Inaugural Hazel Prichard Impact Awards held in School

The School of Earth and Environmental Science’s inaugural Impact Awards were held on 8th March 2017 in honour of Professor Hazel Prichard.

Prizes up to a total of £3000 were available in the two categories featured at the event – the impact case study prizes open to REF-returnable staff within the School to develop their case studies, and the innovation and impact prizes open to undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as staff to develop non-academic impact from research.

Candidates were asked to give a 3-minute pitch to present their idea and budget using a maximum of 5 slides. The audience then voted for their favourite projects in each of the categories.

The impact case study prize winners were:

Professor Wolfgang Maier - Developing the resource potential of Canada’s far north: Ni-Cu-PGE exploration in Labrador

Dr Tiago Alves - Environmental case studies in oil and gas exploration

Dr David Buchs - Geological and volcanological evolution of the Panama Canal area

The innovation and impact prize winners were:

Dr Rob Parker - Generate impact through EARTH + Time for Geography videos for secondary schools

Dr Paola Moffa Sanchez/ Ana Maia – Animating paleoclimate stories

Chris Reedman – Jurassic Coast outreach: Education and collection management

The awards were named in tribute to Professor Hazel Prichard, who sadly passed away in January 2017. Professor Prichard was committed to innovation and impact within the Earth and Environmental Sciences during her career.

The event was well-attended by School staff, colleagues from Research Innovation Systems, and Professor Karen Holford, current Pro-Vice Chancellor for the College of Physical Sciences & Engineering.

In coming years, the School hopes to expand the Hazel Prichard Impact Awards and open them up to showcase its research and innovation to industry, government, and the interested public.