Water Energy Food: Vaccinating the Nexus

Lead Research Organisation: University of Southampton
Department Name: Faculty of Engineering & the Environment

Abstract

The demand for water, energy, and food (WEF) is increasing with a growing population and a larger proportion of people living high hydrocarbon dependent lifestyles. This is placing unprecedented pressure on global WEF resources, a situation that will be exacerbated with a shifting climate. To meet this demand and to ensure long-term WEF security there is a need for integrated, efficient, and sustainable resources management across the sectors. This is essential to enhance and maintain quality of life, and requires the overall system to adapt over appropriate timescales. Analogous to the human immune system, resilience can be enhanced by learning from shocks to the WEF nexus that lead to recovery and adaptation through improving the systems long-term memory. Through shocks to the system (vaccination in this analogy), society is provided the opportunity to improve resilience and sustainable management of the WEF sectors. In this context, shocks are represented by: 1) historic events, 2) controlled experimental manipulation, and 3) defined inputs to models. This project will identify the interconnections between Water Energy and Food (WEF) through the development of an integrated framework and will reveal the vulnerabilities in the system and the diverse connections between the three facets of the nexus. The project consists of three work packages (WPs) that cover a diverse array of scenarios for both aquatic and terrestrial systems integrated with a social science and economic modelling. In WP1 the response of aquatic food organisms to the shock of delivering the water and energy infrastructure plan will be investigated, culminating in the development of planning decision support tools based on integrated hydrodynamic and agent based models. WP2 will take an experimental, field based, and modelling approach to investigate the response of agriculture (focusing on soils and crops) to flooding under alternative climate change scenarios and based on historic data. The social aspects of shifting agricultural regimes, e.g. greater use of bioenergy crops in areas liable to flooding, will be investigated and quantified. WP3 will provide the social and economic modelling that will gather and analyse data obtained from the case studies and provide feedback to improve the models. Further, WP3 will investigate potential barriers to dissemination and uptake of the results within institutions and by end users that may benefit with the view to develop approaches that ameliorate for this. This work package is also dedicated to ensuring delivery of impact which will be enabled through close collaboration with several non-academic partners including industry. Delivery of the project will be managed by a team with diverse interdisciplinary expertise (including engineers, ecologists, agriculturalists, mathematicians, and social scientists) from the Universities of Southampton, Bath, London, Nottingham, Aberystwyth University, Loughborough University, University College London, HR Wallingford, and supported by the Science and Technology Facilities Council. The team has a proven track record in project management, and strong links to industrial partners and other end users. The project will benefit industry, regulators, government, academia and the general public. The findings will be disseminated to: the academic community through publication of high impact research articles; the public through engagement via national and local media and internet and social networking platforms, and a structured Outreach programme involving schools and local science exhibitions; government through political outreach; and key stakeholders via relevant publications and participation in steering group workshops. The outputs will enable regulators to improve guidelines and to streamline the decision making processes for the benefit of industry and the nation as a whole.

Planned Impact

The challenge of developing and maintaining sustainable Water-Energy-Food (WEF) systems is of national and international importance. The economic success of the UK over the next century will be influenced by todays strategic decisions on how to maintain WEF security and supply in the face of risks posed by ageing infrastructure, increased geopolitical insecurity, and climate change. The UK must successfully develop low carbon WEF sectors and protect biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. This project will have far-ranging and long-lasting impact through the benefit provided to industry, regulators, government, and the wider public. Primary beneficiaries are the energy, water, and food industry. WP1 will provide a water and energy infrastructure planning decision support tool that will enable the electricity generating and water supply sectors to better identify potential environmental impacts and shocks to aquatic provisioning ecosystem services (e.g. fisheries) of proposed infrastructures development. This will improve efficiency of planning and reduce costly delays in the consenting process (see RWE statement of support). Secondary industrial beneficiaries include consultants and other technical specialists tasked with conducting impact assessment and scenario planning for large-scale infrastructure projects. The regulator will benefit through enhanced quality and confidence of information on which decisions are made, thus improving the regulatory and consenting process (see Environment Agency statement of support). Government will benefit through greater capability of delivering the £466 Billion UK infrastructure plan essential to maintaining economic competitiveness and quality of life within the constraints of stringent environmental legislation (e.g. EU Water Framework Directive and Habitats Directive), while enhancing security of supply of water, energy, and food. WP2 will improve resilience of the UKs agriculture and bioenergy sectors in the face of climate change and increased intensity and frequency of shocks (e.g. flooding, droughts, changes in policy). Potential agriculture response to climate shocks, including a potential shift to bioenergy crops, will be evaluated to improve understanding of how resilience may be enhanced. This will benefit the agriculture and bioenergy sectors and related industries, such as environmental consultancies, through the development of integrated modelling approaches that couple empirical (laboratory and field) evidence with numerical modelling of hydrological processes. Policy makers and regulators (e.g. Defra) will benefit from the evidence obtained from the scenario-based modelling. The modelling framework will help the regulators and policy makers with evidence-based decision making. WP 3 will enhance the project's outreach to government and institutional stakeholders by integrating econometric analysis and social science modelling to inform economic and governance audiences. WP3 will integrate all project elements and their different (social and natural) scientific approaches. WP3 will provide a model grounded in empirical observation to assess how project stakeholders 'learn' from nexus shocks to enhance resilience. This will provide guidance on the appropriate type and magnitude of shock mitigation and response. This is of direct value to industry, regulators, local government and national offices (e.g. the Civil Contingencies Secretariat). Stakeholders involved in the project will benefit from policy briefs and recommendations. Overall, the general public will benefit from a securer low-carbon water, energy, and food supply in the face of predicted shortages, reduced costs of more efficient and sustainable WEF systems, a less degraded and more resilient environment, and future benefits generated through the investment in transdisciplinary nexus research and the associated spin-offs to other academic disciplines.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description Since the project ended we have seen some non-academic impact. As part of Nexus activities a response to the Government White Paper on Sustainability of Marine Fisheries was submitted, along with associated blog which lead to engagement with DEFRA regarding priorities for government legislation related to management of fisheries as the UK leaves the Common Fisheries Policy. Likewise, the results of the flooding and dredging work has been shared closely with the Environment Agency which is starting to indicate a change in policy and practice in this area. We envisage that the impact will grow over the coming years as the results of the research are published and disseminated with key stakeholders.
First Year Of Impact 2019
Sector Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment
Impact Types Policy & public services

 
Description Contribution to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) framework for the urban food agenda (1 February 2019),
Geographic Reach Multiple continents/international 
Policy Influence Type Citation in other policy documents
Impact http://www.fao.org/3/ca3151en/CA3151EN.pdf
URL http://www.fao.org/3/ca3151en/CA3151EN.pdf
 
Description Input into the Resilient Melbourne and Resilient Milan strategy development - report identifying key elements of urban resilience in both cities
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Membership of a guideline committee
Impact Report identifying key elements of urban resilience in both cities.
 
Description Response to Government White Paper on Marine Fisheries and invitation to advise DEFRA
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
URL https://www.southampton.ac.uk/publicpolicy/what-we-do/blogs/evidence-to-policy-blog/paul-kemp-fisher...
 
Description EPSRC GCRF Institutional Sponsorship 2017
Amount £25,000 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2017 
End 03/2018
 
Description Ecological, hydromorpholological and physico-chemical impacts of water injection dredging in the River Parrett, Somerset
Amount £15,719 (GBP)
Organisation Somerset Drainage Boards Consortium 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2017 
End 02/2018
 
Description Impact Accelerator award
Amount £25,000 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/K503745/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2018 
End 09/2021
 
Description Newton Fund Institutional Links
Amount £60,000 (GBP)
Organisation British Council 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2018 
End 01/2020
 
Description RWE Postdoctoral Research Funding
Amount £24,000 (GBP)
Organisation RWE AG 
Sector Private
Country Germany
Start 03/2018 
End 10/2018
 
Description RWE nPower partial sponsorship of EPSRC funded CDT-Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (CDT-SIS) student
Amount £36,000 (GBP)
Organisation RWE AG 
Department RWE nPower
Sector Private
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2016 
End 09/2019
 
Description Specific research funding to assess fish response to electric fields to protect them and hydropower dams
Amount $275,000 (USD)
Organisation Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United States
Start 11/2017 
End 01/2018
 
Title A "tacit networks" analysis method 
Description Development of the a "tacit networks" analysis method to map the informal networks emerging as a response to a shock in the built environment, addressing core needs of city dwellers. The assessment was developed in collaboration with the World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), and tested in collaboration with the New School on the case of Kathmandu, Nepal and the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. The method is detailed in: Carrero, R., Acuto, M., Tzachor, A., Subedi, N., Campbell, B., & To, L. S. (2018). Tacit networks, crucial care: Informal networks and disaster response in Nepal's 2015 Gorkha earthquake. Urban Studies 56 (3): 561-577 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2018 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact See above 
 
Title Agent Based Model for eel movements at infrastructure 
Description The Universities of Southampton and Nottingham in collaboration with HR Wallingford are developing an Agent Based Model that can be integrated with hydrodynamics models (e.g. of rivers or estuaries) to predict the movement of eels at potential sites for infrastructure development. By developing this tool for the critically threatened European eel, as species listed by ICES, we will reduce the need to conduct studies using real animals thus impacting the 3Rs (see www.nc3rs.org.uk/3Rs). This will reduce the number of animals used and need to conduct invasive techniques (associated with telemetry) which can cause animal pain or stress. 
Type Of Material Biological samples 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact It is currently too early to demonstrate impact for this tool as it is still under development and evaluation. 
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/research/
 
Title Soil sensors (University of Bath) 
Description As part of the VTN project the University of Bath have developed an impedimetric sensor for monitoring the microbial activity in soils. They have also developed a self-powered sensor that informs on the quality of soils in terms of nutrients and eventual presence of toxic substances (e.g. pesticides). These tools inform on the healthiness of the soil after extreme climate shocks and assist informed decision on the crops to plant on a specific soil. We have tested the sensors in the lab with soil samples from Aberystwyth, in flooded/non flooded areas. We are now working at integrating the sensors with a wireless acquisition system to test the sensors in field and particularly in Tauton, along with commercial sensors installed by Loughborough University. 
Type Of Material Biological samples 
Year Produced 2016 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Demonstration of the impacts of this tool has not yet been realised. 
 
Title The "determinants of urban resilience" index method 
Description Development of the "determinants of urban resilience" index method to understand impact of different categories of urban governance on the resilience of critical nexus infrastructure (water, energy, food) in city-regions. The assessment was developed in collaboration with Resilient Melbourne and the Urban Systems Lab at the New School, and further funded via an EPSRC impact accelerator grant***. The methodology is forthcoming as a final report of the Connected Cities Lab at the University of Melbourne . 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2019 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact See above 
 
Title Dataset for 'Electricity generation from moss with light-driven microbial fuel cells' 
Description This dataset includes the raw data collected for the Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 within the research paper entitled 'Electricity generation from moss with light-driven microbial fuel cells'. This dataset includes X-ray diffraction, linear sweep voltammetry, current vs. time, cyclic voltammetry, current vs. power density, current vs. polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2018 
Provided To Others? Yes  
 
Title Dataset supporting the publication "Boyle's Law ignores dynamic processes in governing barotrauma in fish" 
Description This dataset supports the publication by Kerr, J.R., White, P.R., Leighton, T.G., Silva, L.G.M., and Kemp, P.S. "Boyle's Law ignores dynamic processes in governing barotrauma in fish" in JOURNAL: Scientific Reports . The repository includes the three hydropower and one pumping station pressure profiles used in the study: Boyle's Law ignores dynamic processes in governing barotrauma in fish. The data includes 4 csv files: Cougar Dam Ice Harbour Dam Nam Ngum Dam Pumping station This research was funded by 1) an Institutional Links 2017 grant, ID 332396528, under the Newton-Brazil Fund partnership (British Council) (Brazilian funding: FAPEMIG, project ID: CHE-APQ-04822-17, call: CONFAP-British Council) and 2) the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Reference: EP/N005961/1) through the IDEAS Factory Sandpits programme. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2023 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/483511
 
Description Collaboration with Terravesta in Field Trials 
Organisation Terravesta Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Terravesta (www.terravesta.com) are a supplier of the bioenergy crop (Miscanthus) to power generation companies. The results of our research have direct relevance to them in helping them improve efficiency of production, and mapping potential sites for future exploitation based on quality of growing conditions.
Collaborator Contribution Terravesta provide the VTN team with information on their business, access to sites, reality checks during co-collaboration and idea generation, and opportunities for media outreach.
Impact Press releases and radio reports (see section on outreach)
Start Year 2015
 
Description RWE nPpower collaboration on VTN Agent Based Modelling 
Organisation RWE AG
Department RWE nPower
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution The research team involving members from the University of Southampton, University of Nottingham, and HR Wallingford are using the results of experimental studies to develop a rule base of fish behaviour in response to hydrodynamics. This is used to create an integrated hydrodynamic and agent based model to help support planning decisions in relation to power station infrastructure planning.
Collaborator Contribution RWE nPower are working closely with the team to give reality checks on the model and to provide data and a site (Pembroke Power Station) for which a final agent based model will be developed as proof of concept
Impact This is a multidisciplinary collaboration. It is too early for the impact and outcomes to have materialised but the pathway is being developed.
Start Year 2015
 
Description World Bank 
Organisation World Bank Group
Country United States 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution World Bank Global Facility for Disaster and Risk Reduction (GFDRR) and Red Cross Climate Centre: grants for analysis of informal networks in disaster response. UCL reviewed the value added of capacity building in disaster response/prevention projects. Between September 2015 and November 2016. The review of GFDRR disaster reduction/response (DRR) operations over 2014 and 2015 indicated a focus on the 24% of operations dedicated to capacity building (approx $33m worth of investments). UCL produced a systematic review of operations, a series of in-depth case studies, and an advisory brief for the World Bank and GFDRR Consultative Group of donors as to how to reform the management of capacity building activities in DRR.
Collaborator Contribution Through this effort the World Bank provided access to information and financial support that has been incorporated into activities taking place as part of the NEXUS project.
Impact This project enabled a Research Assistant post to be funded in residence the World Bank (12 months, approx. £28,500 - RA in post: Ms Louisa Helen Barker). Further the project funded 0.3 FTE of existing GFDRR Research Assistant employed at the World Bank (12 months - RA in post: Mr Andres Gonzales), and 0.05 FTE of existing Senior Specialist to manage the project at the World Bank (1é months - PI: Dr Federica Ranghieri). The outputs included a description of project: https://www.gfdrr.org/reviewing-the-impact-of-capacity-building-in-gfdrr, and a full report https://www.gfdrr.org/sites/default/files/publication/CapBld-FULLDOC-Report-Web.pdf
Start Year 2015
 
Description 27th - 28th June 2018: Interdisciplinary Nexus Science and Fish Cognition Workshop, Southampton. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact We were joined by world leading experts in an innovative interdisciplinary workshop to explore creativity in Nexus Science, and implications for enhancing environmental impact mitigation technology to protect fish at river infrastructure as part of Work Package 1. Scientists from across the globe, including South Africa, Sweden, and the United States, with diverse backgrounds in physics, extra sensory perception, acoustics, biology, animal behaviour, materials engineering, agent based modelling, and fluid mechanics exchanged ideas and developed plans for new innovate ways forward.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/meetings-events/
 
Description 9th July 2018: Cross project meeting at Lloyds Register, London. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact he three projects that were funded through the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Ideas Factory "Sandpit", Stepping Up, WEFWEBS, and Vaccinating the Nexus met to share results and experiences from their projects with the view to developing recommendations for future activies and ideas for continued funding in this area. Members of all three projects, the original advisory board, and an EPSRC representative attended this event.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/meetings-events/
 
Description Annual International Conference 2016 Royal Geographical Society 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A conference session involving all three NEXUS projects presenting preliminary results from Nexus Attitudes National Survey (WP3). Group discussion on the outcomes from 3 Nexus Projects: Vaccinating the Nexus, WEBWEFs and Stepping Up
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://www.rgs.org/WhatsOn/ConferencesAndSeminars/Annual+International+Conference/Past+and+future+co...
 
Description BBC Countryfile Live 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact In August 2016 VTN students and staff joined the University of Southampton Roadshow to host a science tent at the inaugural BBC Countryfile Live. Over four days the event attracted in excess of 100,000 visitors and was televised on the BBC's prime time Countryfile programme. The University of Southampton was the only science tent invited and we had the largest exhibition space. With a range of staff and students on hand to explain VTN research we found that engagement was extremely high with a long linger time, return visits and original visits due to word of mouth.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/meetings-events/
 
Description BBC Wales interview 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The Co-I at the University of Aberystwyth, Sarah Purdy, gave an interview to BBC Wales to disseminate information to the General Public on the possible use of Miscanthus on flood-prone land (15/01/16).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description CIWEM Webinar 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A webinar entitled Agent-based modelling of juvenile eel migration through estuaries. Presented by Tob Benson at HR Wallingford for the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.ciwem.org/events/agent-based-modelling-of-juvenile-eel-migration-through-estuaries-webin...
 
Description GCRF Workshop in Nexus Science - Developing links with South America 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Driven by the VTN project and USRG in Nexus Science, we have used GCRF seed funding provided by EPSRC to develop a South American Network involving researchers, industry, and low income vulnerable groups from Bolivia, Paraguay, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil to develop a programme of research in Water-Energy-Food Nexus, focusing particularly on sustainable fisheries in regions where extensive hydropower development is underway or planned.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://www.southampton.ac.uk/nexus-science/news/2018/02/s-american-gcrf-visit.page?
 
Description Guest Lecture from Professor David Hunter in collaboration with the USRG in Nexus Science 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact This guest presentation focused on the Nexus, but particularly the water domain and how reductions in water use often carry unforeseen increases in energy use.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL https://www.southampton.ac.uk/nexus-science/news/2017/12/david-butler-news.page?
 
Description Guest presentation in collaboration with USRG in Nexus Science from Professor Guy Poppy from the Food Standards Agency 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact A guest lecture at the University of Southampton with participants from the VTN project focusing on the work of the FSA, and the issues of NEXUS when considering food resource management.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Hydromorphological and ecological impacts of water injection dredging in the River Parrett, Somerset Levels, Somerset, UK. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Pledger, AG, Yu, D, Wood, P, Johnson, M, Ryves, D. 2018. Hydromorphological and ecological impacts of water injection dredging in the River Parrett, Somerset Levels, Somerset, UK. Poster presentation: AGU fall meeting 2018, Washington DC, USA. 11th December 2018, pp. 0-0.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Hydromorphological and ecological impacts of water injection dredging in the River Parrett, Somerset Levels, Somerset, UK. Oral presentation: BHS 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Pledger, AG, Yu, D, Wood, P, Johnson, M, Ryves, D. 2018. Hydromorphological and ecological impacts of water injection dredging in the River Parrett, Somerset Levels, Somerset, UK. Oral presentation: BHS Thirteenth National Symposium: Hydrology: Advances in Theory and Practice, Westminster, UK. 13th September 2018, pp. 0-0.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Inaugural launch of University of Southampton cross-faculty Strategic Research Group in Nexus Science 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Building on the EPSRC VTN project a new University Strategic Research Group in Nexus Science was launched at the University of Southampton. The inaugural event involved a guest lecture givenby Professor Tim Benton, the UK Governments Champion for Global Food Security, and was attended by members of the VTN team, including industry partners, and a representative from EPSRC. The accompanying workshop focused on defining key challenges faced in the WEF NEXUS sphere.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/meetings-events/
 
Description January 2019 XXVII Plant and Animal Genome conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Kam J., Thomas D., Pierre S., McCalmont J.P, Purdy S.J. The advantage of perennial Miscanthus in biogas yield and further improvement on biomass composition. XXVII Plant and Animal Genome conference, San Diego (oral presentation)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Manufacturing microbial fuel cell sensors from low-cost and biodegradable materials. EU-ISMET 2018. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Di Lorenzo, M. Manufacturing microbial fuel cell sensors from low-cost and biodegradable materials. EU-ISMET 2018. 12-14th September 2018. Newcastle, UK. Keynote invited talk
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description November 2018 Water Energy NEXUS Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Kam J., Traynor D., Clifton Brown J.C., Purdy S.J., McCalmont J.P. Miscanthus as energy crop and mean of mitigating flood. Water Energy NEXUS Conference, Salerno (poster and short oral presentation)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Paul Kemp BBC radio solent interview regarding the Nexus 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The radio interview was to describe to the general public the challenges faced by society in the WEF NEXUS sphere and to explain the aims of this project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/media/
 
Description Press Release Farmers Guide 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact A Farmers Guide Article prepared by the University of Aberystwyth on how Miscanthus trails could provide solution for flood problems of the future.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/media/
 
Description Revealing the impact that biofilm morphologies om 3D printed electrodes have on microbial fuel cells performance. European Fuel Cell Conference 2017. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Rengaraj, S, Scott, J L, Di Lorenzo, M. Revealing the impact that biofilm morphologies om 3D printed electrodes have on microbial fuel cells performance. European Fuel Cell Conference 2017. 12-15th December, Naples, Italy. Poster presentation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Second RWE nPower engagement event - VTN workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact After meeting the Environment Agency during a visit to the Thames Barrier the VTN retreated to the Crystal, a Siemens sustainable cities building. The participants focused on updating a key industry sponsor, RWE nPower, on work package progress and future project planning.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/meetings-events/
 
Description Seminar given to DEFRA 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Co-I from Cambridge, Shaun Larcom, provided a seminar for the Farm Business Unit at DEFRA.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Survey with experts and authorities in Milan (Comune di Milano) facilitated by the Resilient Milan office 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact survey with experts and authorities in Milan (Comune di Milano) facilitated by the Resilient Milan office
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Thirteenth National Symposium: Hydrology: Advances in Theory and Practice, Westminster, UK. 13th September 2018, 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Presentation
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description USRG Nexus Science presentation to the Royal Society - Guy Poppy and Tiina Roose 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Led by the USRG in Nexus Science, this presentation was part of the University's series of lectures addressing grand challenge research areas - in this case focusing on food security.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL https://www.southampton.ac.uk/nexus-science/news/2017/09/guypoppy-foodsecurity-rs-lecture.page?
 
Description VTN Agent Based Modelling Workshops 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Study participants or study members
Results and Impact This meeting involved key participants from work package 1: Southampton, HR Wallingford, and Nottingham. Literature analysis and experimental research to quantify eel response to hydrodynamic is well underway; the next challenge being the development of an Agent Based Model to predict eel migratory paths in estuaries, how to validate these at test sites with eel movement data in Sweden, before final application to a key case-study in the UK. Participants discussed potential challenges and commenced planning of future workshops. Participants from Sweded joined via Skype, and RWE nPower attended on one of the days.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/meetings-events/
 
Description VTN Hockerton Housing Project Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact The whole VTN team reconvened for the third workshop at the Hockerton Housing Project in Nottinghamshire. The workshops included a skype meeting with project partners at the Swedish University of Agriculture to discuss validation of the Agent Based Model. The VTN project engaged through discussions of NEXUS thinking with the staff on the sustainable housing project (commenced in 1998) which was designed to be sustainable and consists of five troglodyte earth sheltered homes with a heating system based on thermal mass storage, passive solar gain, and super-insulation and buffer zones. The small community generates electricity with two wind turbines, maintains its own water supply and waste water treatment, and produces much of its own food.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/meetings-events/
 
Description VTN Southampton ABM workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact In an effort to widen participation and provide added value to the VTN project this workshop was held in collaboration with the EPSRC funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (CDT-SIS), the International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research (ICER), and the Institute for Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR). Participants discussed methods to quantify animal movement trajectories using a range of techniques including video analysis, particle tracking, hydroacoustics, and telemetry. The use of the data for the development of predictive tools, including Agent Based Models developed as part of the VTN project, was considered.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL http://nexus.soton.ac.uk/meetings-events/
 
Description VTN and USRG in NEXUS Science participation in the University of Southampton Roadshow 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact For the second year running the VTN team and USRG in Nexus Science have been active participants in the University of Southampton Roadshow in collaboration with the EPSRC Funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Infrastructure Systems. This has involved discussing our research activities with the General Public at a range of events, including BBC Countryfile Live, The Isle of Wight Festival, School outreach visits, and the University of Southampton Science Festival.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL https://www.southampton.ac.uk/per/university/roadshow.page
 
Description Vaccinating the Nexus Website 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The development of the Vaccinating the NEXUS project website.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
URL http://www.nexus.soton.ac.uk
 
Description Workshop for PhD students focusing on NEXUS Science 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact The NEXUS-Science USRG and the ADVENT project jointly sponsored a 2 day workshop for PhD students across the UK: 'Spatial modelling of socio-ecological systems'.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL https://www.southampton.ac.uk/nexus-science/news/2017/11/advent-nexus-event.page?
 
Description Workshop with experts and authorities in Melbourne 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Results discussion workshop with experts and authorities in Melbourne (Emergency Management Victoria, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victorian Managed Insurance Authority, Department of Economic Development) hosted by the Resilient Melbourne office
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Workshop with the City of Milan and the City of Melbourne to develop the 'determinants of urban resilience' index method 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Policy maker workshop in Milan
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description workshop with experts and authorities in Melbourne 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Workshop with Emergency Management Victoria, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victorian Managed Insurance Authority, Department of Economic Development hosted by the Resilient Melbourne office.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018