Lancaster University’s Faculty of Science and Technology has welcomed staff and students from across campus to its Science Week – the third instalment of the faculty’s annual celebration of scientific research.

Science Week 2023, a four-day event which started on Monday, 27 March, involved external keynote speakers, talks from leading researchers across the faculty’s departments, as well as posters and speed talk competitions from an array of talented PhD research students. There was also an opportunity to take a tour of facilities within the Department of Chemistry.

Distinguished Professor Peter Atkinson, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, said: “Science Week is a fantastic showcase and celebration of just some of the pioneering scientific research taking place here at Lancaster. It was great to hear talks on areas as diverse as coral reef restoration to understanding the Northern Lights, and from modelling the coronavirus pandemic to energy storage.

“It also gave me great pleasure to see and hear the fantastic achievements of talented PhD researchers from across our departments as they provided colourful overviews of their research projects. Clearly they have bright futures ahead.”

This year’s Science Week event saw two prestigious keynote speakers give sustainability-themed talks to audiences gathered in Lancaster University Management School’s Lecture Theatre 1.

Professor Steve Ormerod, of Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences, and who has extensively studied river catchments in Wales gave the first keynote talk on ‘Sustaining Rivers: the challenges of protecting and restoring running-water ecosystems’.

Professor Ormerod, who is also Deputy Chairman of Natural Resources Wales, a member of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, and Vice-President of the RSPB – Europe’s largest wildlife charity, said: “It was a pleasure to come to speak at Lancaster University’s Science Week. Clearly science at Lancaster is thriving and, in part due to its partnership working, Lancaster has a strong reputation in my own area of environmental science.

“But one of the things that stands out for Lancaster is the strength of its scientific research across a range of disciplines and career stages.”

The second keynote, given on Tuesday, 28 March, was by writer and environmentalist, Dr Kate Rawles.

Dr Rawles described her journey down the length of South America on a bamboo bike that she had built herself. On her journey, which will be described in a forthcoming book called ‘The Life Cycle’, she explored biodiversity, why it matters and whether losing it is as great a threat as climate change.

She said: “I used to work at Lancaster as a lecturer in philosophy. I have stayed in touch because I’m impressed with the amount of applied work on environmental issues that is done across many disciplines at the University, including in the science faculty.

“Communication is really vital in tackling our multiple, interconnected environmental challenges and, as this year’s Science Week theme was sustainability, I was keen to be part of it. My talk focussed on biodiversity loss, an issue that is every bit as important as climate change but one that doesn’t get anywhere near enough profile.”

More details about Science Week 2023 are available by visiting https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/sci-tech/research/science-week/

Professor Nick Race, Dr Kate Rawles and her bamboo bike, Dr Jan Grabowski, Distinguished Professor Peter Atkinson

Professor Steve Ormerod, Distinguished Professor Peter Atkinson, Professor Nick Race

PhD student posters