CONTOURS
Your Place in the World
ISSUE 2
Welcome to Contours
The newsletter of the University of Portsmouth’s Department of Geography. Whether you are a
current, future or former student, or you are simply interested in Geography, we extend a very warm
welcome to you.
In this issue we look to how researchers in the department have shed light on fire history and human
arrival in North America, are appealing for help from the public to save place names in the UK, have
recreated the figurehead for famous Tudor Mary Rose warship and finally celebrate some of the
achievements of our students past and present!
Prestigious honour for former
Geography Professor
Map ‘master’ finds himself on the
map
Pioneering research at the University of Portsmouth
has seen a former professor elected as a Fellow of
the British Academy, the UK’s national body for the
humanities and social sciences.
The University’s map librarian, David Sherren, is
one of a number of amateur photographers to have
their photo chosen for the covers of new Ordnance
Survey maps.
Professor Kelvyn Jones is a world leader in the
geography of health. He joined the University of
Portsmouth as a lecturer in 1984, becoming a
professor ten years later, and in 1997, head of the
Department of Geography.
David’s stunning photo of Wastwater in the Lake
District was chosen as one of three cover images
people can choose between
when buying the new Three
Peaks Challenge map.
In this time, Professor Jones broke new ground with a
series of seminal papers, and with the highly influential
book, Health, Disease and Society. Former colleague
and professor, Liz Twigg, welcomed the news. She said:
“He is truly a superb academic citizen with an amazing
knack to relay complicated social science”
The map shows routes for
Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis and
Snowdon.
On being elected a Fellow of the British Academy,
Professor Jones said: “I am delighted to receive this
honour – it is fantastic to
be recognised for
what you love
doing.
The
Department of
Geography and
the
wider
University
at
Portsmouth were
key in what I
have achieved”.
Professor Kelvyn Jones
David said: “As a map
enthusiast I can hardly tell
you how excited I am to
have my image on an OS
map cover.”
A copy of the map is likely
to find its way into the
University’s library, which
contains
thousands
of
Ordnance Survey maps,
including one of the most
comprehensive collections
of historic OS maps of
Hampshire and the Isle of
Wight.
Study sheds light on fire
history and human arrival in
the Americas
Human populations in North America might have used fire
as a tool thousands of years earlier than previously thought,
according to new research.
The study from the University of Portsmouth has cast new light on
the fire history of the California Channel Islands, a chain of eight
islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern
California.
The study found a significant period of charcoal deposition,
which occurred between 12,500 to 14,000 years ago, possibly
coinciding with the arrival of the first humans on the island.
Dr Mark Hardiman, senior lecturer in Geography and lead
author of the study, said: “This study allows us to paint a much
better picture of what these early occupied landscapes would
have looked like. The sedimentary record that exists in the
canyon is truly spectacular and records ‘snapshots’ of the
landscape changes which were occurring on the islands at the
end of the last ice age.
Rich concentrations of charcoal fragments found in the
sedimentary sections are evidence of past burning. Until now,
there was very little understanding about when this burning had
occurred and how it fitted in with human arrival on the island.
Mark concludes: “If we can verify a direct link, we can then try
and find out who these early people were and calculate when
exactly they arrived on the islands. We might find a fascinating
gateway to the past, which goes back even further than the
current human story for the islands.”
A view looking down Arlington Canyon
The research is published in the journal Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society B.
New professional partnership for Portsmouth Geography
An exciting new educational partnership has been agreed between the Department of Geography and
the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).
The agreement will give students access to a huge range of resources to advance their employability,
including links to professional consultants, environmental management companies and access via a variety of
media to the latest developments in the field.
Over 100 undergraduate and postgraduate students have already become members of IEMA, joining over
15,000 professional members of the organisation.
Dr Brian Baily from the Department of Geography says: “This is a great opportunity for our students to
engage with environmental professionals. Currently a considerable number of our students go on to work in
the environmental sector, for companies such as Skanska and Atkins, and this agreement will enable even
more to pursue careers in the industry.”
Help save GB place names from being lost!
A new online project – GB1900 – is calling for volunteers to help make sure local place-names can live on rather
than be lost for ever.
GB1900 aims to create a complete list of the estimated three million place-names on early Ordnance Survey maps of Britain.
It will be a free, public resource, of particular use to local historians and genealogists.
On their new GB1900 web site, www.gb1900.org, volunteers will work on digital images of all the 2nd Edition Ordnance
Survey County Series maps of the whole of Great Britain, at six inch to one mile scale. These maps show not just every town
and village but every farm, hill and wood – and include names for most of them. The site’s software enables contributors to
mark each name by clicking next to it, and then to
type in the name itself. They can also add any
personal memories they have of the place. To ensure
correctness each name needs to be identically
transcribed by two different volunteers.
Project partner Professor Humphrey Southall,
professor of Historical Geography at the University
of Portsmouth, said: “We hope to tap into local
knowledge about place names around the UK. The
more people who can volunteer information through
this project, the more we can make sure these names
can live on rather than being lost forever.”
Children, Youth and Families
expert joins Department
Portsmouth ‘most affordable city
for students’
Dr Caroline Day joins us from the University of
Reading and specialises in young people’s
transitions to adulthood.
Portsmouth has been named the most affordable
city in the UK for students.
Caroline has conducted research in a number of
sub-Saharan African countries, including Uganda,
Kenya and Zambia. Caroline’s research interests
include Children, Youth and Families, Transitions to
Adulthood, Aspirations and Young Caregiving.
The NatWest Student Living Index surveyed 2,500
students across the UK to determine the most
affordable place to study, with Portsmouth coming top.
The survey took into account a range of factors, from
how much students spend on going out to how much
time they spend studying.
Portsmouth students topped up their term-time income
by working about 25 per cent more hours in part-time
jobs. However they still have time to socialise, coming
in at number three as the most sociable place to study.
Dr Caroline Day
She has also worked in policy and research for British
non-governmental organisations such as Barnardo’s
and Centrepoint conducting research into the issues
facing vulnerable children and young adults.
These areas of expertise will ensure that Caroline will
be able to make a significant contribution to our
international development and children and youth
geographies teaching and research profile.
PHOTO: LA(PHOT)PAUL A’BARROW./MOD
Geography Graduation 2016
The department were very proud to see the 2016 student cohort graduate and enjoyed giving them a good
send off at the post-ceremony reception held in Ravelin Park, complete with giant deck chairs, fizz and
nibbles. Congratulations to the following graduates on their well-deserved awards:
Best Undergraduate Student
Prize shared between Chryssa Brown and Adam Fursdon
Best Undergraduate Dissertation Prize
Catherine Hudson
(Catherine's dissertation has also been nominated for the Royal Geographical Society's Alfred Steers Dissertation Prize and the British Society for Geomorphology's Marjorie Sweeting Award.)
Departmental Prize for Excellent Performance and Services to the Department
Megan Powell
Departmental Prize for Excellent Performance
Katherine Brailsford
Alex Hillawi
Andrew Longman
Oliver Thompson
Katie Winter
Runner Up
Winning Entry
2016 Student Fieldwork Photo Competition
Under the Aurora, Kevo Subarctic Research Institute, Finland by Thomas Gardner
Southern side of Mt Etna, Sicily by Robert Taylor
Special Commendation
Geographer in brief:
Dr Carol Ekinsmyth
My research passion lies in the field of labour geographies, especially the ways in which the self-employed
and home-based worker manages work-life conflict.
My earliest work in this field was a case study of publishing
industry freelances who had experienced the sharp end of
industry restructuring in the 1990's. Following the birth of
my children, my focus changed to 'Mumpreneurs' who
attempt to manage work-life boundaries through
home-based entrepreneurship.
As a Geographer, for each group, the spatial and
home-based nature of their work has been a key interest,
especially where this impacts on family life. In common with
others in the field too, my abiding interest has been the
economic insecurity and attendant risks that accompany
self-employment.
My forthcoming research builds upon all of these issues,
through the case study of the new occupational category of
Parent Bloggers who typify digital, self-employed,
home-based labour in the cultural industries and beyond.
Gaudi's Vision Sagrada Familia, Barcelona by Luka Drulovic
Fieldtrip in Focus
SICILY
Sicily offers an almost overwhelming richness of
cultural and physical landscapes and as a
consequence the focus of interest of the fieldclass shifts
from one year to the next. Archaeologically and
historically it is one of the most fascinating locations in
the world offering classic Greco-Roman sites of world
renown, a dynamic landscape quite unparalleled in
Europe and of course Mt Etna.
Students undertake projects that employ methodological
approaches that are entirely appropriate to their
respective subject areas. There is a linking theme
however, mapping landscapes. The practical components
of the Sicily trip introduce students to the more technical
aspects of mapping the physical and human environment
through land surveying and satellite image processing.
These techniques are evaluated in terms of how they can
inform us about landscape evolution. Fluvial
geomorphology figures prominently, fully justified given
the unique story of the evolution of the river systems
around Mt Etna. Set amidst the orange groves on the
shores of the Mediterranean our hotel provides an idyllic
resting place after an exciting day out in the field.
THE POST GRADUATE INTERVIEW
Name: Taye Famuditi
Research area: Coastal Management
What’s your background Taye?
My background is in marine and aquatic study. My first
experience of marine science research was whilst
undertaking a BSc in Marine Biology (18 years ago) at
University of Lagos, Nigeria. Eventually I followed this
research area up by completing an MSc in Coastal and
Marine Resource Management here at the University of
Portsmouth, UK.
Tell us a bit about your research >
My PhD project focused on the roles of Coastal Action
Groups (CAGs) within shoreline management process in
England. Because there had
been very little previous
research, I started by identifying and classifying action
groups from locations that are
affected by flood and coastal
erosion hazards in England.
Once I got past those basics, the key findings were that
some strategic coastal defence policies arising from
shoreline management initiatives from the late 1990s
onward have generated the conditions promoting
formation of CAGs.
Using a multiple-case study approach, the research
examined 12 prominent community based CAGs in
England. It further investigated the modes of CAGs
establishment and operations via an extensive postal
questionnaire survey and semi-structured interview
process. The results provided a comprehensive and
critical evaluation of the key opportunities, gaps, barriers and factors affecting local community participation
in the shoreline management process in England. It also
evaluated the roles of CAGs in these processes.
The best moment of your PhD so far?
One of the best moment was during my presentation at
the International Conference on Integrated Coastal
Zone Management held in Antalya, Turkey. The response
I had was incredibly positive, and it gave me the
satisfaction of knowing that my research is going to be
really useful to a lot of different people and
organisations; that was always my main reason for
doing the research in the first place.
Experts recreate Mary Rose figurehead
The figurehead of the Mary Rose has gone on public display for the first time – and experts from the University of
Portsmouth have helped to show how it would have looked in its original state.
The carved wooden emblem representing a Tudor rose once
adorned the bow of Henry VIII’s favourite warship and was
recovered from the Solent seabed during excavations
between 2003 and 2005. The artefact, which would have
been brightly coloured in its original state, has been
significantly eroded during its time under water, but elements
of the carving remain. It is believed to be the first English
warship figurehead carved to represent the name of the ship.
The Geography department used laser scanning devices to
capture the shape of the artefact. Meanwhile, senior lecturer
Dr Dominic Fontana undertook shadow photography of the
figurehead which allowed a separate visualisation team to
interpret the heavily eroded surface of the original.
Dr Fontana said: “I’ve been working on the Mary Rose project
for more than 35 years, but until now I have never worked on
an object which symbolised the whole ship and its crew as one. Recovered figurehead and a digital reconstruction of the Mary
Rose emblem
Celebrating the Class of 2016
Employment Success
Some examples of what our graduates have gone on to do:
Rachel Stout
BSc Geography
Graduate Transport
Planner
Matthew Mccready
MSc Geographical
Information Systems
GIS Technician for Savills
Joe Beavis
BA Geography
Graduate programme at
Transport for London
Emma Preston
MSc Coastal and Marine
Resource Management
Environmental Consultant,
Groundsure
Portsmouth Geography student
swims Solent for charity
A Geography Student swam across the Solent to
fundraise for a charity which supports people with
spinal injuries.
Fraser Houston who completed his MSc in Coastal and
Marine Resource Management in the department
describes the event: “The swim went successfully, despite
concerns that arose halfway across because of the high
winds and resulting waves.”
Fraser was raising money for the Aspire charity which
supported him with rehabilitation following a motorcycle
accident Fraser suffered four years ago. The charity
offers support to 40,000 people with spinal cord injury in
the UK. Fraser is hoping to do more fundraising for the
charity in the future.
.
Portsmouth Geography deploy new Drones
Recent technological developments and the rapid growth in commercial availability of Remotely Piloted
Airborne Systems (RPAS), commonly referred to as drones, presents a wealth of opportunities for gathering
geomatic data and provides a unique perspective from which to monitor changes in the landscape.
The Department of Geography currently has two RPAS which have been deployed in coastal and terrestrial trials to
monitor landform change over time. We also have a recently approved Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) RPAS pilot in
Martin Schaefer (GIS Manager, Department of Geography).
Prior to deployment in the field specialist software is used
to create flight plans that safely cover a chosen survey
area.
All images are captured with a high quality digital camera
fitted to the RPAS. Following deployment the images are
post-processed and georeferenced with GPS coordinates.
Imaging software uses automatic pixel matching techniques
to create a mosaic of the images which are used to produce
digital terrain models (DTM’s) which highlight surface
features and topography.
Right: Member of Geography staff Martin Schaefer
trialing the RPAS on Bembridge Beach, Isle of Wight.
ARTEFACT
Each issue a member of staff selects an artefact which inspire their
research and/or teaching. This edition Dr Carol Ekinsmyth (Principal
Lecturer, Department of Geography):
“My artefact would be the mobile phone because this piece of
relatively new technology is changing the geographies of work.
For the entrepreneurs that I study in my research, this is especially
so. First, it enables work to be carried out anywhere; at home, the
office, in the car, on the train, at the school gate or in a bedroom.
Second, it enables work to extend beyond a 'working day', into
leisure and family time. The time-space geographies of work are
thus freed from previous constraints. Third, the mobile phone
enables 'business', marketing and branding to be conducted
through social media channels - before the advent of these
technologies, entrepreneurs paid third parties to do these things for
them. Researchers such as myself are asking what these changes
mean for the daily lives, families, security and happiness of
workers.”
For next issue’s ARTEFACT Carol nominates Prof Donald Houston
Stay in contact!
There are many ways of keeping up-to-date with our activities
Twitter: @PortsmouthGeog
http://www.port.ac.uk/department-of-geography/
For more information or to discuss our undergraduate
and postgraduate courses please contact: [email protected]
T: +44 (0)23 9284 2504