Events diary for December 2012

20th November 2012 16:00-20:30
BGS Stakeholder Forum 2012
We will present a summary of recent science results and impact, and using a series of short presentations, tell you more about our future direction. Professor Sir John Beddington CMG FRS, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, has also agreed to speak.

Places are limited. If you wish to attend, please register directly using this link.

20th November to 22nd November
PETEX 2012
BGS will be launching a new series of 125 000 high-resolution images of drill core at PETEX 2012.

We will be in the poster exhibition where you will be able to find out more about this valuable resource for planning hydrocarbon exploration on the UKCS. Visit the BGS stand (C18) for information on our research consortia, marine mapping, shale gas, IODP, carbon capture and storage and 3D demos.

11th November to 13th November
The Micropalaeontological Society (TMS) Annual General Meeting 2012
The TMS are delighted to announce that the 2012 AGM will be held at the BGS in Nottingham and takes place over 3 days.

The conference Theme is Warm Worlds

Download the programme

Poster/Presentation Abstract deadline 30th September 2012. Further information regarding conference fees, accommodation options and transport etc. can be found on the TMS website

15th November to 17th November
The Skills Show
BGS will be at The Skills Show from 15-17 November at the NEC, Birmingham where we will be helping to run the final of the Environmental Science Competition for World Skills UK.

9th January 2013 09:00-16:00
Call for Abstracts – EGU Conference Session on 3D/4D Modelling

Maps to Models: Advances in 3D/4D Geoscience Interpretation Techniques and Methodologies

The BGS, together with the Geological Survey of Bavaria and the Swiss Geological Survey, are co-convening this session at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) Conference in Vienna next year (7th-12th April 2013).

Abstracts are invited for presentations on new and emerging techniques and methods for 3D and 4D modelling. Example topics could include integrating models at different scales, the development of voxel modelling to better understand subsurface property distributions, providing appropriate metadata for models, workflow management and storage, and the development of new and innovative model delivery mechanisms.

Deadline for abstract submission is the 9th January, 2013.

Further information and details of abstract submission procedures can be found on the EGU website

7th November 2012 10:00-16:00
Geological Society Careers Day

The Geological Society will be hosting its annual Careers Day on Wednesday 7 November 2012 at the British Geological Survey in Keyworth, Nottingham.

Careers Day is the essential meeting place for geoscience students and the geoscience industry, where university undergraduates and postgraduates will have the chance to find out about the latest career options and talk to industry leaders about how they might gain entry into that sector.

The day will run from 10am - 4pm.

7th November 2012 09:00-18:00
Health & Hydrogeology: Understanding the impact of groundwater on people

Groundwater is a vital resource, providing drinking water for over a billion people worldwide. It can also provide a pathway for contaminants to migrate that harm human health. This conference brings together leading academics, regulators and consultants to discuss known and emerging groundwater pollutants and the potential implication for human health in the UK and beyond.

Marianne Stuart from BGS is a guest speaker at this event.

1st December 2012 10:00-16:00
Free open archive day
We will be running an open archive day for the public at Keyworth on Saturday 1 December 2012.

This event is in support of the national Archive Awareness Campaign 2012.

In 2012, the national theme for AAC is 'Sports, Games and the Olympics', so we will be exploring the links between fun, leisure, sporting achievement and the earth sciences.

There will be displays, talks and activities for adults and children, including:

• 3D 'geology cinema' demos
• Core Store tours
• Geological Walkway tours

Read more about this free event, including a link to the online booking form.

16th November 2012 09:30-14:00
ASK Network Launch
Join the ASK Network to help develop and exchange datasets and methods about the ground beneath Glasgow and beyond.

ASK - or Accessing Subsurface Knowledge - is a new data and knowledge exchange network between public and private sectors developed by BGS and Glasgow City Council.

Knowledge of the subsurface is key to delivering successful construction and regeneration projects - poor understanding of ground conditions is widely recognised as the largest single cause of project delay as well as overspending.

The ASK Network will be launched by the BGS and Glasgow City Council (GCC) at a workshop at the Lighthouse, Glasgow on 16 November 2012.

Who should attend?

• public and private sector subsurface data holders
• building and construction contractors and consultants
• industry regulators
• local authorities
• urban regeneration companies

Download the ASK Network Launch — Draft Programme

Registration is free and a networking lunch is provided. It is a half-day event from 9:30-14:00.

Contact Hugh Barron by 12 November to register .

16th January 2013 09:30-16:25
Higher Education Network Annual Meeting

There will be demos of the 3D suite and data and Keith Westhead is giving a keynote talk.

For more information and to register online.

30th January 2013 09:00-17:00
Brownfield Land in Scotland
Hugh Barron, Responsive Surveys Scotland Manager, will be speaking at the forthcoming Brownfield Briefing conference in Edinburgh on 30 January 2013.

Hugh’s presentation is titled: ‘The ASK Network: Examining the development of a data gathering and transfer mechanism to improve data collection and use for reduced site investigation and development costs’.

27th November to 29th November
Shale Gas World Europe

Prof Mike Stephenson, BGS Head of Energy, will chair the Shale Gas World conference on 27 - 29 November 2012 in Warsaw, Poland. This comprehensive event from Europe's capital of shale gas will cover all aspects of shale gas including operations, technology, geology, policy, and environment.

More about Shale Gas World Europe or download the conference brochure

4th December 2012 18:30-20:00
Is Shale Gas a Global Game Changer?
East Midlands Regional Group, British Geological Survey

The key shale gas extraction technology, hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’), has had a bad press in the last year, and been blamed for earthquakes and methane contamination of groundwater. However there are relatively few peer-reviewed studies of methane contamination during shale gas fracking, and rather problematically, there are few baseline studies of amounts of natural methane in groundwater.

The talk will survey the potential for shale gas and discuss environmental concerns, as well as outlining the role of independent and peer-reviewed science in shale gas development.

Professor Mike Stephenson from BGS is a guest speaker at this event.

Refreshments from 6:30pm, lecture starts at 7pm

14th January 2013 19:30-22:00
Shale gas: fracking, groundwater and earthquakes
Shale gas is seen by some as a low-carbon bridge to renewables, and by others as a menace. This talk will examine the resource size and impacts of extraction.

5th November 2012 14:00-17:00
Dr Roger Musson
In his new book, Dr Roger Musson, one of the world's leading seismologists, looks at the dangers of megaquakes, and explains where they'll next strike, why they're becoming more lethal, and what science and engineering are doing to save lives.

Come to a book signing on 5 November, from 2 pm until 5 pm, at the BGS, Natural History Museum, London.

Read more about The Million Death Quake

8th January to 14th January
Colloquium of African Geology
A major biennial meeting organized under the auspices of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf).

• Plenary Talk by Prof. John Ludden, Director, British Geological Survey: The Neoproterozoic: planet in flux and a frontier for research and for resources
• Tim Duffy: OneGeology Web Services in Africa: progress and enhancements
• Carl Watson: Sharing the most valuable database designs in African geology
• Robert Thomas: Geochronology and structure of the eastern margin of the Tanzania Craton east of Dodoma and Salt domes of the United Arab Emirates: evidence for late Neoproterozoic sedimentation and rift volcanism in the northern Arabian-Nubian Shield
• Charlotte Vye-Brown: Temporal evolution of rifting and volcanism in the Manda‐Hararo rift segment, Afar, Ethiopia

Plus a BGS stand promoting BGS research, Earth Data Models and OneGeology.

10th November 2012 10:00-16:30
Festival of Geology
The Festival of Geology will be taking place in the south cloisters of the University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT. Many local geological societies showcase what they have been up to in the past year and there are many fossil and mineral stalls to purchase from.

The Festival of Geology is run by the Geologists Association and entry is free.

The BGS Sales Desk will also have as stand at the Festival of Geology, selling maps and memoirs and other geological books.