The South East Physics network (SEPnet) and Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) have announced their plans to invest £13.1 million pounds to sustain physics undergraduate and postgraduate teaching provision, and world class research facilities, staff and doctoral training over the five years up to 2018. HEFCE will provide £2.75 million to maintain and expand the network, to establish a dedicated regional graduate training programme for physics postgraduate students and address physics specific issues of student participation and diversity. On top of the HEFCE contribution, each SEPnet partner will support and fund programmes of Outreach, Employability and Research.

Benefits of the University of Southampton's involvement with SEPnet include:

1) Expansion of employer engagement and internship programmes, widening the range of work experiences available to enhance undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) employability and progress to research degrees;

2) An Outreach Programme to deliver and disseminate best practice in schools and public engagement and increase diversity in physics education.

3) A regional Graduate Network developing and delivering an exemplar programme of PhD transferable and leadership skills training delivered flexibly to create employment-ready physics doctoral graduates for the economic benefit of the UK;

4) Increasing employer engagement with HEIs including PhD internships, industrially-sponsored studentships and Knowledge Transfer fellowships;

5) Enhanced impact of SEPnet’s research via a clear, collaborative impact strategy;

6) Improved research environment diversity through engagement with Athena SWAN and the IOP’s Project Juno.

The Outreach programme has succeeded in effectively exploiting the growing national interest in physics through its wide range of public engagement and schools activities. There has been a substantial increase in applications and intake for physics undergraduate courses and undergraduate numbers are now 90 per cent higher in the SEPnet physics departments compared with 2007 and applications up approximately 115 per cent - well above national trends. Sir Peter Knight, President of the Institute of Physics (IOP), expressed strong support for the government's continued investments in the sciences generally and in physics specifically. He said: “SEPnet has been an undoubted success in sustaining physics in the South East region and has strongly participated in contributing to its beneficial effects nationally. It is an exemplar of collaborative best practice in outreach, employability and research and we now look forward to collaborating in the critical areas of graduate training, public engagement and diversity.â€? The network will be led by the University of Southampton. Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, Professor Don Nutbeam, said: “I am delighted that the University of Southampton, in partnership with nine other universities in the region, is able to build on the success of the SEPnet initiative to reinvigorate the university physics teaching and research and take it to a new level in the turbulent period ahead for the higher education sector. The SEPnet training programme brings novelty, quality and diversity to the regions physics postgraduates that we expect to be a model for other regions and subjects.â€?

For further information on how Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton works with SEPnet, and how this relationship benefits our students, please visit the "'Careers and Your Future'" section on our website.

Physics and Astronomy staff members were recognised at the University of Southampton’s Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering (FPSE) Dean’s Awards for Early Career Researchers reception event on 18 June 2013.

The awards celebrated outstanding achievement, commitment and dedication amongst staff members in FPSE for scientific publication, public engagement, managing staff, teaching, proposal writing and knowledge transfer and commercialisation.

Dr Anna Scaife was recognised for winning a 2 million Euro European Research Council starter grant. Anna's grant has allowed the Astronomy group to grow considerably and to develop expertise in the area of radio polarimetry, the technique used to measure cosmic magnetism, itself one of the key science topics for the Square Kilometre Array.

Richard Chippendale received an award for public engagement. Richard got involved in Physics and Astronomy visit days right from the start of his undergraduate degree with us and has continued to help right through his PhD studies at the University. His organisational skills, commitment and contribution have proved to be a great asset.

The awards were presented by the Dean of FPSE, Professor Dame Wendy Hall.

Physics and Astronomy will be throwing open its doors to prospective students as part of the University of Southampton Open Days this weekend.

Thousands of interested students are expected to flock to the University’s campuses in Southampton on Friday 5 July, and Saturday 6 July, to find out more about the wide range of programmes on offer.

Visitors to the Open Days will be able to see the excellent facilities, take part in tours and presentations, meet past and present students, talk to our experienced academics and learn more about the exciting career prospects that come from studying at Southampton.

As well as finding out about the main University facilities, potential Physics and Astronomy students will also be able to get an inside look at the unique opportunities studying a programme in Physics and Astronomy can offer.

“We have a long-standing reputation for world-leading research in the fields of astronomy, quantum, light and matter, and theoretical particle physics, and we are delighted that potential Physics and Astronomy students visiting our Open Day will be able to speak to the experts who are making this happen. They will also be able to take a tour of the excellent facilities we have on offer or marvel at our planetarium and laser light shows. They will also be able to hear about the strong links and key partnerships we have with major industries and the opportunities this provides for work placements and graduate jobs,â€? said Professor Phil Charles, Head of Physics and Astronomy.

“Choosing where to study and which programme to enrol on is a big step. We hope that by coming and seeing what we have to offer, talking to our current and former students and speaking to our academics who are leading experts in their field we can help prospective students make the right decision,â€? he added.

Open Day visitors will also be able to discover the lively social scene and the superb leisure facilities at Southampton. The Open Days run from 10am to 4pm.

The University of Southampton, in collaboration with the Ogden Trust, is hosting a special awards evening this week to celebrate the talent of exceptional students studying Physics across Southampton’s schools.

Schools have been encouraged to nominate their best Year 11 and/or Year 12 Physics student who will then receive an award for their efforts during the year. The awards will be presented by an ex-University of Southampton Physics and Astronomy student and double Olympic athlete, Stacie Powell.

Dr Sadie Jones, Outreach Leader in Physics at the University of Southampton, says: “The teachers have chosen to nominate the student for their outstanding level of their work in physics during the year. This award ceremony is a great opportunity for the student, their parents and teacher to celebrate their success and also get a taster of what physics at University is like.â€?

In addition to the presentation of the award to the nominated student from each school, the ‘Light Express Roadshow – the science of light’ (a stunning interactive laser light show) will be performing. The roadshow showcases the cutting edge research of the University’s Physics and Astronomy department.

The Southampton Physicist of the Year Awards 2013 takes place on Thursday 11 July at 6pm at the University’s Highfield Campus.

Prize winners will receive a £25 book token and a certificate on the day and will automatically become eligible to apply for an Ogden Trust Undergraduate Science Scholarship, worth £1,500 per annum, should they chose to study a Physics degree at a leading British university.

The Odgen Trust help to fund the University’s Physics outreach activities through the Soton Astrodome – the University’s inflatable mobile planetarium.

The University of Southampton is launching a new pioneering research centre that will help improve our understanding of the Universe and the fundamental laws of nature.

The Southampton Theory Astrophysics and Gravity (STAG) Research Centre brings together world-leading academics from three research groups – Theoretical Particle Physics, Astronomy and General Relativity – to explore problems ranging from the ultimate building blocks of matter to dynamics over the longest distances in the universe and actively engage with high-profile international experiments and observational facilities.

Researchers from STAG are:

• working together to improve our understanding of the extreme environments generated by black holes and neutron stars, which power some of the most spectacular phenomena in the Universe such as pulsars;

• exploring the identity of dark matter and dark energy, which make up 95 per cent of the Universe;

• actively involved in bridging the gap between quantum theory and gravity by exploiting their expertise in string theory and holography (a technique which enables three-dimensional images to be made).

Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees will be giving the keynote lecture to an audience of local school and college students, University staff and students, and interested members of the general public as part of a special event to celebrate the launch of the STAG Research Centre on Monday 23 September at 2.30pm at the University’s Turner Sims.

Lord Rees will be discussing the cosmic history and the key boundaries of our universe and he will explain how these are being pinned down by experimental data, especially that from the European Space Agency’s Planck Spacecraft.

STAG Deputy Director, Professor Kostas Skenderis, says: “We are honoured to have such an esteemed keynote speaker for the launch of STAG. Lord Rees has had a long and prestigious career in the field of astronomy and was President of the Royal Society between 2005 and 2010. His stimulating lecture is the first in what we hope will be a series of high profile research seminars organised by STAG and will ensure that the launch of the new Centre is a truly memorable occasion.â€?

To find out more about the STAG Research Centre and the launch event, please visit www.southampton.ac.uk/stag www.southampton.ac.uk/stag

University of Southampton physics student, Christopher Frohmaier, has been named as a Science Student of the Year at the prestigious SET Awards, Europe’s most important awards for science, engineering and technology undergraduates.

He was presented with the Best Physics Student (BG Group) Award in front of an audience of leading academics and industrialists at a ceremony at Kensington Town Hall in London. Over 40 students, with five from Southampton, were shortlisted in 14 different categories and judges paid tribute to the exceptional quality of this year’s work.

Christopher was nominated for his project ‘Blue Straggler Stars in the Globular Cluster M30’, which investigated the nature of these unique and enigmatic variety of stars that appear to defy the normal stellar ageing process. Judges were also impressed by Christopher’s outreach work to promote Physics and Astronomy to thousands of schoolchildren, including a space balloon experiment that launched a teddy bear into the stratosphere.

Christopher says: “I am very proud to have won the award and very grateful to my supervisor, Dr Andrea Dieball, for nominating me. I think its testament to the quality of the Physics department that a student proposed project was approved and supported all the way to winning a European-wide award.â€?

Dr Andrea Dieball, an Astronomy Lecturer at the University, says “I am extremely pleased that my first Master's student has been identified through the SET awards as the best Physics student of the year. This is a great honour and reflects the very high quality of the students we are now teaching.â€?

Professor Phil Charles, Head of Physics and Astronomy at the University, adds: “This is a superb demonstration of the benefits of motivating undergraduates through introducing them to front-line scientific research.â€?

The Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science, has awarded a prestigious University Research Fellowship (URFs) to Dr Diego Altamirano from from Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton.

The University Research Fellowship scheme aims to provide outstanding scientists, who have the potential to become leaders in their chosen fields, with the opportunity to build an independent research career. The scheme is extremely competitive and URFs are expected to be strong candidates for permanent posts in universities at the end of their fellowships.

Dr Altamirano, who is one of 41 new URF appointments across the UK, will be working on a research project using today’s best X-ray telescopes, together with the world’s largest radio antennas and most sensitive optical telescopes, to study in detail and provide new insights into the two most fascinating black hole systems in our Galaxy ‘IGR J17091-3624’ and ‘GRS 1915+105’ (named after the astronomical coordinates of their sky position).

Dr Altamirano says: “I’m delighted and honoured to receive this prestigious fellowship from the Royal Society. The award will help my research to develop new knowledge about what happens at the edge of black hole event horizons.â€?

Physics and Astronomy students are taking part in a spectacular science show for the whole family at the Theatre Royal Winchester on Sunday 27 October.

Accelerate! is an exciting, live-action event all about particle physics designed for 11–18 year-olds and the general public. Through a series of hands-on demonstrations, you’ll learn how to drive a particle accelerator, from the thousands of small machines which are used in medicine and industry, to the enormous 27 km ring of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Switzerland.

Accelerate! has been designed for the general public by the University of Oxford and rolled out for performance by other universities in the South East Physics Network (SEPnet), including the University of Southampton.

The University of Southampton’s Accelerate! show team is led by Joe Spencer, a researcher in Physics working with cutting-edge laser technology. The other team members are Tobius Tsang, a theoretical particle physicist linked to scientists working with the LHC, and Olivia Kennan, a PhD student studying Astronomy. Olivia says: “Working with Accelerate! is such an exciting way to stay involved in multi-disciplinary physics.â€?

Accelerate! forms part of the 10 Days: Creative Collisions event, a contemporary arts project where local schools have explored the theme of ‘Creative Collisions’ through a programme of physics, visual art and creative writing workshop.

The Theatre Royal Winchester is one of the venues for 10 Days and, in addition to Accelerate!, will also be hosting one of 10 specially commissioned prints in the foyer and also the satellite project Zero Twelve, where a group of artists (Elizabeth Saunders, Ann Smith, Consuelo Simpson and Jeryl Church) invite the public to join in creating a huge woven structure in the front window of the theatre.

Tickets are £6 and can be booked from the Box Office 01962 840 440 or online.

Congratulations to PG students Joe Spencer (QLM), Tobi Tsang (Theory), Olivia Kennan (Astro Alumni) and Chloe Green (UG) for a fantastic ‘Accelerate!’ Performance yesterday at the Winchester Theatre Royal.

The Accelerate! Particle Physics show was staged as part of 10 Days: Winchester Creative Collisions – a contemporary art festival, taking place across the city and online from 25 October to 3 November. The 10 Days website had 27,000 hits in a single day and the Accelerate! performance was very well attended.

PG and UG students Chris Frohmaier and Cait Percy also made a major contribution to the festival by leading ‘egg drop’ collisions workshops with Stanmore, Weeke and Henry Beaufort Primary and Comprehensive schools. The workshops – which taught students how to successfully land eggs from a height without breaking them – produced photos and evaluations, which were transformed into contemporary artwork by local artist Alex Hoare.

10 Days events and exhibitions are located all around the city – including Winchester Cathedral – and can be viewed until Sunday 3 November.

Hundreds of people gathered at the University of Southampton to celebrate the launch of the new pioneering Southampton Theory Astrophysics and Gravity (STAG) Research Centre.

The Centre aims to improve our understanding of the Universe and the fundamental laws of nature by bringing together world-leading academics from three research groups – Theoretical Particle Physics, Astronomy, and General Relativity.

Guest of honour at the recent launch event was Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees who has a long and prestigious career in the field of astronomy and was President of the Royal Society from 2005 to 2010. His inspiring keynote lecture explored the cosmic history and the key parameters of our Universe and explained how these are being pinned down by experimental data, especially that from the European Space Agency’s Planck Spacecraft. To see his talk watch the video here.

Guests were welcomed by the Provost Professor Adam Wheeler, who explained the importance and necessity of scientists from the different research groups working together to uncover the next layer of fundamental physics.

University Pro Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Philip Nelson, Dean of Physical Sciences and Engineering Professor Dame Wendy Hall, and Dean of Social and Human Sciences Professor Judith Petts joined the audience of local school and college students, University staff and students, and members of the public at the special event in the Turner Sims Concert Hall.

They also heard from STAG postgraduate students who gave talks about their work.

STAG Director Professor Chris Sachrajda said: “Our recent launch of the STAG Research Centre was a very memorable and significant occasion. We were honoured to have such an esteemed key note speaker in Lord Martin Rees who captivated the audience with his lecture. We hope this will be the first in a series of high profile research seminars organised by STAG.â€?

The STAG Research Centre has been formed to explore problems ranging from the ultimate building blocks of matter, to dynamics over the longest distances in the Universe. Researchers will work together to:

• improve our understanding of the extreme environments generated by black holes and neutron stars that power some of the most spectacular phenomena in the Universe such as pulsars • explore the identity of dark matter and dark energy that make up 95 per cent of the Universe • bridge the gap between quantum theory and gravity by exploiting their expertise in string theory and holography – a technique that enables 3D images to be made

To find out more about the STAG Research centre visit www.southampton.ac.uk/stag