all help you in the working world. The skills and personal traits I obtained from my time at Bath Spa, which I now use at work, include time management, presenting, team work, independent work, communication skills, creating “The entire 3 years professional posters, delivering content with passion and enthusiasm……the list is endless! within the Environmental Best experience/memory of your time at Bath Spa? Science and Biology Without a doubt graduation was my best memory. It was such an overwhelming and groups were surprisingly emotional day where I was alongside all the other students and tutors, who made hilarious. Do not my time there so memorable, for the very last time. The entire 3 years within the underestimate how Environmental Science and Biology groups were hilarious. Do not underestimate how much of much of an impact an impact the tutors make, comedy helps you remember things. I spent most of my exams the tutors make, trying not to laugh recalling how they delivered material or jokes they made relating to the comedy helps you questions. remember”

Top tip(s)/advice for current Bath Spa Biologists/Environmental Scientists?

Make the most of it! Whilst the pressure is on to do well at university make sure you enjoy your time there because it goes so fast: I only graduated in 2014 but it feels like a lifetime ago. I definitely regret not making more memories at university because all I did was work (university and paid).

Meet the staff: Mrs Seb Zisa-Davies What is your role? I am a technician in the Biology/Environmental Science labs.

What do you do? I provide technical support and assistance to academic staff and students, supporting teaching activities and helping demonstrate procedures. I also make sure resources and laboratory equipment are looked after. Behind the scenes in the prep rooms I prepare media and samples. My job involves planning, setting-up and performing controlled experiments, ensuring that the laboratory and prep-room are clean and safe working environments and that resources are available when needed.

“Individually cleaning My favourite part of the job: It’s stimulating and I love that there is always lots of scope for grubby slides is learning new things. almost therapeutic…”

… least favourite? Individually cleaning grubby slides (though, if you’re not in a rush, it’s almost therapeutic). I am also a BSU BSc (Hons) Most likely to be heard saying: Most likely to be heard counting to myself in Italian Environmental Science graduate. Least likely to say: Oh, I know!

Favourite Colour: I can’t just pick one.

Favourite Plant: Forsythia. Oh, and Plumbago actually.

Favourite Animal: My collie Fergus and my children!

Hobbies: Cycling, knitting and baking.

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Attack of the Sargasso Seaweed! For Caribbean countries , such as Antigua , a major source of income if from tourism. Antigua is the most North Easterly Caribbean Island and home to 365 beautiful beaches. Antigua has an extremely special place in my heart as it is where I grew up and lived until I was 8 years old. So, when I heard about the attack of the Sargasso seaweed on Antigua’s beautiful pink sand beaches I took great interest in researching the topic.

What is Sargasso seaweed? Sargassum is a brown seaweed with gas-filled ‘pockets’ which means it can float. This floating algal mat is a great habitat for 250+ fish and invertebrate species which use the floating seaweed as nurseries (Laffoley et al., 2011). Sargasso seaweed is also a great habitat for turtles, and has been linked with an increase in greater number of baby turtles seen on the coastlines.

The author (not in the Caribbean…) [image credit: Lisa Thomas]

“Antigua has an extremely special [Images courtesy of Susanna Mitchell] place in my heart as it is where I grew up So, where does this seaweed come from? The obvious place is the Sargasso Sea, a gyre and lived until I was in the Atlantic Ocean, centred around Bermuda: 8 years old. ”

“Global warming can also affect the ocean currents which help to move

the seaweed…” [source: National Geographic (2010] However, having tracked the seaweed, scientists in Miami believe that the vast influx of the Antiguan seaweed menace comes from a bloom within the Atlantic Ocean [which has

both the perfect temperature and nutrient level], and not the Sargasso Sea itself (Bischof,

2015). The Sargasso seaweed speciality of the Sargasso Sea was due to the higher water

“…they create a temperatures which stimulated seaweed growth. But with rising ocean temperatures due to potent smell which global warming, more areas are now able to stimulate the growth of Sargasso seaweed lingers on the (Laffoley et al., 2011). Global warming can also affect the ocean currents which help to move beaches. ” the seaweed, which is what is believed to have resulted in the seaweed’s appearance on Caribbean beaches. I’m sure many of you are wondering what the problem is with this seaweed washing up on the shores of Caribbean beaches. Due to the algal blooms within the floating seaweed structure, they create a potent smell which lingers on the beaches.

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Sargassum-swamped seashores item concluded Many tourists visit Caribbean islands such as Antigua for the ir beautiful beaches and “…but with the high crystal blue water, but with the high volume of seaweed many tourists are choosing to go volume of seaweed elsewhere which is causing an economic crisis for resorts upon the island. One resort in many tourists are particular is the St James Club, on the south of the Island at Mamora Bay: choosing to go elsewhere which is causing an economic crisis for resorts upon the island.”

“Sargasso seaweed … was once used for Chinese medicine, and also as a source of food for fisheries. ”

Spot the difference: Left Coco Beach seaweed-free in February 2015; Right inundated 7 months later [image: Susanna Mitchell]

So, should resorts spend money on moving the ecologically rich seaweed in an attempt to save their touristy economy? I personally believe that the best option for them financially (especially considering Antigua is what in less-enlightened times we would have called a 3rd world country) would be to remove the seaweed but to find another use for it. In previous attempts to combat Sargasso seaweed in areas of Asia, it was once used for Chinese medicine, and also as a source of food for fisheries.

References: Bischof, B. (2015) The Sargasso Sea. Available: http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu . Laffoley, D. d’A et al. (2011) The protection and management of the Sargasso Sea: The golden floating rainforest of the Atlantic Ocean. Summary Science and Supporting Evidence Case. Sargasso Sea Alliance [http://www.sargassoseacommission.org/storage/documents/Sargasso.Report.9.12.pdf ] National Geographic (2010). The Sargasso Sea. Available: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140314-sargasso-sea-nations-bermuda- conservation-science/ [Last accessed 02/02/16].

Jessica Mitchell , Year 3 Environmental Science

Dietary advice..? "I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli." [George Bush, U.S. President, 1990]

What vegetable can tie your stomach in knots? String beans.

http://gardendigest.com/humor.htm

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David Goodman [BSc (Hons) Biology, 2015] What have you done since graduating from Bath Spa? Started a Schools Direct Teacher Training program

What is your current job? As a trainee, I have to go to University once a week on a Monday for sessions that can be put into practice at placements Tuesday-Friday. In placement, I am seen as an ordinary teacher with classes that I have to prepare for and teach. This route is very similar to the PGCE in that I do The author … and receive one at the end. However, I got to choose my first placement school rather than being the next James randomly assigned. Other than that I still pay university fees and receive a nice bursary Bond? ” (minimum £15,000 for a Biologist). When I graduate this coming summer, I will have to undertake a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) year before being a fully-fledged teacher in “When I graduate September 2017. this coming summer, I will have Typical day in the current job... to undertake a Generally I teach 2 one-hour lessons a day but my timetable has included full days and some Newly Qualified days where I’ve only had one lesson. Amongst the teaching, I have to prepare the lessons, have Teacher (NQT) year regular meetings with mentors, book practicals with technician staff as well as compiling before being a fully- evidence for a portfolio upon which the fate of my PGCE hangs. Time management is a key skill fledged teacher in that all trainees learn quickly. September 2017. ”

Most favourite part of your current job? Teaching. Being in front of the class and teaching them about all the interesting things in the “Time management natural world is definitely the best part of the job. However, having to teach the other sciences is is a key skill that all interesting too. trainees learn quickly. ” … least favourite part? The paperwork is the most monotonous, boring part. It’s constant and if you skip even a week of compiling evidence the workload just increases.

Most favourite part How did your course at Bath Spa help to prepare you for employment? of your current job? The Work Experience module in the second year was incredibly useful and enabled me to enter “Teaching. Being in teacher training straight after Bath Spa. The breadth of modules was also incredibly useful at front of the class Bath Spa, mainly because I can answer pretty much any question that kids throw my way. and teaching them

about all the Best experience/memory of your time at Bath Spa (that you can share!)? interesting things in the natural world is Cards Against Humanity with a tipsy Nigel Chaffey, Darrel Watts and Derek Beard on the Marine definitely the best Biology fieldtrip will be an experience I will treasure for a long, long time (!). part of the job.” Top tip(s)/advice for current Bath Spa Biologists/Environmental Scientists? Get as much work experience as you can whilst doing your degree. Even if it’s only once a month, having that on your CV will boost every chance of employment post-Spa. “Get as much work Also, enjoy it. Your University years are the best years of your life; don’t waste them, treasure experience as you them because the world of work is nowhere as good as being a student at Bath Spa. can whilst doing your degree ” [Ed.: Dr Chaffey denies any and all knowledge of the alleged incident on the alleged field trip, and he has no memory of anybody else being present at the thing that might or might not have happened…]

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Trees at Newton Park II: It is a whole New World “I’d like to start with a “A tree is a tree - how many more do you need to look at? ” (Ronald Reagan, 1966) correction.”

Corrigendum I’d like to start with a correction. In the first “ Leaves and leather ” article on “. Abies cephalonica “Trees at Newton Park”, I wrote: comes from relatively Noble Fir - (Abies procera ) dry, limestone “A little further around the lake path from the Wellingtonias is another very large conifer (c. mountain slopes, 35m), again from W. N. America, the Noble Fir (Abies procera).” making it a better “fit” I’ve subsequently found out that this magnificent tree, growing on the west bank of for the conditions at the upper lake, is actually another “Silver Fir” species, the “Greek Fir” ( Abies cephalonica), Newton Park. ” native to SE Europe . My initial confusion occurred because I was told the tree was a “ Noble Fir ” and both species have needles which are arranged radially around the shoot, rather than the more normal arrangement for Silver Firs ( Abies spp.), of two rows of needles in a single plane. The features which separate Abies procera from A. cephalonica are that the former has softer needles with a blunt tip, while A. cephalonica (illustrated below) has a stiffer, more pointed needle with a diagnostic patch of white stomata at the distal end of the needles upper surface. There are also habitat differences in their native ranges. Abies cephalonica comes from relatively dry, limestone mountain slopes, and A. procera from temperate rain-forest (with deep winter snow cover), making A. cephalonica a better “fit” for the conditions at Newton Park.

“Silver Firs” from the genus Abies can be distinguished from related spruce and fir trees by the two rows of white stomata on the needles underside, located on either side of the central vein.

Introduced into the UK in 1824, the current “champion tree” is a 42m tall specimen at “Bicton Park” in Devon . There is a specimen of similar height at “ Bodnant Gardens” in Gwynedd , which visually closely resembles the Newton Park tree in also having a

“double crown”. The upper leaf surface of A. cephalonica, showing the diagnostic white patch of A planting date, and current height, for the stomata extending back from the needles Newton Park specimen would be of interest. tip.

Leaves & Leather Page 28 More Newton Park trees… ““Frans Fontaine” is New Trees “fastigiate”, meaning Following the building of the “Garden” halls of residence, there has been some landscape tree that the branches planting around the halls and car park. The majority of the new trees are of three cultivars. grow at narrower…” • Carpinus betulus “ Frans Fontaine/Fastigiata” • Tilia cordata “Greenspire” • Ulmus americana “Princeton”

Carpinus betulus “ Frans Fontaine” The type species Carpinus betulus has The Dutch -raised cultivar “Frans Fontaine”, been planted for which was selected for propagation in the early hedging around the 1980s from a street-tree found growing in car park, a role for Eindhoven, differs from the type species mainly which it is suited in its growth habit. “Frans Fontaine” is because of its “fastigiate”, meaning that the branches grow at tolerance of pruning. “ narrower, much more upright, angles than in the species. As a young tree “Frans Fontaine” is very similar to the Hornbeam cultivar “Fastigiata”, but it is a narrower, more columnar, tree at maturity. Several “feathered” (where the branches Carpinus betulu s, the “European extend to the base of the tree) Hornbeams have Hornbeam”, is a tree with a native been planted along the edge of the car park to distribution concentrated in the SE of the N side of the “Dairy”, and between the England, but one that has been widely “Student Union” and “Walled Garden”. Further planted both as a street tree, and for specimens are situated between “Walnut” and hedging, outside of its native range. “Stable”. The type species Carpinus betulus has Hornbeam is very tolerant of pruning and been planted for hedging around the car park, a clipping, and overgrown trees can be re- role for which it is suited because of its tolerance generated by pollarding or coppicing. of pruning.

Tilia cordata “Greenspire” parent of the “Common Lime” ( Tilia x europaea ). All Limes ( Tilia spp.) coppice very well, and even though our climate is sub-optimal for fruiting in Tilia cordata , individual tree can be very persistent . Tilia cordata “Greenspire” is a clone which was selected from a Boston (USA) Park. It has been in cultivation in the UK since the 1960s. The branches curve upwards, and this means that it grows into a narrow, goblet shaped tree.

Tilia cordata is the “Small- leaved Lime”, a rare native tree in the SE of England. It is widely planted, and is one parent of the “Common Lime”

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Even more Newton Park trees… Tilia cordata is attractive to a rang e of native insects, and doesn’t have problems with excessive “Tilia cordata … honeydew production (from aphids), or narcotic nectar, which affect some of the non-native Tilia doesn’t have spp. problems with … Limes are often used as street trees, mainly because of their powers of regeneration. Lime narcotic nectar…” trees can be regularly severely pruned without this procedure endangering the life of the tree. Another reason that Tilia cordata is preferred for roadside planting (over Tilia x europaea) is that it doesn’t produce a thick mass of epicormics shoots as a response to pruning or pleaching. “All these trees were Conversely in parkland situations Tilia x europaea maybe a better choice, because of the lost to the on-going epicormics shoots. These are browsed, and additionally they help protect the (palatable) bark from Dutch elm disease grazing damage, and the base of the tree from soil compaction. global pandemic, which has killed >60 million British Elms.”

Basal epicormic shoots in Tilia x europaea .

Ulmus americana “Princeton”

Before the 1970s Newton Park was famous for its avenues of Elm trees ( Ulmus spp.), which flanked the “Newton Drive” and the old carriage-way extending from the “Stable” westwards towards Stanton Prior. All these trees were lost to the on-going Dutch elm disease (DED) global pandemic , which has killed >60 million British Elms. The approximate line of the Stanton Prior avenue crossed the new car park, and an avenue of semi-mature “American Elm” (Ulmus americana “ Princeton ”) has been planted, close to their original position. Originally selected in 1920 (for its superior landscape qualities) it was found that “Princeton Elms” were surviving Dutch Elm Disease in North America, and many mature specimens are still extant in the USA.

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New Newton Park trees concluded “Unfortunately this early optimism has This excerpt is from the “Daily Telegraph” of 8 th January 2008 proved ill “The Prince of Wales is spearheading a campaign to restore the elm tree to Britain's founded…“ landscape…… The Prince has planted an avenue of 40 specially imported American Princeton sapling elms - (Ulmus americana) - which have a high tolerance of the

disease - at Highgrove…… The trees are shipped directly from the USA where intensive

modern testing for disease resistance has found them to have a 96 per cent survival

rate….” Unfortunately this early optimism has proved ill founded, and Ulmus americana “Princeton” trees planted in the UK have proved susceptible to DED. The Highgrove Avenue was felled in 2011, after DED infection had occurred. Possible differences in susceptibility may have occurred because the main bark beetle vector of DED differs between Europe ( Scolytus scolytus ) and N. America (Hylurgopinus rufipes), and resistance was assumed before growth trials had been carried out in the UK. The likelihood is that the Newton Park trees will develop DED when they mature and develop the fissured bark that is attractive to the bark beetles. Since 2000 the UK charity “Butterfly Conservation” has conducted a comprehensive trial of resistant Elms. Their report of 2014 lists a range of DED resistant alternatives to “Princeton”. They are specifically looking for Elms that may be suitable for the endangered, Elm dependent, White-letter Hairstreak Butterfly ( Satyrium w-album , a butterfly resident at Newton Park until the late 1990s.

Darrel Watts, Technical Demonstrator

[Ed. – and Botanist, entomologist, barnacle expert, stats guru, cricketer, etc.]

Grounds for climate change optimism? When global warming and greenhouse gases are mentioned, the focus is usually upon carbon dioxide (CO 2). However, an even more potent greenhouse gas [i.e. one that ‘traps’ heat from the Earth in the atmosphere thereby preventing its release into space and as a consequence increases the atmosphere’s temperature, which if on a world-wide scale is global warming) than carbon dioxide is methane [CH 4]. Attempts to either remove what’s already in the atmosphere or to prevent further additions thereto are therefore of interest, to us all. An unusual source is the finding by Christian Kemp et al. that waste coffee grounds can generate a material that can be used not only to capture methane, but also to store it ( Nanotechnology 26 (2015) 385602 (8pp) doi:10.1088/0957-4484/26/38/385602; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281554225_Activated_carbon_derived_from_wast e_coffee_grounds_for_stable_methane_storage ). Coffee grounds are what remains after coffee beans have been ground (!) and the resultant coffee beverage made and consumed. For methane-storage the grounds need to be treated – which processing includes heating with potassium hydroxide and activated by annealing under an argon atmosphere for 1 h at 700– 900 °C – but this does provide a material with a high capacity for storage of methane. And the https://commons.wik stored methane could be used as a fuel source (which upon combustion is converted to CO imedia.org/wiki/File: 2 and H O – both of which are greenhouse gases, but less damaging molecule-for-molecule than John_Frederick_Le 2 wis_004.jpg methane…). Something to think about when you next have a cup of espresso-latte- mochaccino-instant coffee. And, who knows, maybe Starbucks could defray any future UK corporation tax liabilities in activated coffee grounds?

N Chaffey , Senior Lecturer in Botany

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Investigating the Somersetshire Coal Canal In a sleepy corner of MendipSomerset, around Riverfly half an hour’s Monitoring drive from Newton Group Park Campus, the re lies a historical gem, the Somersetshire Coal Canal (SCC) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerset_Coal_Canal ]. This site played host to the 3rd Year Environmental Consultancy Module Project and it has proved to be a wonderful opportunity to put our environmental investigative skills into practice. Completed in 1805, the SCC was designed to allow swift transport of coal from the collieries around Radstock to the markets of Bath. The canal was constructed using packed clay to waterproof the channel with lock gates used for navigating the landscape. A towpath ran along the route for the benefit of the horses used to draw the coal-laden narrowboats. The Paulton Branch of the SCC was in service for nearly 100 years, finally closing in 1898 as coal supplies dwindled and rail transport grew in popularity. The canal stretched for 10 miles and has since been filled in and built upon in various locations along the route but remnants of the canal may be found peeping out from the countryside with lengths of dry canal and crumbling lock gates standing mysteriously in farmers’ fields. The Somersetshire Coal Canal Society [ http://www.coalcanal.org/ ], a charitable organisation, has been restoring the short terminus section of canal between the villages of Paulton and Timsbury to open it as a museum and leisure site. Our task mimics the real world work of Environmental Consultants with our final aim being to produce an environmental report that the Canal Society can use during the reconstruction of the canal terminus. Our initial scouting visit took place in November when we were guided around the site by a helpful member of the Canal Society. The site consisted of two large basins where coal would have been loaded onto narrowboats, a section of partially restored canal, and a narrowboat dry-dock. What was once a bustling quayside is now grassy pasture with coal- The author looking to stained soil showing its industrial past. After examining the site we were tasked with writing a … the future… Costed Proposal in which we would present our plans for further investigation of the site and [image credit: state the – simulated – costs for our consultancy work. N Chaffey]

On our second visit to site we divided into three teams to carry out our investigations. “…and it has proved One team was sent to take soil samples from a dry section of the canal to identify any chemical to be a wonderful contamination from the former industrial activity on site, and another team took water samples opportunity to put our and tested them for pH, ion conductivity with further soil and water analysis done back at the environmental labs. My group was tasked with assessing the environmental impact of the planned restoration investigative skills into works so we carried out a Phase 1 survey [ http://www.wildfrontier- practice.“ ecology.co.uk/phase_1_blog/ ], noting the prominent flora and fauna that we observed across the site. Like any true outdoor fieldtrip, the rain tumbled down that day and we were all glad to “W e were tasked with return to our warm minibus to dry off, but nonetheless pleased with the amount of data we had writing a costed acquired. proposal in which we The information gleaned by each team from our time at the Somerset Coal Canal will be would present our used as the basis for the module’s final assessment item, the Report to Client. Having the plans for further opportunity to visit real study sites and get practical experience of a Consultant’s daily work and investigation of the learning about client relations has really made the Environmental Consultancy Module site…” invaluable. Learning about the industrial heritage of Somerset has fascinated me also and is a reminder that the past should never be overlooked when considering the present environment. “Learning about the industrial heritage of

Somerset has Richard Spiers , Year 3 Biology fascinated me also and is a reminder that The ‘trophy’ for best ecology quote goes to..? the past should never be overlooked when A toddler who was found chewing on a slug. After the initial surge of disgust the parent said, considering the "Well, what does it taste like?" "Worms," was the reply. present environment.” [http://gardendigest.com/humor.htm ]

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Luke Harrison [BSc (Hons) Environmental Science, 2015] What have you done since graduating from Bath Spa? Before graduating I applied for a number of jobs that became available within the university. I was lucky enough to get offered a job within the Sustainability Team. So, since graduating I enjoyed an extended holiday at home in Norfolk before coming back to Bath to begin my job in August.

What is your current job? I am the Sustainability Assistant within the Sustainability Team at Bath Spa. Although only a maternity cover role it is a fantastic start to my graduate level career. My role includes managing the waste and recycling system, communicating sustainability messages to staff/students, conducting ISO-14001 audits of uni. buildings, maintaining/improving our sustainable transport options, organising/running Green Week, analysing business travel of university staff, etc.

“I am the Sustainability Typical day in the current job... Assistant within the I get into work for 9am. First, I check and reply to new emails received overnight. After that it Sustainability Team at could be anything and everything right up to five o’clock. I am mainly office-based but my role also Bath Spa.” involves quite a bit of work outside the office too. Some days I will be out conducting waste audits

in halls of residence, others it will be organising events like Green Week in the office.

“I love how varied my Most favourite part of your current job? job is…” I love how varied my job is, despite it being mostly office-based. In one week I might be dealing with issues surrounding waste and recycling, the next it could be Fairtrade, could be transport, could be energy, who knows. I am just grateful to be gaining experience in such a wide range of areas relating to sustainability. More Top Tips: “Secondly, take up any … least favourite part? exciting opportunity Although the university does a lot for conservation, the vast majority of conservation type work is that is presented to contracted out to private consultants. There are times I sit in office thinking about the all the you, even if you have outdoor surveying I used to do (maybe not so much on days when its -5oC outside) but I do miss to put in a reasonable the conservation side of my degree I enjoyed so much. amount of work, because in a few years How did your course at Bath Spa help to prepare you for employment? you will be sitting down The Environmental Science course really helped me to prepare for my new job. A couple of going… ‘What if I’d’ or modules that really helped me make a strong application were Environmental Sustainability and ‘I should have’. Finally, Environmental Consultancy in the Third Year. Thanks to my course I already knew a lot about get yourself out there! By getting out there by sustainability and communicating sustainability, which are an essential part of my current role. working, volunteering Additionally, the course also taught me to critically analyse work and data, increased my and networking you presentation confidence, and enabled me to write reports in an effective and professional style. might just end up The list could go on and on! talking to a person who knows of a job or has a Best experience/memory of your time at Bath Spa (that you can share!)? job that’s right for you.” There are so many it’s too hard to choose! But, one of my best experiences was helping Nicholas Pearson Associates (the conservation contractor for the university) conduct a Great Crested Newt translocation from the old pond site in the Walled Garden, to the new ponds up the top end of campus. It was great to get so close up to these highly protected amphibians and have an active part in their conservation.

Top tip(s)/advice for current Bath Spa Biologists/Environmental Scientists? Try and get as much relevant volunteering experience in the areas you are interested in before you leave university. First, you gain knowledge and experience in areas that others may not have (and it saves you having to start volunteering after graduating!).

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India mountain stream adventure As a second year Environmental Scie ntist, I had the opportunity to embark on an unforgettable “As a second year journey to India alongside fellow students from the Geography, Global Development and Environmental Environmental Science programmes. This diversity of interests allowed us not only to learn from Scientist, I had the our Tutors on the trip, Drs Rich Johnson, Esther Edwards and Ranji Devadson, but also from each opportunity to other. While in India one of the projects we conducted was a flood reconstruction along the embark on an mountain stream known as the Jawala Mukhi. This provided an indication of the dynamics and unforgettable characteristics (e.g. magnitude, velocity, and competence) of the 1994 flood. Flooding within journey to India…”

India occurs frequently, particularly during the monsoon season, leading to events of a flash- flood nature in sub-mountainous locations. The Jawala Mukhi is located in the Kullu Valley, which is central in the Himachal Pradesh state, and is known to be hazard-prone with annual damage – both socially and environmentally – from mass movements, flooding and tectonic activity. “Jawala Nalla The Jawala Mukhi is a tributary of the Phojal Nalla River (which in turn is a headwater translates as tributary of the River Beas). Known locally as the Jawala Nalla (named after their Hindi deities), ‘Volcano’ Nalla, an which translates as ‘Volcano’ Nalla, presumably an expression of the stream’s violence. The left expression of the bank of Jawala Mukhi is predominantly devoted to apple orchards cultivated by the villagers of stream’s violence.” Phojal. On the 26 th April 2015, those who had selected to do this project began clearing the first site ready for the Leica Builder total station (a piece of land-surveying kit) and other equipment to be set up. There’s nothing like a little light gardening in India until you have experienced it (for several hours…). Due to the absence of a river gauging system for the stream, this investigation “There’s nothing like was conducted using a variety of palaeohydrological methods and eye-witness accounts of the a little light flood. Methods used to produce the flood reconstruction were the production of channel cross gardening in India sections, semi-structured interviews, calculations of stream hydraulics and geometry, and until you have walkover observations with GPS mapping. Data collected by this range of methods would add to, experienced it (for several hours…).” and extend, the pre-existing knowledge surrounding the 1994 flood event.

“… we concluded that the flood event of 1994 was a ‘flashy natured torrent.”

From our on-site investigation and further research we concluded that the 1994 flood event was a ‘flashy natured torrent’, the result of a cloud burst in combination with the pre- existing basin conditions. Cloud bursts are typical of the basin geomorphology alongside the climate season during which the event took place. Using the channel cross-sections (Fig. 1) and boulder measurements, it has been estimated that the stream’s peak discharge in August 1994 ranged from 76 – 194 m 3.s-1, with the competence to transport a load with an average diameter of 1760mm from upstream mass movements. The results confirm the dynamics of the flood as being catastrophic, compared with others within Phojal. Although the size and impacts of the 1994 flood was similar to those previously experienced in the region, the cultural heritage of the villagers means that minimal management was in place within the catchment area. Had such management been in place prior to 1994, it would have reduced the impacts of the flood event and made the area less vulnerable to such phenomena.

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Indian mountain stream adventure concluded “The dynamics of a fluvial hazard are often unpredictable and case-specific…”

“…it has inspired me to pursue a career relating to fluvial hazards and their management. ”

Figure 1.Channel cross-sections of Site 1 and Site 2, the x axis shows channel width (m) and the y axis the depth (m) [Author’s own]

We were able to conclude that these events are indicative of a high relief, closed basin morphology demonstrated in many headwater catchments alongside unstable air with a high humidity creating a localised cloud concentration. The estimates of velocity and discharge demonstrate a high magnitude flood, which – although they are probably overestimates – is not abnormal for floods within the basin of the Beas River. The dynamics of a fluvial hazard are often unpredictable and case-specific, depending on the basin characteristics and the causation factors. Therefore conducting flood reconstructions acts as an aid to developing our understanding of fluvial hazards, as they become more frequent events across the globe. The flood reconstruction was an accessed project as part of the Geographical Fieldwork module, which is an option for Environmental Science students. The experience of doing this work in the field not only aided in developing my interests in this topic, but also allowed me to gain practical skills which I can hopefully use in future investigations. The trip to India has been massively influential on my 3 rd year work, as my dissertation is based upon flooding within the region we visited. Further to this, it has inspired me to pursue a career relating to fluvial hazards and their management. I would like to thank Rich, Ester, Ranji and all those behind the scenes in both the UK and India for such a fantastic opportunity as part of our degree.

Kirstie Thistlethwaite , Year 3 Environmental Science (with thanks to Rich Johnson for use of his images!)

And something for the biochemically-inclined, Ben… A man walks into a bar and asks for a pint of Adenosine Triphosphate. The barman says “That’ll be ATP please!!!”

Qu: Why did the person with a helmith infection laugh when she started producing IgE? An: It was just a humoral response!

Qu: How does pyruvate get to work? An: On its Krebs’ cycle! [http://all-funny.info/biochemistry-jokes]

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Ryan Harris [BSc (Hons) Environmental Science, 2012] What ha ve you done since graduating from Bath Spa? Straight after uni. I started working in retail at Screwfix, and shortly after I started doing bat and newt surveys with the Avon Wildlife Trust Ecological Consultancy. At the start of 2013 I got a job at Bristol University as a field assistant on the Urban Pollinators Project. In April 2014 I got a 6 month contract with a small ecological consultancy called Abbas Ecology in Dorset, after which I went back to working at Screwfix. In March 2015 I secured another seasonal position at a bigger consultancy in Somerset – Clarkson and Woods [ http://www.clarksonwoods.co.uk/ ].

What is your current job? I am currently an assistant ecologist at Clarkson and Woods, based in Blackford, Somerset. “As an assistant I get Clients mainly hire us to help them stay on the right side of wildlife laws although we also get involved in the whole involved in research and conservation. As an assistant I get involved in the whole process to a process to a larger or larger or smaller degree; I quote for work, manage projects, carry out field work, write reports smaller degree…” and handle invoicing. However, as an assistant the emphasis is on the fieldwork.

Typical day in the current job... Luckily, Clarkson and Woods have company cars so my day usually begins with driving to the “At the start of the office to pick one up. I then head out to site to do some fieldwork, which could mean driving year I was checking anywhere between 30 minutes and 4 hours away. Fieldwork varies depending on the time of pitfall traps for newts, year. At the start of the year I was checking pitfall traps for newts, during the summer reptile during the summer surveys took up most of my time, and towards the end of the year newt trapping was on again. reptile surveys took up most of my time…” There are plenty of other things fieldwork can consist of, such as phase 1 surveys and building inspection, dormouse surveys, nesting bird checks and badger exclusions to name a few, but it’s herpetiles [‘amphibians and reptiles’ – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpetology ] that take up most of my time during the day. “…if you are looking After the fieldwork I would often head back to the office to handle any project for 9-5 then ecology management tasks which I needed to do, and could involve phoning land owners to get access probably isn’t for you! ” to land or talking down an angry client who wants to know why they have to spend so much money for us to look for slow worms. I would also try to catch up on any report writing or data analysis which needs to be done. Once the sun starts to set night fieldwork begins, again this could involve travelling 30 minutes to 4 hours so it could involve leaving fairly early (especially Most favourite part if you want to have time for dinner on the boss’s money!). Early in the year night work consists of your current job? of newt surveys and during the summer months bat surveys. Bat surveys are a known quantity “Getting hands-on lasting at most 3 hours past sunset, but newt surveys can take a lot longer than that or be done with all the wildlife” in less an hour! Either way I am always glad for the B&B which work is paying for. I probably went a little over one day at work there, but if you are looking for 9-5 then ecology probably isn’t for you! “I hadn’t even heard

of ecological Most favourite part of your current job? consultancy until Getting hands-on with all the wildlife (I’d do it for free but don’t tell my boss that…) Dave Watson mentioned it ” … least favourite part? Either all the driving or all the late nights, and it’s worse when those two come together!

How did your course at Bath Spa help to prepare you for employment? I hadn’t even heard of ecological consultancy until Dave Watson mentioned it. I then set about researching it for the ‘create a wiki’ assignment [in 3 rd year Environmental Consultancy module] and decided it was what I wanted to do.

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“That trip got me Ryan’s reminiscences concluded hooked on botany which has since Best experience/memory of your time at Bath Spa? became one of my A rainy trip to Draycott Slights to carry out a mock phase 1 survey. That trip got me hooked on areas of expertise ” botany which has since became one of my areas of expertise (my other one is conchology) and got me two jobs! “The campus of Newton Park is Top tip(s)/advice for current Bath Spa Biologists/Environmental Scientists? great for the The campus of Newton Park is great for the aspiring consultant, there is a bat roost, a badger sett aspiring consultant, and otters all a few metres from your classroom; base a project around any of these and your CV there is a bat roost, will stand out a mile. Also, volunteer, volunteer, volunteer! Ideally with a consultancy, but a badger sett and anything in conservation will do as long as you pick up some ID skills and/or management otters all a few knowledge along the way. metres from your classroom…” More prize-winning students Issue 19 celebrated our graduating students and the prize-winning best Environmental Science and Biology award students amongst the graduating cohort. Also in the gift of the subject area are awards for the best year 1 and year 2 students on those programmes. It is therefore a pleasure to celebrate the achievements of:

First year Biologist Laura Murray; Environmental Scientist Gabriella Parcell Second year Environmental Scientist Tom Bell; Biologist Francesca Giorda

Well done to all four of them!

Dr Mortimer, I presume? Congratulations also to Erica Mortimer who survived her PhD viva recently. Erica defended her thesis, entitled “Ecotypic variation in Lotus corniculatus L. and implications for grassland restoration: Interaction of ecotypes with soil type and management, in relation to herbivory”, and only has some minor corrections to make to complete her PhD journey. And well done, too to Dave Watson – her main supervisor – and Nigel Chaffey her co-supervisor.

Erica wrote about her research work and the life of a post-graduate student in Newsletter Issue No. 19.

Issue 20 Editor : Nigel Chaffey Stop Press : Sandwich es anyone? [email protected]

Subject to final approval, and from 2016/17 academic year, we will be offering new sandwich nd Please send contributions degrees that feature a year out – between their 2 and final years – in the world of work. for the newsletter to the Those new awards are as follows: editor above.

BSc (Hons) Biology with year in professional practice General enquiries can be sent to: BSc (Hons) Biology (Human Biology) with year in professional practice [email protected] BSc (Hons) Biology (Conservation Biology) with year in professional practice

Note that all items in this BSc (Hons) Environmental Science with year in professional practice newsletter are the responsibility of the individual contributors and the views Many students and applicants have asked us for these and we are pleased to be able to offer expressed are not necessarily st nd those of Bath Spa University them. And, current 1 and 2 year students could opt for a year out subject to final approval by or its representatives. the university authorities and changing their award title. This is a great result which makes Bath Spa Environmental Science and Biology courses even more irresistible!