Mark E. Smith (Vice Chancellor) Lancaster University
RESIDENTIAL/DAY BOARDING FULLY AIR-CONDITIONED CAMPUS GURGAON SOHNA ROAD, DELHI (NCR)
The Young Functional Analysts’ Workshop 2014 took place in the Mathematics and Statistics Department at Lancaster University from 23rd-25th April and was a resounding success. The meeting was supported financially by the London Mathematical Society, as well as Lancaster’s Science and Technology Graduate School. The workshop has been running for several years, and is designed to give young researchers in the mathematical field of functional analysis an opportunity to present their work to a sympathetic and likeminded audience, and to learn about new research in the area. A record number of participants attended: 48 PhD students, Postdoctoral researchers, and earlycareer academics, from universities in four countries, came to present and discuss the latest developments in functional analysis. This workshop, the sixth edition of YFAW, also contained the most participant talks of the series. The steady growth, year on year, demonstrates the success of the format; the friendly atmosphere means that many students feel confident to present their work, and the talks given by the invited speakers form the central focus of the conference, around which much fruitful discussion is had. We were pleased to welcome five invited speakers this year: Dr Alexander Belton (Lancaster University), Dr Madalin Guta (University of Nottingham), Prof. Piotr Koszmider (Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw), Prof. Ivan Todorov (Queen’s University Belfast), and Dr Andras Zsak (University of Cambridge). Each of them gave accessible, yet challenging talks, which stimulated discussion and provided a centre-point for each session. The first day began with Dr Belton presenting results on Classical and quantum Markov semigroups, followed
by participants continuing the C* algebraic and non-commutative theme. Providing a change in direction, the evening session had a partial differential equation flavour. The day concluded with a conference dinner held at The Borough, a restaurant in the Lancaster city centre. Our second day had a more probabilistic feel, with intermittent C* algebra-based talks, highlighted by Dr Guta and Prof. Todorov on Local asymptotic normality in classical and quantum statistics, and Group operator systems respectively. The third and final day was Banach space-themed, with invited talks by Prof. Koszmider The elusive geometry of the Banach space l?/c0, and Dr ZsakNonlinear methods of approximation. Security Lancaster to tackle cyberthreats at one of the UK’s top science festivals Security Lancaster will be appearing at one of the UK’s most prestigious science festival this summer to discuss threats posed by the increased connectivity of the world around us.
Dr Daniel Prince, associate director of Security Lancaster - a Lancaster University research centre - will appear at this year’s Cheltenham Science Festival to talk about the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things is the term given for everyday objects, and infrastructure, that are connected to the Internet so they can provide live data, and be controlled, remotely. Dr Prince will take to the stage with the BBC’s Technology Correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones, and Andy Stanford-Clark, an IBM research engineer who has a house that Tweets. “Fridges that automatically replace your milk, cars that tell your coffee machine you are almost home and dynamic road maintenance based on real-time conditions-these are just some of the benefits that could arise from the Internet of Things,” said Dr Prince. However, with all the benefits come certain risks. As more and more objects become attached to connected systems, they become more vulnerable to malicious threats. “I am excited to be discussing these issues at this year’s Cheltenham Science Festival. This is a very prestigious event and I am looking forward to representing Lancaster University on stage with two fantastic panellists.” The Times Cheltenham Science Festival takes place from June 3-8. Previous guests at the event have included science heavyweights such as Peter Higgs and each year the festival has famous guest directors such as Dara O’Briain and Brian Cox.
Work Experience in Physics at Lancaster University
The Physics Department is offering a week of work experience to Y12 physics students who intend to take
Physics at university. Participating students will spend time in undergraduate laboratories designing experimental activities, exploring the research activities in different areas of physics and developing science communication skills. Sessions - taking place from 21-25 July 2014 - will include aspects of the Department’s research in the fields of particle physics, ultra low temperature physics, nanotechnology (including graphene), space science, biomedical physics and cosmology. Participating students will work in small groups with a researcher. At the end of the week they will present a poster about their research work including the experimental, analytical, applications of the work. Each of the five days will start at 10.00am and end at 4.00pm. Participating students are responsible for arranging their own travel to and from the Lancaster University campus and/ or local accommodation if required. A bursary of £150 will be awarded to each participating student to help cover expenses. Participants will increase their experimental, analytical and communication skills and gain a deeper understanding of physics concepts as well as the experience of working in a top university physics department.