Event Details

Joined by Dr Rebecca Shepherd and Dom Savage, the MSI will be hosting another blended seminar 1pm-2pm on Wednesday 9th March. We have booked FASS meeting room 2 but we will also stream the event on Teams. A lunch will be provided so please notify Rachel (r.lyon@lancaster.ac.uk / msi@lancaster.ac.uk) if you intend to be there in person by Friday 4th March. Please also advise if you have any dietary requirements. Read on for more information about the speakers

Dr Rebecca Shepherd

Title: Calcified Tissues: Human Bone Diseases to Woolley Mammoth Tusks

Abstract: In collaboration with the orthopaedic department at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, human bone tissue samples were used to identify novel microscopic bone-like structures, with evidence to suggest that adipocytes have a role in forming these structures outside the usual method of bone formation. Continuing on the theme of research into calcified tissues, Rebecca will also discuss using Raman spectroscopy to identify the chemical differences between elephant and mammoth ivory. It is hoped, on completion of this project, that chemical differences can be demonstrated between ivory samples from difference species, which could have applications in the prevention of ivory trade.

Bio: Rebecca Shepherd is a newly appointed Lecturer in Anatomy at Lancaster Medical School. She is interested in all things human and animal anatomy, especially their calcified tissues. Rebecca is also a Health and Care Professions Council registered Biomedical Scientist. Prior to her PhD at Lancaster University, she spent several years working within NHS cellular pathology laboratories; a background she has found invaluable in her current research.

In 2019, Rebecca won the Gregor Mendel Award for Excellence in Science at the prestigious STEM for Britain competition. Her work has also been recognised by the Royal Society in a nomination to attend the Lindau Nobel Laureate Early Career Researcher Meeting in 2020.

As an anatomist, Rebecca currently teaches all body systems to medical students, and particularly enjoys teaching histology. Her students all know that her least favourite organ is the spleen. A winner of the Bone Research Society Neil Mackenzie Public Engagement Award 2020, she enjoys all things outreach and engagement, and has published articles for The Conversation, appeared on radio, and performed science stand-up comedy.

Dom Savage

Title: The fate of plastics in the environment: Looking forward for society

Abstract: Plastics are modern-day super materials, capable of incredibly diverse applications at minimal expense, and are infinitely adjustable by adapting their chemical structures or augmenting them with chemical additives. However much of the plastic humanity consumes ends up in the environment, and this is leading to a novel and challenging ecological crisis. Left to nature plastic degrades, fractures and fragments into smaller pieces, so-called ‘microplastics’, which are difficult to detect and virtually impossible to clean up. Microplastics have been found practically everywhere researchers have looked, from encased in sea ice, in drinking water, to even within human placenta, and the effects of this are poorly understood at present. In this talk, we will explore research looking to better understand what happens to plastic material in the environment, and discuss some of the possible effects this might have on the environment itself.

Bio: I completed my MSci in physics, but the ecological crises facing our planet led me to a PhD in environmental science. From a research perspective my immediate focus is on understanding the environmental impacts of plastics, with a broader interest in material sustainability, how man-made materials impact public health and the environment around us, and how the decisions we make ameliorate/exacerbate these issues.

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