Summer School 2015

20-24th July

Malham Tarn Field Centre

Overview

8.00 9.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 18.00 19.00 20.00 21.00

Monday -------Arrivals---------- Registration

Plenary: Sue Hartley: Pests, pathogens and unpredictable rainfall:

Dinn

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Research your career Sarah Blackford Sponsored by SEB

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Tuesday

Brea

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Setting the challenge

The National Trust Nature Reserve, Malham Tarn Peter Welsh and Steve Morley

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An Introduction to Entomology Simon Leather Sponsored by the Linnean Society

Science communications

Wednesday

How, why and where do peatlands develop? Clare Trinder

Knowledge Exchange and Public Engagement

Ecological Consultancy Andrew Halcro-Johnston and Zoe Webb, Tim Graham and David Martin Sponsored by CIEEM

Ecological consultancy Careers CIEEM

Thursday

Getting the most from Learned Societies

Ecological knowledge into practice to achieve nature conservation Steve Morley and Martin Davies

Microbial Ecology Rob Griffiths Sponsored by Society for General Microbiology

Student Presentations: Developing a research proposal

Friday

Writing for the masses Ken Thompson:

Conservation science: research and opportunities to engage Stephanie Januchowski-Hartley Sponsored by SCB

Evaluation Reflection

Depart

Introduction

This is the first BES summer school, we genuinely hope you enjoy your week with us and take away a solid action plan for how you would like to develop your career. We hope you leave the school with strong friendships that morph into stronger professional working relationships.

The BES has over the years developed excellent relationships with students, they come to us through one activity and stay to participate in other projects, develop their own ideas and we hope that we will get to know all of you for many years to come.

Without all the speakers, workshop leaders and mentors who have given up their time free of charge there would be no summer school and so I personally would be very grateful if you could take the time not to just to thank them but tell them and us why their contribution has made a difference to you. Please make the most of the time they have here by asking as many questions as you can as many of our speakers are unable to stay for the whole week.

Throughout the week you will get to hear about other societies, especially those that have sponsored speakers to attend and helped to recruit engaging speakers for the school. The BES isn’t precious about which Society you join: Join all of them!

Samina Zaman and the mentors have worked hard to put together a social programme that helps you feel at ease, is relaxing after a long day of talks and provides some light relief. Please ask if you have any questions, they were UG’s making the transition into PhD students not that long ago.

At the end of the school, I will be putting together an evaluation of what we should be thinking about for 2016, please do let us know any suggestions of things we should do more of, less of or differently and also make sure you tell us what we should keep doing.

And finally, have fun while you’re here and wherever you go after the school and after you graduate, the BES and all the societies wish you every success.

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Monday 20th July 2015

Times Activity Where Notes 12.00 Arrivals:

Registration Room allocations

13.00 14.00 15.00 • Initial meeting with Mentors

• Initial health and safety from FSC centre staff • Welcome from BES staff

Whernside

16.00 Pests, pathogens and unpredictable rainfall – how ecology can help us address global challenges in sustainable food production Prof Sue Hartley University of York British Ecological Society Further details: Page 9

Check out: Sue's research profile @profSueHartley

Whernside 17.00 Breakouts:

Amy, Lydia, Lewis- Library Rowena, Jenny, Jill- Whernside

18.00 Dinner 19.00 Research Your Career.

Dr Sarah Blackford University of Lancaster Society for Experimental Biology Further details: Page 10 Check out: Sarah's website, @BiosciCareer

Whernside 20.00

21.00 Spatial distance (human line), Funny stories (mentors), Food web exercise

Whernside moving to Bar 22.00

23.00 Bar closes

Who else is around today?

Hazel Leeper from the Linnean Society

Notes:

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Tuesday 21st July 2015

Times Activity Where Notes 08.00 Breakfast Don’t forget to prep lunch 09.00 Developing a Research proposal

Simon Hoggart and Kate Harrison British Ecological Society Publications

Whernside Breakouts: Amy, Lydia, Lewis- to the Library Rowena, Jenny, Jill- to the Whernside

10.00 Tour of the Malham Tarn National Nature reserve Peter Welsh, Steven Morley, Martin Davies National Trust Further details: Page 11 Checkout: The National Trust pages, Malhamdale

Whernside to field 11.00 We will be walking around the

local area and you should have outdoor kits

• Amy, Lydia and Jill with Peter.

• Lewis, Rosie and Jenny with Stephen

12.00

13.00 Packed Lunch 14.00 A brief introduction to entomology and sampling

methods Prof Simon Leather Harper Adams University Linnean Society Further details: page 12 Checkout: Simon’s research profile @entoprof

Whernside to field 15.00

16.00 We will be walking around the local area and you should have outdoor kits

Great opportunities for photos

17.00

18.00 Dinner 19.00 Science communication: how to plan for getting

published, how to write well for different formats and an overview of the publishing process With: Karen Devine, Kate Harrison, Simon Hoggart

Library 20.00

21.00 Quiz night

Whernside moving to Bar 22.00 23.00 Bar closes

Who else is around today?

Hazel Leeper from the Linnean Society,

Notes:

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Wednesday 22nd July 2015

Times Activity Where Notes 08.00 Breakfast Don’t forget to prep lunch 09.00 Peatland Ecology: How, why and where do

peatlands develop Dr Clare Trinder University of Aberdeen Further details: Page 13 Check out: Clare’s academic profile, the BES special interest group for peatland ecology

Whernside moving to field 10.00 We will be walking around the

local area and you should have outdoor kits Insect repellent will be especially useful

11.00

11.30 Knowledge exchange and public engagement With Karen Devine

Whernside

13.00 Packed Lunch 14.00 Ecological consultancy with CIEEM

Andrew Halcro-Johnston MSc, BSc(Hons), MCIEEM Senior Ecologist Amey David Martin CEnv MCIEEM Senior Specialist Natural England Dr Tim Graham MCIEEM NIA Programme Manager Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Zoe Webb MSc, GradCIEEM, AMIEnvSc Ecological Consultant ARUP

Further details: Page 14 Check out: CIEEM, What a graduate should know, @instecolenvman

Whernside and library 15.00

16.00 17.00

18.00 Dinner 19.00 Careers in Ecological Consultancy

Library

20.00 21.00 Board games/Mentors’ drop in sessions

Offering careers advice, and PhD insight/special interests

Whernside, library and Bar 22.00

23.00 Bar closes

Notes:

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Thursday 23rd July 2015

Times Activity Where Notes 06.30 Bird Walk and Moth ID Meet outside Tarn House 08.00 Breakfast Don’t forget to prep lunch 09.00 Getting the most from Learned Societies and student

memberships Karen Devine British Ecological Society

Whernside

10.00 Ecological knowledge into practice to achieve nature conservation Dr Steve Morley and Martin Davies National Trust Further details: page 15

Whernside into the field 11.00 We will be walking around the

local area and you should have outdoor kits

Great opportunities for photos

12.00

13.00 Packed Lunch 14.00 Microbial Ecology: Soil biodiversity and plant/soil

interactions Dr Rob Griffiths CEH Further details Page 13 Check out: Rob’s profile at CEH, NERC’s PhD pages,

Whernside and library Plenary session and lab activities

15.00 16.00 17.00

18.00 Dinner 19.00 Science communication workshop

With: Karen Devine, Kate Harrison, Simon Hoggart

Library 20.00

21.00 Bat Walk Mascot Challenge

Whernside, library and Bar 22.00

23.00 Bar closes

Who else is around today?

Dr Ken Thompson, University of Sheffield

Dr Celia Knight, University of Leeds

Notes:

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Friday 25th July 2015

Times Activity Where Notes 08.00 Breakfast 09.00 Writing for the Masses: communicating science

to the public Dr Ken Thompson University of Sheffield Further details: Page 16 Check out: Ken’s Telegraph page; Ken’s books

Whernside

10.00 Conservation science: research and opportunities to engage in policy and decision making Dr Stephanie Januchowski-Hartley Further details: Page 17 Checkout: Steph’s website, @connectedwaters

Whernside 11.00

12.00 Evaluation and reflection Mini prize giving for mentor tasks.

13.00 Depart

Notes:

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Prof Sue Hartley

Sue is director of the Environmental Sustainability Institute, at the University of York. Previously she was Professor of Ecology at the University of Sussex,

specialising in interactions between plants and animals. In December 2009 she delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on The 300 Million Years War, broadcast on All4 and currently available to view.

Sue is the President Elect of the British Ecological Society.

@ProfSueHartley

Pests, pathogens and unpredictable rainfall – how ecology can help us address global challenges in sustainable food production

Feeding a growing population in a warming world, whilst protecting biodiversity and the services it provides, will require innovative thinking, unprecedented cooperation between countries and academic communities, and a willingness to cross the boundaries between disciplines. Securing the production of sufficient, safe and nutritious food has been a challenge since the beginning of agriculture around 10,000 years ago. Food production is compromised by the pests and diseases which attack our crops and is increasingly threatened by unpredictable and extreme weather. Globally around one third of food production is lost to pests, even with the use of pesticides and other modern methods of crop protection. Given the projected increase in demand for food (up to a 70% increase by 2050 according to the UN) and the impacts of climate change on the spread and abundance of pest species, we urgently need new ways to protect our crops, preferably sustainable ones which are not dependant on scarce resources to produce and which do not harm the beneficial organisms in agricultural ecosystems. We also need to make our crops more resilient to climate change, particularly the increasing likelihood of drought and water scarcity as temperatures rise and weather patterns change.

This talk explores a number of inter-disciplinary approaches which may provide these new sustainable methods of crop protection and resilience, based on capitalising on the natural defences our crop plants have to these stresses. The ability of our crops to defend against pests and survive drought has been reduced because we have selected varieties with high yield at the expense of other beneficial traits, but it still exists in wild ancestors, offering us the possibility of restoring these capabilities to our crops in the future.

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Dr Sarah Blackford

Sarah is the head of Education & Public Affairs for an international bioscience learned society – the Society for Experimental Biology. After graduating from the University of Hertfordshire with a degree in Biology, Sarah started her career in research at York University and then went into scientific publishing. Following a sideways move into careers advisory work at Leeds and Lancaster universities, Sarah took up her current post where she provides a range of career support to bioscience students and researchers. Much of her advice and resources are published on her blog, www.biosciencecareers.org.

@BiosciCareer

Research your Career

It’s never too early to start thinking about your career, even if you’re not sure what you want to do right now. You have already made an important career decision: to study ecology at university. Now, at the end of your 1st year, it is very timely to reflect on your progress so far and look ahead at what you can do between now and graduation to prepare for your next career decision (tempus fugit!).

Statistics show that graduates go off in many different directions after their degree, including choosing ecology and non-ecology careers, taking a gap year, or going on to do further study. Research is a very popular career destination for many graduates, so this session will give you some information on master’s degrees and PhD studentships (the qualification of research). We will also look at how you can enhance your employability during the course of your degree, in preparation for your next career move whatever that may be. Your career choices can depend on your subject interest, but they are also influenced by other factors such as personality, skills and values. Many employers prefer to take on graduates who have already shown an interest, even a commitment, to a particular career by getting experience during their degree or by developing relevant skills. Being a student isn’t just about sitting in lecture theatres and writing essays, it also gives you a fantastic opportunity to develop yourself and find out what motivates you. By getting involved in extracurricular activities you will not only enhance your personal profile, you may also find out or confirm your future career direction.

So, bring your CV and your open mind and we’ll set the scene for your Summer School experience, and find out how you can take a leading role in creating your successful career.

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Dr Peter Welsh

Peter is the National Trust ecologist and wildlife engagement officer for the Malham Tarn estate

Dr Steven Morley

Steve is a national trust ecologist and the wildlife and countryside advisor based in York

Image:

The Malham Tarn Estate is part of the internationally important National Nature Reserve and is home to a number of rare species, some of which are remnants from the last Ice Age. The tarn itself is a glacial lake and the highest lake in England.

The local area includes the famous cove and limestone pavements

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Prof Simon Leather

Simon’s main interests centre around biological pest control, mainly of aphids and lepidopteran pests of agriculture, horticulture and forestry. His work has taken him around the world from Iceland to Africa! Based at Harper Adams University he regularly contributes to and works with a broad range of Learned Societies

@entoprof

A brief introduction to entomology and sampling methods.

Simon will provide a short introduction to Entomology and then use different methods of insect sampling to collect a range of different species and to compare the efficiency of different sampling methods. This field collection will be followed by a session in the laboratory trying to identify some of the specimens caught.

The Linnean Society of London

The Linnean Society has provided a forum for natural history since 1788. The Society aims to inspire and inform the public in all areas of natural history through its broad range of events and publications. Students can join the society and a number of grants and events are appropriate to them.

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Dr Clare Trinder

Clare is the winner of the University of Aberdeen Excellence in Teaching Award, 2014 and has a particular interest in peatland ecology. She has visited Malham to research and teach in the local area

She is a member of the British Ecological Society’s education, training and careers committee.

Her workshop Peatland Ecology will focus on:

How, why and where do peatlands develop? How old are they and why do they look the way they do? What is interesting about peatlands and why, as ecologists and world citizens, should we care about them? Are Sphagnum bog mosses the greatest ecosystem engineers in the world? This interactive workshop will look at these questions and use historical context to uncover more about how peatlands function, their importance for carbon cycling and approaches to their conservation and restoration.

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Established in 1991 and receiving our Royal Charter in 2013, CIEEM has members drawn from across the employment sectors including local authorities, government agencies,

NGOs, environmental consultancy, academia and industry. -

CIEEM workshop – Careers in ecological consultancy, statutory and voluntary sectors

Four members of the Chartered Institute will offer guidance on some of the main routes into the profession, with tips on how to get ahead in a competitive jobs market. The first part of the workshop will explore the role of the ecological consultant, followed by presentations from each of the speakers on their own career paths and roles within different kinds of organisation. This will be followed by an interactive group exercise, trying your hand at undertaking a desktop ecological survey. There will be plenty of opportunity to talk to the speakers.

Andrew Halcro-Johnston MSc, BSc(Hons), MCIEEM Senior Ecologist Amey David Martin CEnv MCIEEM Senior Specialist Natural England Dr Tim Graham MCIEEM NIA Programme Manager Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Zoe Webb MSc, GradCIEEM, AMIEnvSc Ecological Consultant Arup

CIEEM is the leading professional membership body representing and supporting Ecologists and Environmental Managers in the UK, Ireland and abroad. Our Vision is of a society which values the natural environment and recognises the contribution of professional ecologists and environmental managers to its conservation. As a Student member you can:

• receive the latest information about developments in the sector, direct to your inbox; • gain significantly reduced delegate rates at over 100 training events held annually; • benefit from a free subscription to CIEEM’s widely respected journal, In Practice; • attend local events and network with a wide range of professionals in your area; • access guidance on career development and professional practice; • gain professional recognition and use of the ‘Grad CIEEM’ suffix (Graduate members only).

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Dr Rob Griffiths

Rob began his career addressing the impacts of land management and environmental stress on soil microbes at a single field site in Scotland as part of the NERC Soil Biodiversity Programme. He then went on to manage a large NERC funded project examining taxonomic and functional diversity in a wide range of British soils collected as part of the UK Countryside Survey, and more recently has been working at larger European and Global

scales as part of several EU and NERC funded research projects. His current major line of interest is in determining how land use impacts all facets of soil biota and their functional resilience to further environmental change, in a wide variety of different soil ecosystems.

Molecular ecology and microbes

It’s almost impossible to deliver a practical workshop based on molecular ecology and so this workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss the research Rob undertakes and a smaller workshop on plant/soil interactions and soil biodiversity.

Rob is a molecular ecologist, with a key interest in understanding the ecology of soil microorganisms. Unfortunately, due to their microscopic size we need to use advanced technologies to understand more about microbial biodiversity and their ecology i.e. which organisms are found in different soils and what are they doing? To get at these issues requires the use of molecular approaches employing high throughput sequencing of soil DNA to identify taxa, and novel isotopic tracer techniques to understand their function.

Society for General Microbiology

The Society for General Microbiology is a membership organisation for scientists who work in all areas of microbiology. It is the largest learned microbiological society in Europe with a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes and schools.

You will be eligible for a range of very generous grants as well as free or discounted conference attendance. Membership can enhance your CV and make you a more attractive employment prospect. Membership will bring you into contact with a wide range of other professionals who can help you as your career develops. We offer summer studentships (called Harry Smith vacation studentships)to those in their second year of study.

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Dr Ken Thompson

Ken Thompson is a plant biologist with a keen interest in the science of gardening. He writes and lectures extensively and has written four gardening books, including Compost and No Nettles Required. His latest book is Do We Need Pandas?; The Uncomfortable Truth About Biodiversity.

Ken is also the BES member who proposed the creation of a Summer School.

Communicating science to the public

It’s normal practice to publish the results of your research in scientific journals. But it’s still far from normal to make any effort to communicate your research to the public. Here I explain why you should, and describe a few of the things you need to bear in mind. I also show how writing about science can be a career in its own right, illustrated with a few examples taken from my own experience of smuggling ecology into the hearts and minds of the public.

Ken’s books include

Plain-talking and thought-provoking, at times controversial, Ken Thompson's take on biodiversity doesn't leave you the option of remaining neutral about one of the most important issues of the 21st century. --John Spicer, Professor of Marine Biology and author of Biodiversity: a beginner's guide.

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Dr Stephanie Januchowski-Hartley

Steph has been a dedicated researcher and educator since 2003, and her research investigates social and ecological themes to understand how we can more effectively conserve natural systems. The central focus of her research has been conservation decision making – connecting ecological, social and economic data with decision science to determine optimal resource allocation to conserve and manage species, habitats and services.

@connectedwaters

Conservation science: research and opportunities to engage in policy and decision making

Conservation science is an emerging field of research drawing on elements of natural and social sciences. There is increasing awareness of the need for conservation science to inform and guide conservation decision making and policy. As a researcher I am passionate about making a difference for aquatic biodiversity through research as well as community and policy engagement. In my talk I will discuss how my research and outreach has informed conservation policy and decision making, and the ways I have contributed to science education. Drawing on my experiences, I will highlight avenues and opportunities for students to engage in conservation, community and policy. The field of conservation science is exciting and constantly evolving, and I hope to demonstrate a few of the many diverse opportunities that are available.

Society for Conservation Biology

The Society for Conservation Biology is a 5013 non-profit international professional organisation devoted to scientific study of the "maintenance, loss, and restoration of biological diversity." The European section is a network of professionals working for the conservation of biodiversity with a special interest in European issues.

The Europe Section was formed to promote conservation biology and its application to conserve biological diversity in Europe.

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My Personal Action Plan.

My next steps Who can help me? Success would be?