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Since 1994, the university has pioneered the development of spatial light scattering for the rapid detection and classification of various types of airborne particle. This `particle thumbprint' technology, based on an analysis of the detailed 2-dimensional pattern of light scattered by each particle, has since found worldwide application.
Over the 2008-13 period, the technology was exploited by commercial companies and research organisations from the USA, mainland Europe, the UK and Japan in areas including military bioaerosol detection; atmospheric cloud microphysics and climate research; particle/powder process control; stack emissions monitoring; environmental pollution assessment; and, most recently, the real-time detection of hazardous airborne asbestos fibres.
To survive and grow in a shrinking UK market, the local engineering company SENAR set out to transform itself from a local company into one capable of winning international contracts. This required the company to make quality improvements, update skills and equipment, and develop relationships with international organizations. LJMU brought its programmes of astronomical research and instrumental development at national and international level into a symbiotic relationship with SENAR, collaborating on design and manufacture of advanced instrumentation and developing new capabilities within the company. It thereby:
Technology developed at UoM on clouds and aerosols proved vital in deriving ash mass concentrations during the 2010 eruption of the Iceland volcano, verifying the Met Office model that was defining the airspace exclusion zone and predict ash loadings for the Civil Aviation Authority. The shutdown of airspace cost the airline industry worldwide an estimated $1.7bn, reaching $400m per day on April 19th. Reassurance provided by our verification allowed lifting of flight restrictions which had the immediate effect of re-opening airspace, relieving the impact on hundreds of thousands of people globally, leading to an estimated global saving to the industry of $10bn The approach has resulted in new long term airborne response capability at the Met Office.
The National Schools' Observatory (NSO) is a web-based resource based at LJMU that gives UK and Irish schools free access to their own observations from the world's largest fully-robotic telescope — the Liverpool Telescope. Giving its participants unique and privileged access not only to the instrument itself, but also to the astronomical research carried out by the telescope, the NSO is a powerful blend of cutting-edge research, professional instrumentation and education that inspires, motivates and supports the learning of pupils of all ages and their teachers. Since its launch in 2004 the NSO has reached more than 4,000 registered UK and Irish teachers and their classes, with 60,000 sets of observations requested by schools. The NSO has been recognised by the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee as "so important to inspiring the next generation of scientists" [Source 1].
Spaceport is a Visitor Centre in an historic ferry terminal on the banks of the Mersey which showcases astronomy and space exploration. As a project it combines the research experience and knowledge of LJMU with the tourism credentials of Merseytravel. Merseytravel oversees the Merseyside public transport system, to promote and develop the transport network to meet the region's economic, social and environmental needs. As an attraction, Spaceport regularly exceeds visitor number predictions (currently at 70,000 per year) and brings in excess of £2M p.a. into a regeneration area. The continuing participation of LJMU has ensured that the centre remains up to date with new exhibits that link directly to LJMU's astronomical research and special events featuring LJMU astronomers and others, which are designed to extend its audience (e.g., for amateur astronomers or schools from inner-city areas).
Our research since 1993 has led directly to demonstrable improvements in the physical representation of atmospheric particulates in the suite of Met Office numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate models. These models have had enormous reach and significance across the REF period in both public sector and commercial Met Office activities. Our measurements impact directly on the model prediction of air quality, extreme pollution events (for fire brigade, police and public agencies), visibility, cloud cover, rainfall, and snowfall (for defence and the public weather service, commercial aviation, utilities, road and rail sectors).
The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano, Iceland caused prolonged closure of European airspace, costing the global airline industry an estimated $200 million per day and disrupting 10 million passengers. We have developed and tested models that predict the dispersal of volcanic ash and developed instrumentation to monitor ash clouds during flight bans and used it to test the models. Our research played a key role in establishing the need for a flight ban and in the adoption of a more flexible approach to its staged lifting as the emergency continued. It also led to increased levels of readiness and to new emergency procedures being put in place across Europe which have minimised the economic costs and human inconvenience without an unacceptable rise in the risks to passengers and crew. The new procedures safely eliminated unnecessary disruption to flights in the latter days of the crisis and during the subsequent eruption of another Icelandic volcano, Grímsvötn in 2011.
The university's Bayfordbury Observatory is a working observatory that engages with the public via six Open Evenings and approximately 50 group visits a year, offering access to a wide range of facilities. Many of the 4,000 visitors annually report that they develop a first or renewed `enthusiasm for astronomy', or become `inspired to learn more' about what they have seen or heard from our researchers; some young people enthuse about `now wanting to be a scientist'. Science teachers taking an RCUK `cutting-edge' CPD astrophysics course also say that they have gained an `increased understanding of the subject', and `increased confidence in its delivery to pupils'.
Lancaster undertakes fundamental research into the space plasma environments. AuroraWatch UK, a spin-out of this research, provides a free service alerting when aurorae may be visible from the UK. The number of AuroraWatch subscribers has increased significantly from 22,000 in 2008 to over 109,000 at present. A survey by the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that AuroraWatch is very effective in promoting interest in science. As a result of subscribing to AuroraWatch, 3667 respondents watch science on television, 4437 read science magazines, websites and blogs, 524 now study science, 865 participate in citizen-science projects, and 1400 listed other changes in their behaviour (e.g. aurora sightseeing trips). The AuroraWatch School programme involves 1800 pupils across UK.
Our high profile astronomy research discoveries in areas of public interest have allowed us to substantially increase the engagement of the public with science. Media appearances have led to a philanthropic donation of £200k to promote our science, the most successful public event series ever in Northern Ireland (engaging around 2000 people), a strategic partnership with Ireland's award winning science education centre W5 (reaching 26,000 people), and a 49% increase in applications to physics based degrees from NI students to UK HEIs. In 2008 we set three simple targets to substantially increase the public awareness of science and physics. The first was to increase our presence in the mass media (print, radio, TV, internet) to promote scientific research, and we have regularly reached audiences in excess of 295,000. The second was to increase the numbers of people attending science talks and events. The third was to substantially increase the application rate of school students to study physics and mathematics degrees. Through our outreach and engagement programme we have met, and surpassed, all of these targets. The impact of our research and our public outreach programme is a quantifiable societal change. Substantially more NI school students are now studying physics at third level UK HEIs.