{"id":498,"date":"2021-07-19T10:04:56","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T10:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/?p=498"},"modified":"2021-07-19T10:04:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T10:04:56","slug":"physics-monday-bulletin-2021-07-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/2021\/07\/19\/physics-monday-bulletin-2021-07-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Physics Monday Bulletin 2021-07-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

European Space Agency sets sail with new space missions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The European Space Agency has set out scientific themes for the cornerstones of its space programme up to the middle of this century from the recommendations of the Voyage 2050 panel, co-chaired by Dr Chris Arridge from the Department of Physics.<\/p>\n

Every few decades the\u00a0European Space Agency (ESA)<\/a>\u00a0decides on its next priorities through planning exercises.\u00a0These have led to missions like the recent\u00a0Rosetta<\/a>\u00a0mission to comet 67P\/Churyumov\u2013Gerasimenko and also European participation in missions such as the\u00a0Hubble Space Telescope<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Cassini\/Huygens<\/a>\u00a0to Saturn and its moon Titan.<\/p>\n

In 2018 the Director of Science for ESA set out plans for a new process to take the space agency\u2019s science programme to 2050, involving the selection of three large space missions at over a billion Euros each.\u00a0The plan was ultimately termed\u00a0Voyage 2050<\/a>\u00a0and was co-chaired by\u00a0Dr Chris Arridge<\/a>.\u00a0The process involved a wide community consultation with hundreds of space scientists worldwide contributing to almost 100 white papers describing missions as varied as space telescopes to image black holes in X-rays, return cryogenic ice core samples from comets, and visiting Uranus or Neptune in the outer reaches of our Solar System.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe process was formidable,\u201d says Dr Arridge, \u201ctaking such a wide range of ideas and distilling them into a set of three scientific themes was extremely difficult.\u00a0How do you decide if it is more scientifically compelling to survey the polar caps of Mars, or study hot gas between galaxies, or search for Earth-like atmospheres around planets orbiting other stars?\u00a0These were challenges we grappled with regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0recommendations from the panel<\/a>\u00a0were presented by the panel chairs, Dr Linda Tacconi,\u00a0Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Germany<\/a>, and Dr Arridge, to ESA\u2019s Science Programme Committee, comprised of European space scientists and member state representatives, on Thursday 10th\u00a0June and was shortly after formally voted into the ESA Science Programme.<\/p>\n

G\u00fcnther Hasinger, ESA Director of Science, said, \u201cThe selection of the Voyage 2050 themes is a pivotal moment for ESA\u2019s science programme, and for the future generation of space scientists and engineers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0three scientific themes recommended by the panel<\/a>\u00a0were to send a new mission to a moon of the giant planets and explore their potential for habitability, a mission to study the atmospheres of Earth-like planets around other stars, and a mission to study the very earliest moments of the Universe.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/portal.lancaster.ac.uk\/intranet\/news\/article\/european-space-agency-sets-sail-with-new-space-missions<\/a><\/p>\n

Chris Arridge<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fire Door Interface Inspections<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Facilities have informed us that the fire door interface inspections will take place in the Physics building on the 21st of July from 9am.
\nThis work is undertaken by Cook Fire and requires the physical inspection of all doors controlled by the access control system while the fire alarm is active and the doors are locked.<\/p>\n

This check is to ensure that all doors on escape routes will allow evacuation in the event that the fire alarm is activated.
\nEvery month the University is required to test the interface between the fire alarm system and door control systems in all buildings with access control and\/or automatic doors.
\nThe evacuation alarm is silenced during the test but occasionally a short burst ( less than 10 seconds) may be heard.<\/p>\n

Shonah Ion<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Performance Development Review<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Just a reminder that it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

FAO Non-academic staff on probation (and their line managers)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Grainne Wilkinson<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lab safety<\/strong><\/h2>\n

After a safety tour by Roger and myself we find poor housekeeping is an issue in many labs. This has got to improve.
\nWe expect the building to become more occupied as we approach the start of term, and with increased occupation the potential for trips and falls increases.
\nAlso storing heavy objects at height is also something we are seeing more of. Please store heavy or awkward items at ground level.
\nLook at your workspaces critically and throw away things you no longer require. If the items may be hazardous waste please get in contact with me for assistance.<\/p>\n

Shonah Ion<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Performance Development Review<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Just a reminder that it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

FAO Non-academic staff on probation (and their line managers)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Grainne Wilkinson<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Building occupancy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dear Colleagues,
\nThe proposed changes to restrictions that were due to happen next week have been postponed, so the continuing message is to work from home if possible and only come onto campus if it is\u00a0necessary. We recognise that it\u00a0is\u00a0necessary for some staff & students to come onto campus to complete experiments, attend in person events etc. Some limited more general\u00a0working on campus can also be approved for those who find are finding home working unsuitable due to health and similar\u00a0issues.<\/p>\n

However, we are still operating under distancing and other\u00a0restrictions\u00a0and we need to keep the occupancy of the building low and managed to meet the Public Health requirements. This is a particular problem in multi-occupancy offices, but we also need to keep occupation\u00a0of\u00a0single occupancy offices low.
\nTo manage occupancy in the Department and ensure we remain compliant with current regulations, we have designated a responsible person and booking system for the multiple occupancy offices used by many researchers & PG students.<\/p>\n

If a multi occupancy office user needs to come in, they would first contact their line manager\/supervisor and explain their request. If the supervisor approves the request they (the line manager\/supervisor) would then contact the room manager and discuss the dates, time, frequency or duration of the access with the room manager, who would then book the access to allow occupancy management\u00a0and social distancing.<\/p>\n

The rooms and their managers are listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\nRoom Number<\/strong><\/td>\nRoom Manager<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A14 (within A15)<\/td>\nSam Jones (PG Student)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A15<\/td>\nSam Jarvis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B06a<\/td>\nAndy Blake<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B06b<\/td>\nAndy Wharton (PG\u00a0student)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B06c<\/td>\nRostislav Mikhaylovskiy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
B504<\/td>\nJim Wild<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C01<\/td>\nAneta Stefanovska<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C07<\/td>\nAdam Craig<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C08<\/td>\nAlessandro Romito<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C14<\/td>\nColin Lambert<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C45<\/td>\nBrooke Simmons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C52<\/td>\nRobert\u202fYoung<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C62<\/td>\nJonathon Gratus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Please note that\u00a0when\u00a0you\u00a0have to\u00a0come in,\u00a0you must\u00a0continue to observe the Dept rules,\u00a0wearing a face covering within the building,\u00a0one way system and marked room occupancies. This particularly applies to kitchen spaces – please do not use these for prolonged periods, as it will block others from being able to use them.<\/p>\n

Shonah\u00a0Ion & Roger Jones.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  European Space Agency sets sail with new space missions The European Space Agency has set out scientific themes for the cornerstones of its space programme up to the middle of this century from the recommendations of the Voyage 2050 panel, co-chaired by Dr Chris Arridge from the Department of Physics. Every few decades the\u00a0European…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":475,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/475"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":499,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498\/revisions\/499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/physics-bulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}