Scott Polar Research Institute

Welcome to SPRI

The Institute is a well-known and long-established centre for research into both polar regions. It is part of the University of Cambridge and is a sub-department of the Department of Geography.

We have several research groups investigating a range of issues in both the environmental sciences and social sciences of relevance to the Arctic and Antarctica. Our polar library, which includes the Shackleton Memorial Library, has comprehensive holdings of scholarly books and journals on polar research, with exceptional archival collections from the exploration of the Antarctic and Arctic. We also have extensive online resources, including bibliographic and other information.

Around 60 academic, library and support staff, together with postgraduate students, associates and fellows attached to our research programmes, are working in the Institute, providing a strong core of intellectual activity focused on the Arctic and Antarctic and their adjacent seas.

We offer two Graduate Degree courses; a one-year Master's Degree (M.Phil.) course in Polar Studies, and a three-year Doctoral Degree course, leading to a Ph.D. degree. Both courses are closely tied to the research activities of the Institute.

Research

We have several research groups investigating a range of issues in the environmental sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities of relevance to the Arctic and Antarctica:

- Glaciology and Climate Change Group.
- Glacimarine Environments Group.
- Polar Landscape and Remote Sensing Group.
- Polar Social Science and Humanities Group.
- Circumpolar History and Public Policy Research Group (HiPP).

In addition, the Institute is part of the NERC Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling.

The most interesting part for my project is the Polar Science and Humanities Group. They are running a bunch of interesting projects:

Polar Social Science and Humanities

Staff and students

The following scientists at the Scott Polar Research Institute are involved in the activities of this research group:

- Academic staff: Dr Michael Bravo, Dr Piers Vitebsky.
- Institute Associates: Prof Valerie Alia:(indigenous and northern media; media representations of polar peoples; Inuit naming; names, identities, politics and power; media ethics; research ethics), Keith Hill (transport, telecommunications and economic development in the Russian Far East; 18th century German scientists in Siberia), Dr Florian Stammler, Dr John Tichotsky (Regional economic development in Siberia, Alaska, Mongolia and China), Dr Emma Wilson.

Research students

- Elizabeth Beiswenger: indigenous political representation and self-government in the Chukotka Autonomous Region.
- Mark Dwyer: spatial modelling of pasture use by Komi reindeer herders
- Janne Flora: suicide and personhood in Greenland.
- Stephanie Irlbacher Fox: the development of political institutions in the Canadian North.
- Otto Habeck: the future of reindeer husbandry in the Komi Republic
- Sean Maher
- Traplines and Tar Sands: an Ethnographic Analysis of Intersecting Economies in a Subarctic Indigenous Community.
- Richard Powell: field practices and environmental science in the Canadian Arctic, 1950-2000.
- Hugo Reinert: political epistemology of reindeer herding in the Norwegian Arctic.
- Elena Khlynovskaya Rockhill: the institutionalisation of children in Magadan.
- Steven Sawhill: environmental diplomacy in the Barents Region; the decentralisation of foreign affairs.
- Olga Ulturgasheva: narrative and concepts of memory among the Eveny of northern Sakha (Yakutia).
- Sam Van Vactor: energy economics and gas pricing in northeast Asia
Kostas Zorbas; patients' experience of shamanic healing in Tuva, Siberia
Movements: A Comparative Study of Nunavut, Canada and Tuva, Russian Federation.

It is a pity they do not have RSS to follow them. I will have to come back to the old method: memory!

Investigadores del Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) presentarán en el cogreso International Society for Asphalt Pavements (ISAP 2008) de Zurich los resultados de la investigación de aprovechar todo el poder calorífico de los asfaltos mediantes colectores solares y poder generar electricidad o calentar agua.

El proyecto de investigación, encargo de Novotech, que es quien tiene la patente sobre el aprovechamiento calorífico en pavimentos, pretende aprovechar y optimizar el poder calorífico y las altas temperaturas que se generan en los pavimentos para canalizar esa ingente fuente de energía aparentemente invisible y de nulo impacto visual. Las máximas temperaturas se obtienen 3 o 4 centímetros por debajo de la superficie de rodadura y se ha experimentado el empleo de cuarcita para aumentar la conductividad y el poder de absorción calorífico, así como el empelo de pinturas especiales que redujeran la reflexión.

Vía: [digg]. Fuente Imagen: [ecogeek]

+ info

• Experimentan un pavimento inteligente, gracias a un polímero, que cambia de color si la temperatura es cercana a 0ºC
• SolarLite, nuevo sistema homologado en UK de marcas viales horizontales mediante LED
• Científicos rusos crean un asfalto «indestructible»
• Turbinas eólicas en las barreras de carreteras

Technorati Tags:ingenieria, carreteras, wpi, worcester, polytechnic, institute, isap, 2008, energia

A spiral staircase at Garvan Institute in Sydney, Australia

Das gegründete Europäische Institut für Innovation und Technologie soll den Kontinent an die Weltspitze bei Innovationen katapultieren. Aufgabe des EIT mit Verwaltungssitz in Budapest ist es, Wissenschaft, Bildung und Technologie besser zu verzahnen, indem es Wissen über Netzwerke erarbeitet und neue EU-weite Kooperationsformen entwickelt. Die EU stellt dafür in der Aufbauphase bis 2013 insgesamt 309 Millionen Euro zur Verfügung.

The study shows that the more students know about Sweden, the more actively they will seek out knowledge and the more disposed they are to paying a fee.

A couple of thoughts - firstly, the more barriers we place in that attempt to seek out knowledge the more likely they are not to choose Sweden - our website must help them quickly and efficiently. Also, if knowledge about Sweden contributes to students being more positive to studying here then existing exchange students, who have studied as undergraduates in Sweden, may well be positive to studying in Sweden again. It would be interesting to find out the current conversion of undergraduate exchange students to master students.

This is the report in Swedish.

Su disolución se produjo en 2001, aunque su frontman, Galvin Rosdale ha proseguido su carrera, primero con un interesante proyecto llamado Institute, del que hablaremos en su momento, y ya después en solitario.

                           ---------------Ver videoclip original---------------

Applications in prescribed forms are invited for the following posts at this Institute:
JUNIOR TECHNICAL SUPERINTENDENT
Appointments will initially be made on contract for a period of three years and are likely to be extended / regularized based on performance.
Total No. of Posts : 10 (Physics- 2, Chemistry- 2, Elect. Engg.- 2, Mech. Engg.- 2 and Comp. Sc. & Engg.- 2)
Scale of Pay : Rs. 5,500-175-9,000
Age : 18 – 32 years (Relaxation of age will be admissible as per Central Govt. rules)
Minimum Qualification & Experience: Diploma in Engineering with 3 years experiences OR B.Sc. with 2 years experience OR B.Tech/ B.E/ M.Sc./ MCA. (all in relevant fields)

General Information :
1. The candidate must be a citizen of India.
2. Reservation SC = 1, OBC = 2, Gen = 7, & PH/ES = as per GOI rule.
3. Persons employed in Govt./Semi Govt. Organisations/Autonomous Bodies should submit their applications through proper channels.
4. Degree as referred above are those which have been awarded by a recognized University / Institution.
5. Mere fulfillment of the minimum qualification will not vest any right on a candidate for being called for written test/skill test/interview.
6. The Institute reserves the right to short-list the candidates for written test / skill test / interview based on qualification and experience and the number of applications received.
7. Applicants desiring to apply for more than one department should send separate application for each department.
8. Incomplete applications or application without attested copies of certificates or received after the last date are liable to rejection.
9. Prescribed application form may be obtained from IIT Patna’s website: www.iitp.ernet.in or www.iitp.ac.in. The same may also be obtained from the office of IIT Patna at Patliputra Colony, Patna-800 013, Bihar. (Phone: 0612-227738182, Fax: 0612-2277383).10. Any dispute with regard to the selection/recruitment process will be subject to Courts/ Tribunals having jurisdiction over Patna.
11. Last date for receipt of completed application forms is 01.09.2008
12. Canvassing in any form/bringing in any influence political or otherwise will be treated as a disqualification for the post. “INTERIM ENQUIRIES WILL NOT BE ENTERTAINED”.

Detailed Advertisement is here

Application forms:

MS Word Document Format.
PDF Format

La forma più comune di sinestesia consente di percepire i numeri o le lettere come colori. Leggenda vuole che questa capacità di mischiare i sensi sia più comune negli artisti. Per esempio, il pittore britannico David Hockney ha sempre dichiarato di vedere i colori ascoltando la musica.

La ricercatrice del centro californiano ha scovato lo studente che sente i puntini luminosi di un noto salvaschermo per caso. E dopo avergli diagnosticato la rara forma di sinestesia ha condotto un esperimento, mettendo di fronte a un computer con lo stesso screensaver altri studenti. Così facendo ne ha scovati altri tre in grado di sentire ticchettii o sibili fruscianti mentre i punti luminosi sfrecciano sullo schermo. Ma per essere sicura che si trattasse veramente di sinestesia, e in una forma mai documentata prima, la ricercatrice ha sottoposto le quattro persone e altri studenti a nuovi test su immagini e suoni. In questo modo ha scoperto che solo le persone con la capacità di sentire le immagini riuscivano sempre a mettere in perfetta relazione i suoni a partire da ciò che vedevano e viceversa. Lo studio è pubblicato sul “New Scientist”.

La Stampa

Multilingualism – a bridge or a barrier for intercultural dialogue?

Date: 2008-08-07

EUNIC Brussels has been asked by the Commision (EAC – Intercultural Dialogue) to organize the 5^th Brussels debate on September 10, 2008 in the Renaissance Palace.

The debate will focus on the impact of multilingualism on intercultural dialogue.

To complement the one hour debate betweentwo experts (Sandra Palong and Abram de Swaan), Commissioner Orban and MEP Claude Moraes, EUNIC Brussels would like to ask you to take part in a survey.

The question is :

How does the knowledge of two or more languages impact on integration in Europe? Could you give an example from your own experience?

We are interested in your thoughts on the subject and would greatly appreciate your answer. Statements can be made in your native tongue. (Please respect the maximum length of 1/2 page). We are waiting your views on the matter until August 20, 2008 at Fax: +32 (0) 2 344 24 79 or E-mail: office@roinfocentre.be
To find out more about the debates, please visit the following website : www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu

From the Romanian Cultural Institute of Brussel's website.

So, here , the EU asks, they just do it in a low voice and aim it at those interested but now you heard about it from me and have no excuse :P

At 1500 hours today, the Dean's committee met to discuss the launch of the revised website of the institute (ref http://vgramanathan.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/a-louder-web-presence/). I'd been to the Director's office once before, and that was a year ago to present the first cut of the Students' portal. Dude has a nice place up there, what with the excellent view from the windows and a WiFi that goes under the name 'tsunami'.

I'd borrowed Vimal's MacBook Pro to present the site to Chandy a couple of days back. He was mightily impressed with the effects on the Apple. I'd put up a presentation using Keynote and surprisingly, there were no issues with setting up a network in the Board room.

At his first glimpse of the site, Ananth mocked Krishnaiah who apparently had an extremely reknowned fondness for all shades of red, especially maroon. He told us, "You've already won one heart." I was impressed when one of the first questions Ananth asked is how much time the site takes to load and how do the storage formats of the images affect this time. In his words, "If I give you pencil sketches with fewer colors than a photograph, will the image be smaller and load faster?"

We then tried in vain to clear the local cache and find the time it takes for the site to load. It turned out that since we weren't using a proxy, the site wouldn't load any slower (it popped up instantaneously on pressing 'Go'). When we explained this to those present, an unkown member suggested that the loading time of the page will not be an issue inside the campus since there is direct access to the server. Then came the second surprise from Ananth, who pointed out that this would be the case only if you add the site to the "proxy bypass list". His intellectual dominance over those who were present amused me a lot.

Snacks interrupted us at around Slide 11 and consisted of the items listed in the deceptive title. When we were done, Ananth set us a deadline of August 25th for the site to be up and running. Noticing that we hadn't touched our vadas, Chandy said, "You can either eat it here or take it outside in case you are shy." To this, Ananth said, "No, let them eat here." Looking at us,  "What we are about to discuss is nothing confidential. At least by staying here to listen, you'll see that we Board members do more than eating bajji and bonda." We took our snacks outside.

A guy called Mahesh, who seemed to be the technical assistant in the Director's office was quite impressed with the design too. We had a second demo to him outside the Board room. After looking at the site, he offered to assist us in any way he could.

Just to clarify, by 'white' chutney, I meant the one that is made by grinding coconut and adding spices. We wasted about half a bowl. First taste of bureaucracy.

Avataq Cultural Institute

Avataq Cultural Institute provides a strong foundation for the living culture of today’s Inuit. Since its inception in 1980, Avataq has built a solid reputation as the cultural leader for Nunavik Inuit and as an important resource for Inuit culture in Canada and beyond. Our goal is to ensure that Inuit culture and language continue to thrive into the future, so that our descendants can benefit from the rich heritage passed down to us through the wisdom of our ancestors.

About Us

Founded in 1980, Avataq Cultural Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the language and culture of Inuit in Nunavik (Northern Quebec). The organization has its head office in Inukjuak, Nunavik, and an administrative office in Westmount, Quebec.

Avataq receives its mandate directly from Nunavik Inuit at the biennial Nunavik Inuit Elders’ Conferences. Avataq has a board of directors comprising five Inuit members elected for two-year terms.

The programs and services of the Avataq Cultural Institute include: an Inuktitut promotion and preservation program, a genealogy program, a Nunavik museums program, a Nunavik Inuit art collection, an archaeology department, an artists’ support program, a documentation and archives centre, local cultural committees, traditional skills courses, as well as a research and publications service.

Through its language, heritage and cultural programs, the Avataq Cultural Institute is striving to support and preserve Inuit culture for present and future generations.

I have a photographic day, as you see ;) I copied a lot of nice photos they have on their website. They have a very very interesting section about the Inuit in Nunavik, as well as maps. This will be for another post tonight! As an extra, you can download the Inuktitut fonts for your computer too! The link is here!

The learning curve of this job was incredible.  Even though we had two weeks of all day sessions before we ever stepped in a classroom, I learned more about teaching in the first ten minutes of being with students than I had up until that point.  And with that being said, I'm not quite sure how to go about describing this experience to anyone who hasn't gone through it.  Five weeks of fifteen hour days.  Of bad food and five hours of sleep if you're lucky.  Of wearing nice clothes and closed toe shoes every day (no flip flops...).  Staring down 27 high schoolers on a daily basis.  Hoping that second period wouldn't eat me alive.  Teaching 12th graders what a fraction is.  Long lectures and endless mountains of paper.  Eating Subway sandwiches every single day for five weeks.  "No one is teaching if no one is learning."  Sitting in the computer lab at 2 am working to make factoring the difference of two squares at least somewhat engaging.  Daily lesson plans and endless self reflection.  Late night runs to 7-11 for icees.  Beach on Saturday afternoon and margaritas on Saturday night.  Grading daily assessments alone in my room and alternately groaning/cheering for my students.  Students who asked me for more long division problems because "they're fun".  Seeing the light turn on when someone finally gets it.  Talking about college plans and offering to write scholarship recommendations.  Working with the most awesome CMA and CS ever.  Falling asleep in LS sessions.  Falling asleep on the bus.  Falling asleep on a friend's floor.  Seeing the face of a previously failing student when we told him he had gotten a B on the final.  Watching hard work pay off.  Getting teary eyed when hearing success stories from other teachers.  Being given a handwritten letter from my favorite student on the last day.  91% of second period meeting their growth goals.

I will let one of my students sum it up with what she wrote to us in her ending reflection:  "One thing that made this summer successful was that I actually learned something.  This changes everything because I have knowledge."

[also, I now have a Twitter account.  My username is my first name plus the first two letters of my middle name.  E-mail me if you just want a direct link.]

Acceptance to the Portland ARL/ACRL Institute on Scholarly Communication is competitive; extending the deadline will assist applicants who need to work around summer schedules when compiling their supporting materials. Institutions from the Northwest will receive preferred consideration, but seats are reserved for a minimum of 20 participants from outside the region. Applications will be accepted until September 2, 2008. Find complete details on the Orbis Cascade Alliance Web site http://www.orbiscascade.org/index/isc/.