A Word from Department Administration

This week Bjarne Stugu was interviewed by NRK Hordaland in connection with the high amounts of radon concentration measured in the Kinsarvik area (see below). This is a clear sigh that new measurements and better mapping of environmental parameters along with an increased awareness of potential health effects, may point to the issues which have often been present for a long time, but have previously been unknown. Another example would be the air pollution in Bergen and the high values of NO₂-concentration at Danmarksplass.

This is an important reminder for us as research institution to act wise in finding the right balance between the facts represented in the above mentioned measurements, and the risk evaluation and measures to be taken in the future. Furthermore, the greater the uncertainty regarding these factors, the more humble we should be when voicing our opinions. In that respect, Bjarne did an excellent job.

News and General Information

Travel expenses, rates and payments

As of 1. January 2011, new rates have been introduced for traveling abroad. Note that travel expense calculator to be found at Start- programs - electronic travel expense calculator FOR THE TIME BEING operates according to last year’s rates, but this will also be changed shortly.

The news as of 2011 are that UoB no longer has a fixed monthly deadline for the submission of travel expense calculations. At IFT, you can deliver them any time to our chief financial officer Harald Godø Gjerdahl who will process and forward your travel expense forms for payment each Friday. The aim is to shorten the processing time from delivering your travel expense forms and receiving your money.

You can find more general information on filling out the travel expense forms at their webpage.

Professors, researchers and PhD-students at IFT: Norwegian Physics Students’ Conference

On March 11-13, the Norwegian Student Council/ NoFFo arrange the Norwegian Physics Students’ Conference (NFK) at UoB. This conference each year takes place at a different Norwegian university (UoO, NTNU and UoB), and is an important event for all physics students, both in terms of scientific and social content.

Would you like to inspire other students to come join your own field of research? Have you come across something exciting in your study field which you would like to share with others? Or would you perhaps like to shed some new light on an old and already familiar topic?

In that case, this is a great opportunity for you to share your views with physics students from all over Norway. Some people from UoO and UoB have already signed up, and we expect to receive more applications this month. There is also the possibility of including one ”popular” lecture, one ”colloquium”, at 3 different periods (length: ca 45 min). Those periods include Saturday morning” (from 10:15-13:00), Saturday ”atternoon” (from 14:15-16:00), and Sunday ”morning” (from 10:15-13:00).

We are hoping for a good response, since this is a great opportunity to promote both UoB and your work. We shall also do our best to meet your wishes concerning the desired lecture time. Send an e-mail to Paul Anthony Frontéri (Tony - President of NoFFo and deputy of Student Council) if you want to participate, specifying when and what you wish to talk about. We will reply to you as soon as possible.

NTVA and Norwegian Energy Forum invite to their Bergen meeting:

Torstein Bye, head of research, SSB and Atle Neteland, administrative head, BKK:
Energy supply for the Bergen area
Tuesday, 15. February 2011 at 19:00 at Nansensenteret at Marineholmen, Thormøhlens gate 47. The meeting will be followed by a simple meal (fish soup) and informal gathering.  Price is 100 NOK per meal. Registration latest by 15:00 on Thursday, 10. February, and is required only of those who want to join us for the dinner.

The new issue of FunderFinder

Obligatory reading for all in research positions!

Economic support for field work or seminar/conference for master students 2011

Have you done or are you planning field work or travelling to a seminar/conference in 2011? Then you can apply for economical support (max. kr. 5000,-). Guidelines and application forms are available from this address: http://www.uib.no/matnat/artikler/2008/12/Felt--og-seminarstotte (only in Norwegian).

The activity must be completed within 1.9.2011.

The application form can be returned to one of the student advisors at the department.

Deadline: 15.2.2011.

Newsletter from NCE Subsea

Read the latest issue here.

IFT in Media

Bjarne Stugu on NRK Hordaland about Radon

This Thursday, Bjarne was interviewed for Vestlandsrevyen about the high radonconcentrations which appeared in the Kinsarvik area. The allowed amounts which might call for a new measurement are 100 Bq/m³. In one area around Kinsarvik, the measured value was well over 200 Bq/m³. To put this into a wider perspective, it is estimated that a concentration of ca. 1000 Bq/m³ may lead to the same health risks as those of an average smoker.

There are also such areas of higher radom concentration in Bergen, especially at Bønes and the west side of Løvstakken where there are many rocks and granite gneisser. But these are not nearly as high in concentration as the values measured in Kinsarvik area.

Bjarne was also interviewed as part of NRK Hordaland’s afternoon broadcast at 16:03 (the feature starts ca. 11 minutes into the broadcast), but this time he listed some basic facts on radon and related health risks.

The Department for Physics and Technology has been measuring and mapping the radon concentration in several parts of Bergen over nearly 20 years, as part of a laboratory course which today bears the code PHYS114 (Measurement Science and Experimental Physics). Students attending this course got to take home with them coal boxes designed to ”capture” radon. Their contents were then analysed by measuring gamma radiation from radon daughters, thus giving an estimate of the concentration measured during the three days the boxes had been placed in their respective locations. Kjell Årsnes was the one who introduced this experiment to the existing lab course. Those of you who are interested in this matter can read a report written by Bjarne, which concludes that these measurements offering an estimate of radon concentration match with the results of State’s Radiation Measurements.