Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

W5, Northern Ireland's award winning science and discovery centre, is passionate about engaging young people and the public with science, technology, engineering and maths in all their guises. Our mission is to: fire the spirit of discovery, and in order inspire the next generation of scientists, innovators and explorers, we plan to deliver a schools and public engagement programme using our StarDome mobile planetarium and promote links with local industry and researchers. The aims of this programme are: 1. To show the relevance and application of STEM to the space sector in Northern Ireland and also to everyday life 2. To engage young people with STEM, and as a result encourage the study of STEM subjects to key stage 4 and beyond; 3. To promote the wide range of global STEM careers available within this sector and the opportunities that these present. 4. To showcase and promote STFC technology such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) through StarDome Planetarium shows 5. To use the StarDome to engage the public with Space Technology, Astronomy and Astrophysics in an innovative and accessible way.

In this project 'Radiation and Us: Making the Invisible Visible' we will develop interactive exhibits and shows to be situated in Northern Ireland's premier interactive science centre, W5. This will be done through a partnership of researchers into the medical uses of radiation from Queen's University and science communications experts from W5. The title of the project has a double meaning: radiation is often used to make visible of our insides which would otherwise remain invisible. Additionally, in this project, through the interactive simulations we will make the detailed behaviour of the invisible radiation visible to all.People generally have a negative view of radiation, considering it to be a mysterious entity. It is usually associated with negative things like bodily harm, destruction, danger and nuclear war. These negative associations can be a barrier to people's understanding and learning. However radiation has many interesting and positive uses including medical applications.Radiation is invaluable for medical diagnosis techniques ranging from the X-rays we all know from the dentist to more sophisticated ways of making three dimensional images of the insides of our bodies. Radiation is also invaluable in the treatment of cancer, being the second most common form of therapy after surgery. By illustrating the science behind these positive uses of radiation we hope to engage the audience and encourage some of the pupils to study the relevant sciences further.Because of radiation's invisibility and the safety concerns associated with it, it is not possible for school pupils or members of the general public to learn by doing activities involving radiation directly. However researchers into its medical uses have sophisticated computer simulations which show how the radiation travels through our bodies either for making X-ray images or for the treatment of cancer.We will use some of these simulations to develop an interactive exhibit to be situated in Northern Ireland's premier interactive science centre, W5 supported by shows covering the same topic. The interactive simulations will also be distributed using the World Wide Web and CD ROMs.These simulations will be designed to have an educational benefit for pupils from 12 years upwards but also to be of interest to the general public. They will present the user with challenges such as making a radiotherapy plan, avoiding a patient's sensitive organs with the radiation while getting enough of it into the patient's tumour. Radiation tracks will be displayed to demonstrate the science of radiation as well as its medical applications. The user will be presented with a scientifically accurate view of the creation and stopping of some of the X-rays and particles as it would occur inside a patient's body. This will take the form of an ever-changing animated display of the tracks created by the particles. The users will be able to interact with the simulations by sending in radiation from different directions and see how the X-rays and particles interact differently with different parts of the body. For example the bones stop more of the X-rays as we all know from X-ray photographs but in these simulations we can all see it happening before our eyes, making the behaviour of the invisible radiation visible.

Our mission is to build capacity for public health research, strengthen the evidence for public health policy and practice and to improve the health of the population. Our aims are to ensure that our research is excellent while extending its reach and impact. Therefore our strategy and objectives are: (1) to expand and develop our staff and equip them with the skills for public health research; (2) to build on a platform of excellence in key areas {exploiting existing data; social causes of health and disease; and health behaviours}, extending our research infrastructure and strengthening themes that are important to our partners and funders; (3) to ensure our partners are actively engaged in the research process; (4) to work more closely with the other UKCRC Centres of Excellence to ensure that the initiative delivers its objectives for national and international leadership in the field; (5) to incrementally increase our grant income to ensure longer term sustainability. Our priority will be to use the unique opportunities that exist in Northern Ireland, with its distinctive approach to integrated health and social services and well connected civic and public sector structures, to research the social and biological causes of chronic disease and the main causes of inequalities in health experienced in the UK. We will leave a legacy for future public health research by: (6) surveying and following up a large sample of school children in Northern Ireland to study the neighbourhood, school, family and individual influences on their behaviour, their health and achievements; (7) by surveying and following up a large sample of older people to find out what influences their ability to work, when they retire, their independence, their health and their social and economic wellbeing; (8) working out how best to undertake public health research by using linkages between data already collected by public bodies like the NHS and others; and (9) by showing the benefits of designing and scientifically evaluating novel public health interventions in partnership those working directly with the public, across different public sectors, and with the public themselves. In so doing we are creating opportunities for young researchers to practice the skills necessary for high quality public health research and for them to establish a body of credible work that will help them become independent researchers. We will also demonstrate the added value of bringing researchers from many different backgrounds together around a common purpose and provide a bridge between the academic and non-academic communities to ensure that new knowledge is translated into actions that can improve health.