Conferences and other group activities
Conferences and fieldwork
Forthcoming conferences
- Oligocene discussion day, 16th May, 2013
- Goldschmidt, Florence, 25-30th July 2013
- 11th International Conference on Palaeoceanography (ICP), 1-6th September 2013
- 26th International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (IMOG), Tenerife, 15th-20th September 2013
Recent conferences
Members from the OGU attended these recent conferences:
- Natural Systems and Processes Poster Session (NSPSS), Bristol, 11th March 2013
- Environmental Archaeologies of Neolithisation, University of Reading 10-12, November 2012
- American Geochemical union (AGU) Fall Meeting, San Francisco, 3rd-7th December 2012
- 7th Experimental Archaeology Conference, Cardiff, 11th-12th January 2013
- 7th Archaeological Congress, Dead Sea, Jordan, 14th-18th January, 2013
- 23rd Meeting of the British Organic Geochemists Society (BOGS) hosted by School of Geography, University of Leeds, UK (4-5 July, 2012)
Fieldwork
Alice spent a week coring soils with Wessex Water in early January while Mirek spent the first two weeks of February in various remote regions of India sampling carbonate rocks.
Outreach activities
The OGU is keen to disseminate its findings to as wide an audience as possible as well as to other researchers. We are keen to pass on what we have discovered to students, teachers and the wider general public.
Palaeodectectives Online Game
As part of our outreach activities (see below) we have developed a game based on various aspects of our work, this can now be accessed online so you to can now be a Palaeodetective.
Bristol 'Doors Open Day' (08.09.2012)
One day every year, a variety of buildings and amenities which are normally closed to the general public open their doors across the city of Bristol. The OGU participated in a public science exhibition hosted in the Great Hall of the Wills Memorial Building during this event. The OGU stand was based on an updated version of the Palaeodetectives game (see below) and group members (Julie, Marisol, Gordon and Huan) spent the day talking to adults and children alike about the science we do and how it relates to the natural world.
Bristol Festival of Nature 2011
Once again members of the group to part in this weekend long event showcasing a diverse mix of natural exhibits with links to the natural world, the biggest event of its kind in the country! The OGU stand was based on an updated version of the Palaeodetectives game (see below) and group members spent three days talking to adults and children about the OGU and what we do!
The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2009
Researchers from the OGU revealed secrets of ancient worlds at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2009. An exhibit full of prehistoric artefacts and molecular models, alongside display screens and real-time chemical analysis, gave visitors a taste of life as a 'Palaeodetective'.
The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition is an annual event that showcases cutting edge scientific research in the UK, via interactive exhibits designed and manned by the scientists themselves. Competition for places is intense and the OGU’s entry, entitled The Palaeodetectives: Digging up small molecules with big messages from the past was one of twenty exhibits selected from over one hundred applications.
The team presented eight mysteries that have been solved by identifying the biomarkers in samples sent to them from around the globe. The public was invited to see original samples and molecular models of key biomarkers on the archaeological and geological pillars that formed part of the exhibit. Visitors then solved cases on the basis of historical, geographical and chemical information using a touch-screen ‘Palaeodetective’ computer game. The game proved so popular, particularly with science teachers, that we have decided to make it available as an online resource. The rest of the exhibit will also be reused for local science events including Discover! and the Bristol Festival of Nature.
Social activities
Being a member of the OGU is not all work! We’re a great friendly and social bunch, making the most of Bristol as a great city for all kinds of social life.
There are some great places for eating out within a very short walk of the University precinct, and so group trips out for lunch are frequent. A break from work to a local coffee shop, namely Boston Tea Party, is also a favourite. You will probably find half a dozen of us every Friday night attending one of our favourite pubs such as the Green Man, the Bag o'nails or the Portcullis.
Events such as bowling and ice skating or trips to watch Bristol City and Rovers in the past have really made good use of Bristol’s sporting venues. Our bigger socials, such as our annual Christmas social, involve everything from black tie dinners to clubbing the night away.
As Bristol is not far from many great areas for both hillwalking and archaeological sites, we've also previously done away days to nearby sites such as Avebury and Silbury Hill. Over each summer we take part in a Chemistry 5-a-side football league which is a great opportunity to get some exercise in a low-competitive atmosphere, as well as friendly squash and badminton games year-round. There really is a social something for everyone.