Dear All,

Below is an announcement of a lecture on Monday the 5th of December 
in Keyworth, organised jointly by the East Midlands Geotechnical 
Group and the British Geological Survey:

Date : Monday 5 December 2005, 6.30 for 7.00pm

Subject : "Climate Change effects on Geotechnical Engineering"

Venue: British Geological Survey Meeting Room 1, Keyworth.

Light refreshments will be available from 6.30 pm.

Speakers : Peter Rankilor, Rankilor Associates

Dr. Peter Rankilor has combined academic work with a career as a 
consulting engineer and geologist. He has been the Managing Director 
of a consulting geotechnical practice for over 30 years and at the 
same time been a Visiting Professor at Bolton University. He has, 
over the same period of time, lectured for the Institution of Civil 
Engineers on its post-graduate training courses, which included 
Climate Change and its effects on Civil Engineering.

Dr. Rankilor has a Bachelor's degree in geology from Nottingham 
University, a Master's in Mining and Subsidence and a Doctorate in 
Civil Engineering from Salford University. He is a Fellow of the 
Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Mining and 
Metallurgy and the Geological Society of London.

During the course of his career, he has travelled extensively to all 
parts of the world, where he has been able to observe first hand the 
changes in the climate and the effects on the weather systems. 
Current events highlight the importance of understanding global 
warming, and the effects upon both engineers and the general 
population of the British Isles - which is the ultimate objective of 
his lecture


Abstract :
Dr. Rankilor feels that, in general, people think that global warming 
simply means the weather will get warmer. This is far from the truth 
and this lecture looks at the geological history of the planet's 
temperature and weather, looking at the last 1,000 years in more 
detail and particularly from 1935 when the current warming period set 
in. Dr. Rankilor covers the practical effects of global warming and 
explains why these effects come about. Why is sea level rising so 
rapidly? (It is not mainly due to the melting of the polar ice caps, 
as is commonly suggested in the press.) Which parts of the U.K. will 
be affected most? And how? (Some parts will be affected quite 
differently from others.)   Can we take action in time to stop global 
warming affecting us? When did it start and how is it 
progressing?  Dr. Rankilor addresses these and many more questions of 
this kind.

No-one can be unaware of the recent spate of hurricanes, typhoons, 
droughts and other natural phenomena. However, the subject goes down 
to much more mundane levels, such as why people will have to mow 
their lawns twice as much in the future than they do now !  This 
topic is interesting and important for engineers and general citizens alike."



If you would like to be on our mailing list, please send me an 
e-mail. More information may be obtained about the various talks at :

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/emgg


In addition, there will be another talk for those interested on the 
13th of December :

December 13 2005. John Rees (British Geological Survey) will be 
speaking on 'Climate Change and BGS Science' (Provisional Title).

Venue: British Geological Survey Meeting Room 1, Keyworth. Time: 6.30 
for 7.00 (refreshments from 6.30).


Regards,

Ashraf

---------
Dr A. El-Hamalawi BEng, PhD (Cantab), MASCE,MCGS,RegEES
Lecturer in Geomechanics
Civil and Building Engineering Department,
Loughborough University,
Loughborough LE11 3TU
United Kingdom

Tel: +44-1509-223206
Fax: +44-1509-223981