Treasure or Trash?

Legionella is a freshwater bacterium found almost everywhere in the environment. It has used its opportunistic nature to proliferate in the water systems of the built environment. This talk will look at potential consequences of flushing the water away, eventually to the sea.

Based on his extensive experience of working on the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident, Prof. Jim Smith will discuss the health and environmental risks of radioactivity and how the media influence our perception of these risks. Myths surrounding the health consequences of Chernobyl have contributed to ongoing problems in recovery of affected populations. You will also discover his work in Ukraine to address these issues and the ATOMIK project which is producing premium spirits from radioactively "contaminated" areas.

In 1896 gold was first discovered in the remote northwest corner of Canada sparking the Klondike Gold Rush. Since the first discovery of gold sparkling in the wilds of the Yukon, geologists have been exploring where it came from and what has happened over millions of years to concentrate metal in rocks. This talk will explore the geological processes that form gold and explain why gold is still as important to us today as it was over a hundred years ago when people rushed north in search of this precious metal.