Queen's University Belfast Consolidated Grant in Solar Physics and Solar System Studies 2017 - 2020
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: Sch of Mathematics and Physics
Abstract
Our Consolidated Grant brings together research projects in solar physics, and the study of solar system bodies, undertaken by staff within the School of Mathematics and Physics at Queen's University Belfast. All of these projects fall within the remit of the Solar Studies (SS) and Planetary Studies (PL) sub-panels of the STFC Astronomy Grants Panel. The programme is diverse, with the solar physics projects involving observational and computational studies of the solar atmosphere from the chromosphere to the corona, with a particular emphasis on high-frequency imaging and spectroscopy of dynamic events, including wave generation, propagation and dissipation, the cancellation of magnetic elements and total solar eclipses. Projects on solar system bodies include observational studies of asteroids and the most primitive populations such as comets/trans-Neptunian objects - populations that retain key information on the origin and evolution of our planetary system.
Our observational research employs an extensive set of both ground- and satellite-based solar and astronomical facilities, including the ROSA/HARDcam high-cadence solar imager, the Pan-STARRS Survey, ESO, ING and Gemini telescopes, and the SDO and Hinode satellites. In addition, we use the DiRAC supercomputing facility to support the computational aspects of our research programmes.
Our observational research employs an extensive set of both ground- and satellite-based solar and astronomical facilities, including the ROSA/HARDcam high-cadence solar imager, the Pan-STARRS Survey, ESO, ING and Gemini telescopes, and the SDO and Hinode satellites. In addition, we use the DiRAC supercomputing facility to support the computational aspects of our research programmes.
Planned Impact
1. Public engagement
Our research fields of solar physics and solar system studies are ideal for public engagement activities, as these astronomical sources are generally observable either with the naked eye or small telescopes (which we provide at our public events). We have a wide-ranging, vibrant and extremely popular outreach portfolio linked to our research fields, which have a major impact on society and (in particular) schoolchildren. Our outreach programmes, which will be ongoing over the period of the Consolidated Grant, include:
- Horizons in Physics, an event held annually in September and which attracts 400 5th- and 6th-form students.
- Physics Teachers Conference - held annually in June and attended by 40-50 teachers. The conference always includes at least one talk on our astrophysics research.
- NI Science Festival - held annually in February, at which we give talks on our research, attended by typically 300 people. We also contribute to a week-long exhibition in the Ulster Museum, with an attendance of several thousand.
- Stargazing Live - we contribute to this regular event (typical attendance of 400) in both solar physics and solar system studies, such as a Jupiter watch (January 2014) and partial solar eclipse (March 2015), including the provision of telescopes for public use. Future events will include the eclipse in August 2017, which will be partially visible from Northern Ireland.
- We are introducing, from January 2016, an annual work experience programme in astrophysics for 6th-formers. It will support 5 students per year in solar physics and solar system studies.
- We have an active talks programme, available to schools, clubs, societies and FE colleges. Talks by the Applicants related to the current proposal are given about 20 times per year, and include Death of the Dinosaurs and Why is the Sky Blue?
2. Knowledge exchange engagement
We have 2 such programmes with links to the present application, outlined below.
2.1 Detector development
We are working with ANDOR Technology PLC on the development of large-format, high-speed sCMOS cameras for the new DKIST 4-m solar telescope, funded by a PPRP grant for £1.9M. This has arisen from our collaborative work with ANDOR on the provision of detectors for our ROSA/HARDcam solar imager. As well as providing the full complement of 9 cameras for DKIST, the development work will allow ANDOR to make further inroads into the astronomy market. Indeed, this work has already led to a further grant from the EU to investigate detector options for the European Solar Telescope (EST), with a view to ANDOR providing the detector suite as and when EST is approved. In the longer term, a major aim is to adapt the DKIST camera platform for high-speed X-ray detection applications, including protein crystallography and 3D X-ray tomography.
2.2 Biomarker detection in medical patient samples
We are working with Randox Laboratories, a global market leader in the medical diagnostic industry, as part of a proposed Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Applications at Queen's. The focus of the Centre will be to deliver core technologies for the detection of multiple chemical constituents from a single patient sample. Through our solar physics work on high-cadence imaging, we have extensive experience in optics and image processing, and will be involved in designing custom image processing solutions that can be utilised specifically for biomedical applications. For example, one area for investigation will be methods to increase the sensitivity of detection for biomarkers, in turn improving the detection window for elevated levels of biomarkers so that they can be identified earlier and treatment can be started sooner. A proposal totalling £2.5M to establish the Centre for Excellence in Biomedical Applications has been submitted to InvestNI (the industrial development agency for Northern Ireland).
Our research fields of solar physics and solar system studies are ideal for public engagement activities, as these astronomical sources are generally observable either with the naked eye or small telescopes (which we provide at our public events). We have a wide-ranging, vibrant and extremely popular outreach portfolio linked to our research fields, which have a major impact on society and (in particular) schoolchildren. Our outreach programmes, which will be ongoing over the period of the Consolidated Grant, include:
- Horizons in Physics, an event held annually in September and which attracts 400 5th- and 6th-form students.
- Physics Teachers Conference - held annually in June and attended by 40-50 teachers. The conference always includes at least one talk on our astrophysics research.
- NI Science Festival - held annually in February, at which we give talks on our research, attended by typically 300 people. We also contribute to a week-long exhibition in the Ulster Museum, with an attendance of several thousand.
- Stargazing Live - we contribute to this regular event (typical attendance of 400) in both solar physics and solar system studies, such as a Jupiter watch (January 2014) and partial solar eclipse (March 2015), including the provision of telescopes for public use. Future events will include the eclipse in August 2017, which will be partially visible from Northern Ireland.
- We are introducing, from January 2016, an annual work experience programme in astrophysics for 6th-formers. It will support 5 students per year in solar physics and solar system studies.
- We have an active talks programme, available to schools, clubs, societies and FE colleges. Talks by the Applicants related to the current proposal are given about 20 times per year, and include Death of the Dinosaurs and Why is the Sky Blue?
2. Knowledge exchange engagement
We have 2 such programmes with links to the present application, outlined below.
2.1 Detector development
We are working with ANDOR Technology PLC on the development of large-format, high-speed sCMOS cameras for the new DKIST 4-m solar telescope, funded by a PPRP grant for £1.9M. This has arisen from our collaborative work with ANDOR on the provision of detectors for our ROSA/HARDcam solar imager. As well as providing the full complement of 9 cameras for DKIST, the development work will allow ANDOR to make further inroads into the astronomy market. Indeed, this work has already led to a further grant from the EU to investigate detector options for the European Solar Telescope (EST), with a view to ANDOR providing the detector suite as and when EST is approved. In the longer term, a major aim is to adapt the DKIST camera platform for high-speed X-ray detection applications, including protein crystallography and 3D X-ray tomography.
2.2 Biomarker detection in medical patient samples
We are working with Randox Laboratories, a global market leader in the medical diagnostic industry, as part of a proposed Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Applications at Queen's. The focus of the Centre will be to deliver core technologies for the detection of multiple chemical constituents from a single patient sample. Through our solar physics work on high-cadence imaging, we have extensive experience in optics and image processing, and will be involved in designing custom image processing solutions that can be utilised specifically for biomedical applications. For example, one area for investigation will be methods to increase the sensitivity of detection for biomarkers, in turn improving the detection window for elevated levels of biomarkers so that they can be identified earlier and treatment can be started sooner. A proposal totalling £2.5M to establish the Centre for Excellence in Biomedical Applications has been submitted to InvestNI (the industrial development agency for Northern Ireland).
Organisations
Publications
Prasad S
(2017)
UNRAVELLING THE COMPONENTS OF A MULTI-THERMAL CORONAL LOOP USING MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SEISMOLOGY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Prasad S. K.
(2017)
Unravelling the components of a multi-thermal coronal loop using magnetohydrodynamic seismology.
in The Astrophysical Journal
Procházka O
(2017)
Suppression of Hydrogen Emission in an X-class White-light Solar Flare
in The Astrophysical Journal
Procházka O
(2018)
Reproducing Type II White-light Solar Flare Observations with Electron and Proton Beam Simulations
in The Astrophysical Journal
Procházka O
(2019)
Hydrogen Emission in Type II White-light Solar Flares
in The Astrophysical Journal
Quinn S
(2021)
Flare-induced Sunquake Signatures in the Ultraviolet as Observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly
in The Astrophysical Journal
Quinn S
(2019)
The Chromospheric Response to the Sunquake Generated by the X9.3 Flare of NOAA 12673
in The Astrophysical Journal
Ramsbottom C
(2018)
Benchmarking Current Capabilities for the Generation of Excitation and Photoionisation Atomic Data
in Galaxies
Rees-Crockford T
(2022)
Preemergence Signatures of Horizontal Divergent Flows in Solar Active Regions
in The Astrophysical Journal
Reid A
(2017)
Solar Ellerman Bombs in 1D Radiative Hydrodynamics
in The Astrophysical Journal
Reid A
(2017)
Chromospheric Inversions of a Micro-flaring Region
in The Astrophysical Journal
Reid A
(2020)
Chromospheric Bubbles in Solar Flares
in The Astrophysical Journal
Reid A
(2018)
Penumbral Waves Driving Solar Fan-shaped Chromospheric Jets
in The Astrophysical Journal
Reid A.
(2018)
Penumbral Waves driving Solar chromospheric fan-shaped jets
in arXiv e-prints
Reshetnyk V
(2018)
Dynamics of Dust Particles of Different Structure: Application to the Modeling of Dust Motion in the Vicinity of the Nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
in Solar System Research
Rimmele T
(2020)
The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope - Observatory Overview
in Solar Physics
Robinson J
(2020)
Investigating gravitational collapse of a pebble cloud to form transneptunian binaries
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rozek A
(2019)
Physical model of near-Earth asteroid (1917) Cuyo from ground-based optical and thermal-IR observations
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rudawy P
(2019)
A Search for High-Frequency Coronal Brightness Variations in the 21 August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
in Solar Physics
Schwamb Megan E.
(2018)
Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Solar System Science Roadmap
in arXiv e-prints
Seccull T
(2018)
2004 EW 95 : A Phyllosilicate-bearing Carbonaceous Asteroid in the Kuiper Belt
in The Astrophysical Journal
Seccull T
(2019)
174P/Echeclus and Its Blue Coma Observed Post-outburst
in The Astronomical Journal
Sivo G
(2020)
GNAO: an MCAO facility for Gemini North
Snodgrass C
(2018)
The Castalia mission to Main Belt Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro
in Advances in Space Research
Snodgrass C
(2017)
The 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko observation campaign in support of the Rosetta mission.
in Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
Snodgrass C
(2017)
The Main Belt Comets and ice in the Solar System
in The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review
Snodgrass C
(2017)
X-shooter search for outgassing from main belt comet P/2012 T1 (Pan-STARRS)
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Snodgrass C.
(2017)
The Castalia Mission to Main Belt Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro
in ArXiv e-prints
Srivastava A
(2020)
Velocity Response of the Observed Explosive Events in the Lower Solar Atmosphere. I. Formation of the Flowing Cool-loop System
in The Astrophysical Journal
Stangalini M
(2018)
Propagating Spectropolarimetric Disturbances in a Large Sunspot
in The Astrophysical Journal
Stangalini M
(2021)
Spectropolarimetric fluctuations in a sunspot chromosphere.
in Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
Strøm P
(2020)
Exocomets from a Solar System Perspective
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Summers R
(2018)
Construction update of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope project
Sych R
(2021)
The dynamics of 3-min wavefronts and their relation to sunspot magnetic fields.
in Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
Thompson A
(2017)
The changing face of a Centauri B: probing plage and stellar activity in K dwarfs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Vaduvescu O
(2018)
280 one-opposition near-Earth asteroids recovered by the EURONEAR with the Isaac Newton Telescope
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Vernazza P
(2018)
The impact crater at the origin of the Julia family detected with VLT/SPHERE?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Viikinkoski M
(2018)
(16) Psyche: A mesosiderite-like asteroid?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Vilangot Nhalil N
(2020)
Power-law energy distributions of small-scale impulsive events on the active Sun: results from IRIS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volk K
(2018)
OSSOS. IX. Two Objects in Neptune's 9:1 Resonance-Implications for Resonance Sticking in the Scattering Population
in The Astronomical Journal
White S
(2018)
Production of photoionized plasmas in the laboratory with x-ray line radiation.
in Physical review. E
Young P
(2018)
Solar Ultraviolet Bursts
in Space Science Reviews
Young P. R.
(2018)
A Si IV/O IV electron density diagnostic for the analysis of IRIS solar spectra
in ArXiv e-prints
Zuccarello F.
(2019)
Continuum emission enhancements and penumbral changes observed during flares by
IRIS, ROSA, and
Hinode
in NUOVO CIMENTO C-COLLOQUIA AND COMMUNICATIONS IN PHYSICS
| Title | The science in science-fiction films and television programmes |
| Description | This is a collection of presentations which use clips of science-fiction films and television shows (e.g. Star Wars, Star Trek) to show how science is portrayed in these media, and discusses how accurate (or otherwise) these portrayals are. Presentation includes discussion of our research on exoplanets. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2008 |
| Impact | The presentations were first produced back in 2007 - supported by an STFC Public Understanding of Science (PUS) Small Award - and since then have been regularly updated, and will continue through 2020. They have been delivered to audiences totalling many thousands - probably over 3000 over the last 3 years alone, These include the general public, schools, higher educational institutes, research establishments. |
| Description | Contribution to summer schools |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Staff have contributed (and continue to contribute) to various summer schools and workshops aimed at training postgraduate students. A recent example is the UKRI STFC Introductory Course in Astronomy for New PhD Students, hosted at Queen's University in August 2018. |
| Description | Astronomy Research Grants |
| Amount | £1,307,461 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/P000304/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 03/2020 |
| Description | Before and After Halley: Medieval Visions of Modern Science |
| Amount | £98,149 (GBP) |
| Organisation | The Royal Society |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2017 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Description | Detector development for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope |
| Amount | £1,983,771 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/L006308/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2014 |
| End | 12/2018 |
| Description | EU Horizon 2020 |
| Amount | € 18,750 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 739500 |
| Organisation | European Union |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | Exploring Citizen Science Use Cases with the Lasair transient alert broker |
| Amount | £19,907 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/T018909/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2020 |
| End | 10/2020 |
| Description | Faint signals from bright sources: identifying high-frequency waves in the Sun |
| Amount | £274,257 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | RPG-2019-371 |
| Organisation | The Leverhulme Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2020 |
| End | 05/2024 |
| Description | Funding for UK access to the Swedish Solar Telescope in 2018 |
| Amount | £44,961 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/P007198/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2017 |
| End | 03/2017 |
| Description | Funding for UK access to the Swedish Solar Telescope in 2019 |
| Amount | £51,679 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/S001182/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2018 |
| End | 02/2019 |
| Description | Further supplement to detector development for the DKIST solar telescope |
| Amount | £30,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/L006308/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2018 |
| End | 12/2018 |
| Description | Integrating High Resolution Solar Physics. |
| Amount | £123,310 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 824135 |
| Organisation | European Union |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 12/2023 |
| Description | Magnetic reconnection and turbulence in the lower solar atmosphere |
| Amount | £99,905 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Surrey |
| Department | Daphne Jackson Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2018 |
| End | 04/2021 |
| Description | New Applicant Scheme Consolidated Grant Application in Solar System Studies- Towards the Solar System's Edge: Exploring the Inner Oort Cloud |
| Amount | £225,555 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/V000691/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2021 |
| End | 03/2023 |
| Description | Not applicable |
| Amount | £150,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | R/139338 |
| Organisation | University of Sheffield |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2015 |
| End | 12/2018 |
| Description | Not applicable |
| Amount | £13,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2391 |
| Organisation | Armagh Observatory and Planetarium |
| Department | Armagh Observatory |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2016 |
| End | 03/2017 |
| Description | Not applicable |
| Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2174 |
| Organisation | Armagh Observatory and Planetarium |
| Department | Armagh Observatory |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2015 |
| End | 03/2018 |
| Description | Not applicable |
| Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MOA 27072015 |
| Organisation | University of St Andrews |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2015 |
| End | 12/2018 |
| Description | Not applicable |
| Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MOA/STL6324 |
| Organisation | University of Warwick |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2015 |
| End | 12/2018 |
| Description | Not applicable |
| Amount | £3,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | TSST |
| Organisation | Northumbria University |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2016 |
| End | 02/2017 |
| Description | Not applicable |
| Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 4500212929 |
| Organisation | Northumbria University |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2015 |
| End | 05/2018 |
| Description | Not applicable |
| Amount | £3,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | OTSST |
| Organisation | University of Sheffield |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2016 |
| End | 02/2017 |
| Description | Not applicable |
| Amount | £50,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | PO 1643843 |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2015 |
| End | 12/2018 |
| Description | PATT Travel Grant for observational astrophysics at QUB: 2018 - 2020 |
| Amount | £35,426 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/S001298/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2018 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | PATT Travel Grant for observational astrophysics at QUB: 2020 - 2022 |
| Amount | £35,378 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/V00199X/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2020 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | Preparatory Phase for the European Solar Telescope |
| Amount | £14,424 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 739500 |
| Organisation | European Commission H2020 |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Belgium |
| Start | 06/2017 |
| End | 05/2020 |
| Description | Queen's University Belfast Consolidated Grant in Solar Physics and Solar System Studies 2020 - 2023 |
| Amount | £862,359 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/T00021X/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2020 |
| End | 03/2023 |
| Description | Randox Laboratories R and D Initiative |
| Amount | £2,398,846 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Randox Laboratories |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | Global |
| Start | 05/2017 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | STFC Belfast 2019 DTP |
| Amount | £305,744 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/T506369/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2019 |
| End | 09/2023 |
| Description | STFC Belfast 2020 DTP |
| Amount | £234,120 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/V506990/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2020 |
| End | 09/2024 |
| Description | Supplement to detector development for the DKIST solar telescope |
| Amount | £51,300 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/L006308/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 12/2018 |
| Description | The SOXS consortium : Data Flow Architecture Work Package |
| Amount | £239,079 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/S002693/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2018 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | The polarimetric Properties of Waves in The Solar Atmosphere |
| Amount | £88,054 (GBP) |
| Organisation | The Leverhulme Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 03/2020 |
| Description | UK Involvement in LSST: Phase A |
| Amount | £380,328 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/N002520/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Description | UK-DKIST Science Support |
| Amount | £238,550 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ND2550C |
| Organisation | Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 04/2020 |
| End | 09/2023 |
| Description | UK-DKIST Science Support |
| Amount | £172,190 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/T001437/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2019 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | UK-India Education and Research Initiative |
| Amount | £48,900 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | UGC -UKIERI -2017/18-014 |
| Organisation | British Council |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 03/2020 |
| Title | Development of data reduction and analysis techniques |
| Description | As part of our ongoing research programmes , staff continually develop new and improved data reduction and modelling tools. These will be detailed in the resultant research outputs. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Such tools and methods can be accessed by the worldwide astronomical community via our outputs in journals and conference proceedings. |
| Title | Database of (reduced) data from the ROSA solar imager and instruments on the Swedish Solar Telescope. |
| Description | Database of reduced solar imaging data from the ROSA imager and Swedish Solar Telescope (including application of image reconstruction software to produce images at the diffraction limit). |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Databases for both ROSA and SST data are now well established and accessed by the solar physics community. |
| Description | Collaborative Agreement for DKIST Science Support at Queen's University Belfast |
| Organisation | National Solar Observatory (NSO) |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Provision of a Support Facility at Queen's University Belfast for observing and data reduction with the DKIST solar telescope. |
| Collaborator Contribution | NSO is providing 50% funding for a PDRA for the project, matched by 50% from STFC. NSO is also providing funding for computer equipment for the project, in this case their 50% funding being matched by 50% from Queen's University. |
| Impact | None to date |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Collaborative agreement for development of detectors for the DKIST solar telescope. |
| Organisation | Andor Technology |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Advice on camera requirements to meet science goals, and will test cameras when ready. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Building the cameras. |
| Impact | None as yet. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaborative agreement for purchase of Swedish Solar Telescope Time 2017 - 2019 |
| Organisation | Stockholm University |
| Country | Sweden |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Part-funding to purchase time on the Swedish Solar Telescope (SST) for use by the UK solar physics community during calendar years 2017, 2018 and 2019. |
| Collaborator Contribution | UK partners - Armagh Observatory, Sheffield University and Northumbria University - also provided a financial contribution to purchase the SST time. There is also an agreement between Queen's University Belfast and Stockholm University for the purchase of the SST time from the latter. |
| Impact | The agreement covers the provision of time on the SST only; exploitation of this time, and resultant publications etc, are the responsibility of the relevant UK teams who have been allocated time. They will hence report on the outcomes of their SST time awards in their own Researchfish submissions. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Collaborative agreement for time on the DKIST (formerly ATST) telescope. |
| Organisation | Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | With other UK partners and STFC, will provide funding to purchase cameras for the DKIST. |
| Collaborator Contribution | In return for the cameras, will provide guaranteed time on DKiST to the UK solar community. |
| Impact | None as yet. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | UK - Indian collaboration on solar physics |
| Organisation | Indian Institute of Technology BHU |
| Country | India |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration involves UK partners (Queen's University Belfast, University of Sheffield, Northumbria University) and Indian partners (Indian Institute of Technology Varanasi, Inter University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics Pune, Indian Institute of Astrophysics) on a collaborative programme on solar physics research, in particular on data from the upcoming Aditya-1 mission - the first Indian solar satellite, due for launch in 2019. Queen's will provide expertise on relevant areas of solar physics, including high cadence observations and spectroscopic diagnostics. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Other partners will provide expertise in their relevant areas, such as solar plasma theory. |
| Impact | None as yet. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Title | Collaboration with Randox Laboratories |
| Description | A collaboration with Randox Laboratories to apply imaging techniques developed for solar studies to medical diagnostic instrumentation. |
| Type | Diagnostic Tool - Imaging |
| Current Stage Of Development | Initial development |
| Year Development Stage Completed | 2017 |
| Development Status | Under active development/distribution |
| Impact | None to date - still under development and results not likely before 2020 - 2021. |
| Description | Annual in-house activities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Astronomy lectures and presentations are given at the following annual events: (i) QUB Horizons in Physics} (which attracts around 400 4th- and 5th-form students per year), (ii) Physics Open Days (around 200 6th-form students), (iii) Physics Teachers Conference (about 50 Physics teachers from schools in Ireland). Increased take-up of Physics and Astronomy degree programme over last 3 years. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017 |
| Description | European Solar Telescope (EST) public talk. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Media activity linked to Queen's hosting the European Solar Telescope (EST) Science Advisory Group meeting in April 2018, followed by a public talk and a presentation of the EST model. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Exploring Citizen Science Use Cases with the Lasair transient alert broker |
| 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 | Focused on how the Lasair alert stream broker concept can be leveraged with the Zooniverse platform, which hosts the largest collection of people-powered projects in the world, to efficiently and effectively sift through the 8.2-m Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) alert stream in real time to identify transient sources worthy of rapid follow-up with other ground-based and space-based telescopes. These transients include: variable stars, moving Solar System objects, Solar System bodies exhibiting cometary activity, supernovae, and other astrophysical explosions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Flyby of asteroid 3122 Florence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | BBC World Service and Radio Sputnik (Russia) interviews on the satellite flyby of an asteroid. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Interview on BBC morning news |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interviewed on BBC morning news in Feb 2018 about research on Oumuamua, the first interstellar object to be observed entering our solar system. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Media interviews for research work on observations of wave motions in the solar atmosphere |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | BBC radio interview on outcome of research project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Media interviews related to research on the Oumuamua interstellar object |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | World service and BBC R4 interviews regarding research on Oumuamua, the first interstellar object to be observed entering our solar system. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| Description | Michael West lectures |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We have initiated a series of high-profile public lectures, The Michael West Lecture Series in Astronomy, following a philanthropic donation from Dr West which funds a Fellowship with a major outreach and education component. These lectures, which are scheduled typically twice per year, each attract 200 people, and are now the most widely attended public lecture series at Queen's University and indeed in Ireland as a whole. Increased requests for e.g. school talks. Media interviews. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018 |
| URL | https://star.pst.qub.ac.uk/wiki/public/outreach/start |
| Description | Presentations on the total solar eclipse in the USA in 2017. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | During our campaign to observe the total solar eclipse in the USA in 2017, we gave talks and demonstrations to audiences at the eclipse site in Idaho. We have also made a video of the eclipse campaign, and plan to develop this into a talk for schools and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | School visits |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | All members of the Astrophysics Research Centre (ARC) at Queen's University are involved in schools talks, covering their research topics as well as more general interests in astronomy. Most are at secondary level but also at primary (we actively take part in STEPS), either in the classroom or at Queen's. ARC staff deliver a total of about 40 talks/year to pupils, with typical class sizes of 25. Hard to assess, but in Northern Ireland uptake of Physics at university level has increased steadily in recent years, in contrast to the UK trend. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018 |
| Description | Sky at Night interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Sky at Night interview in January 2018 for research on Oumuamua, the first interstellar object to be observed entering our solar system. There was also an associated press release. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |