Physics-phd Science Communications training workshop, Friday 5th November

I just wanted to advertise a Science Communications workshop for Physics students that we’ll be running in a couple of weeks on Friday 5th November (10am-4pm). The interactive session will focus on communication skills for outreach, engagement and public speaking. The session will be facilitated by Andrew Jenkins, who’s a public engagement professional and a Lancaster Physics graduate (many of you know him!).

Thanks to those who have already signed up for this session. If you’d like to come along, you’d be most welcome. Please feel free to sign up using this link. Tea and coffee will be provided (and possibly a free lunch!).

If you’d like to get involved in our outreach activities, then feel free to get in touch with the Physics Department’s outreach coordinator, Andy Blake (a.blake@lancaster.ac.uk). We run a range of events and activities for schools, community groups and the public throughout the year. Whether it be Physics masterclasses, small-group mentoring, planetarium shows or science fairs, we engage with all audiences and age groups and we have something for everyone.

Andy Blake

 

 

Emergency Lighting Testing

We have been informed by Facilities that emergency light testing will take place in Physics next week, from 9am daily.
Every month there is a quick test to ensure all Emergency Lighting fittings are operational. This involves a quick visual test. In residences, this applies to corridors and kitchens.

Shonah Ion

 

 

Dept Safety handbook 2021 edition

It’s that time again to read, mark, learn & inwardly digest the latest edition of the Dept. safety handbook. As always, it’s full of useful links and guidance to keep us all safe.
It can be found on the Dept. SharePoint site in the Departmental safety area under “General”.
Once read please confirm you have read and understood the contents by either signing the cover sheet and putting it in Grainne Wilkinson’s pigeon hole or by sending a electronic signed version to her. If you spot any typos or errors please let me know (and claim your prize!)
Thank you.

Shonah Ion

 

 

House Wanted

A family of three is looking for a furnished 3-bedroom house ideally located in south Lancaster by the end of November, with a one-year tenancy. Please contact Qiandong Zhuang if you have resources.

Qiandong Zhuang

 

 

Physics Sustainability Group – join us!

We are forming a Physics Sustainability Group, a diverse team of academics, researchers, non-academic staff and postgraduate students.  If you are interested in working together to enhance the environmental sustainability of the department and its community of staff, students and partners, please join us by contacting Laura Kormos at l.kormos@lancaster.ac.uk.  This is not meant to be an onerous task and even small amounts of commitment will be highly valued.  It is very important that the voice of Physics is heard in the broader discussions.

This group will develop ideas that, once approved by the members of the Department, will feed into the FST Sustainability Advisory Committee (SustAC), which liaises with departments and the University to develop and support procedures, changes and ideas that will help the University to meet its climate-emergency targets:

https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/sci-tech/about-us/sustainability-strategy/#

Each FST department has input into this process via their own Sustainability group.  In Physics, at present this is led by Laura Kormos.
As part of growing our group, we are calling for volunteers to brainstorm and discuss ideas with us, including a department “sustainability action plan” (some existing pledges from other departments are on the above website), ideas regarding sustainable travel, etc.  Any input to FST SustAC from Physics will first be made available for discussion by all members of the Department, and the membership of the Physics Sustainability group may also be engineered, in addition to accepting volunteers, in order to ensure a diverse group.

Shonah Ion

 

 

Isoelectronic doping atoms in III/V materials studied at the atomic scale by cross-sectional scanning tunnelling microscopy

C36 Physics and MS Teams
Friday 29 October 2021
3:00pm to 4:00pm

Condensed Matter seminar

Speaker: Prof. Paul Koenraad, Eindhoven University of Technology

Michael Thompson

 

 

Astrophysics Webinar

MS Teams event
Monday 1 November 2021
3:00pm to 4:00pm

title tbc

Speaker: Prof. Meg Urry, Yale University

Izzy Garland

 

 

Research support drop ins

Systematic review Q&A’s.
Systematic review conversations, 1st Thursday in the month including a guest speaker

Evidence based research support.

Every Thursday during term time, 12.30pm to 3.00pm, supported learning area and online via Teams.

We also have the SR Teams Channel Systematic Review Forum which is accessible to students 24/7.

Louise Speakman

 

 

Use Lancaster Risk assessment forms

If you have worked at a different institution before coming to Lancaster please remember to follow Lancaster processes, this includes using the Lancaster University risk assessment form, when producing your risk assessments and from them safe operating procedures. The University safety offices risk assessment guidance includes a link to the Moodle training on this subject. Please complete this training if you haven’t in the last 3 years.

Shonah Ion

 

 

Reporting near miss and accidents

Please report any near misses or accidents via the University’s safety office pages, found here. No one gets into trouble for reporting incidents, it identifies problems and allows us to rectify them preventing more accidents.

Shonah Ion

 

 

Performance Development Review

Just a reminder that it’s PDR (Performance Development Review) time. In case you have not seen it, HR put out a communication about PDRs for 20/21 which includes links to guidance, training and demos of the electronic form.

Please note that I only have access to my own PDR form so if you need technical assistance with yours, please contact HR Systems.

If your line manager/ PDR reviewer needs to be changed on Core HR so that they can access your form, HR systems can do that for you too.

FAO Non-academic staff on probation (and their line managers)

Staff that are on probation should have an initial PDR in place and complete the accompanying Probation Review form. These can be found in the bottom section of this webpage.

Services – Forms and Guidance | Staff Intranet (lancaster.ac.uk)

Grainne Wilkinson