Imperial College

Imperial was awarded £11.7 million from the Big Lottery Fund this week, towards an environmental initiative. The Open Air Laboratories network will turn the playing fields, plant pots and grass verges of England into ‘laboratories’. Communities will work with scientists to gain a greater appreciation of their local environment. According to the press release:

Through the tools and opportunities provided by OPAL, all those taking part will be able to name their space or ‘laboratory’ and start adding the information they record to build up a picture of the quality of their area and the organisms that live there. Indeed, OPAL will establish the first community-led study of the world around us, offering a hub for information, interaction, training and dialogue.

Medical Research Centre

Members of the Commons Science and Technology Committee have expressed reservations about MRC Chairman Sir John Chisholm. Sir John, former Chief Executive of QinetiQ, has placed what some see as an unacceptable emphasis on commercialisation over basic research, according to The Times.

UCL

Professor John Duncan describes to Channel 4 news a new MRI technique to pinpoint the areas of the brain causing epilepsy. Meanwhile, geneticist Steve Jones discusses his eating habits with the Observer. He knows how to say “no, I don’t eat snails” in 15 different languages.