Information for staff
GCID Bulletin 20 April 2012
1. Events
Centre for the History of Medicine Postgraduate Workshop:
The Genealogy of WHO and UNICEF and the Intersecting Careers of Melville Mackenzie (1889-1972) and Ludwik Rajchman (1881-1965)
Tuesday 1 May, 4:00pm to 5:00pm, Lilybank House, Ground Floor Seminar Room
The Workshop will begin with a 25-minute presentation on: what is known; what this research has added to date; and a conclusion on the legacy for global health today. A discussion will follow, including consideration of current interest in global health as an academic discipline. All are welcome - no registration necessary.
Download full details: 120501 PG Workshop - Hist Medicine
Sustainable Development Seminar: “Why is wind power so expensive? And can anything be done about this?”
Tuesday 22 May 2012, 16.15 – 18.15, Seminar Room 1 (Yudowitz), Wolfson Medical School Building, University of Glasgow
Speaker: Professor Gordon Hughes (Professor of Economics, University of Edinburgh)
Wind farms have high capital costs and low operating costs, similar to large scale hydro. However, intermittent supplies increase the cost of managing an electricity system and require either substantial storage/backup capacity or export outlets. The talk will examine the economics of wind power in the UK from a system perspective and consider what incentives may be required to reduce the costs of combining wind power with other sources of power generation.
Should you wish to attend please register using the form below or at http://sdn-hughes.eventbrite.com
Food Security in an Insecure World: Research Challenges & Opportunities
24 May 2012, Wolfson Medical School Building, University of Glasgow
This one-day event is intended to open up discussion amongst research staff, facilitate dialogue and create opportunities for research collaborations across the University. We aim to identify current and future research questions and to opportunities for a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach within the University on the pressing global issue of food security. We have already come across a wide range of colleagues who are interested in the issue from Moredun Research Institute, biology, veterinary medicine, geography, history, medicine, engineering, economics, education – and we’re probably just scratching the surface! A short session of presentations from nationally and internationally renowned speakers from the field will be followed by opportunities for new and dynamic networking groups to come together in order to explore the issues faced by the global community. Throughout the day we will also display posters from research staff who are already working in this multi-faceted subject area. The event is free but places are limited and prior registration is required. Primarily, we’d like to meet with colleagues who have a direct and active research interest in this area of study and we’d also like to attract colleagues who are able to speak for their School, Research Institute or research group and who can disseminate information from the event to their colleagues.
- A full programme will follow in due course, but please do take the opportunity to register your interest by emailing foodsecurity@glasgow.ac.uk
- Poster presentations: Should you wish to display a poster at this event, please send the title and a short abstract with your expression of interest to foodsecurity@glasgow.ac.uk
Please note that this event is open to research/teaching staff only, students may not attend. Download: 120524 Food Security Event Programme
To locate University of Glasgow venues, please see our campus map: http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_1887_en.pdf
2. Funding Opportunities
Grand Challenges Explorations
Initiative to encourage innovative and unconventional global health and development solutions, is now accepting grant proposals for its latest application round. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for profit companies. Proposals are being accepted online on the following topics:
- New Approaches for the Interrogation of Anti-malarial Compounds - NEW
- Aid is Working. Tell the World - NEW
- Design New Approaches to Optimize Immunization Systems
- Explore New Solutions in Global Health Priority Areas
- Protect Crop Plants from Biotic Stresses From Field to Market
Initial grants will be US $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to US $1 million. Full descriptions of the new topics and application instructions are available at: www.grandchallenges.org/explorations. Deadline May 15, 2012.
Request for LOI: New Biomarkers for HIV Incidence Measurement
The HIV Diagnostics team is now accepting Letters of Inquiry for the identification of novel biomarkers that can be used effectively to measure HIV incidence at the population level. We are looking for biomarkers that could be used alone or in combination, and that are at the initial development stage. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for profit companies. A full description of the new topic and application instructions are available at http://www.gatesfoundation.org/hivaids/Pages/loi-biomarkers-hiv-incidence-measurement.aspx.
Deadline: Friday, May 18, 2012.
3. News & Opportunities
New Book: Living with the Trees of Life - Towards the Transformation of Tropical Agriculture
Based on the career of Roger Leakey, the former Director of Research at the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, this book presents the experiences of real life situations in rural villages of remote and distant places. Living with the Trees of Life demonstrates how the multi-disciplinary science of agroforestry, which embraces biology, genetics, ecology, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, soil science, food science, and the social sciences, can offer hope from the doom and gloom often emanating from the tropics. Written in an accessible and engaging style that will appeal to both a professional and general readership, this book takes a more positive approach to the issues facing agriculture and highlights an innovative approach to resolving the big issues of poverty, malnutrition, hunger and environmental degradation including climate change. For full detials download: Living with the Trees of Life - marketing