Suckers! Poet and Parasite...

It seems that parasites don't just fire up the imaginations of Scientists. Radio 4 have an interesting programme called Suckers! Poet and Parasite "Parasites are not an obvious subject matter for poetry, but in fact there are a surprising number of poems about these miniature blood-suckers. From Donne's 'The Flea', to Rimbaud's 'Lice Hunters' and D.H. Lawrence's 'Mosquito', it seems that a number of prominent poets have been fascinated by the notion of blood-sucking and by the uncomfortable relationship between man and parasite."

Why not have a listen!

World TB Day 2010

Today is world TB day, which as the official website describes:

"is designed to build public awareness that tuberculosis today remains an epidemic in much of the world, causing the deaths of several million people each year, mostly in the third world. March 24th commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus. At the time of Koch's announcement in Berlin, TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one out of every seven people. Koch's discovery opened the way toward diagnosing and curing TB."

Their blog has news of activities.

Encrypted Pen Drives now on sale, only £23.

The library now has a stock of the Encrypted Pen Drives that are recommended by the school, the Integral Crypto Drive, which have industry leading security features, and an easy-to-use software interface.

The Crypto Drive specifications are:

• Military Level Security – AES 256 bit hardware encryption. Mandatory encryption of all files (100% privacy)


• Secure Entry - Data cannot be accessed or removed without the correct high strength 6-16 character password


• Brute-force Password Attack Protection – Data will be automatically erased after 6 failed access attempts and Drive reset


• Personal ID Function (optional) – Contact details can be added so that Drive can be returned, whilst confidential data remains secure


• Zero Footprint – No software installation required


• Rugged Design - Steel inner casing and rubberised outer casing, designed to protect the data if dropped, crushed, splashed, or subjected to tampering attempts


• Easy To Use - Pre-loaded user interface in 22 languages

Liverpool Art Prize Shortlist for LSTM Artist in Residence!

LSTM Artist in Residence Gina Czarnecki has been shortlisted for the 2010 Liverpool Art Prize.

The 2010 exhibition opens on Friday 4 June (Viewing on 3 June) and ends on Saturday 10 July with the Awards Ceremony taking place on Wednesday 30 June. The exhibition will be taking place at the exciting new space for art, Metal at Edge Hill Station (the World’s oldest passenger railway station still in use).

Find out more here Or here

Recycling Portable Batteries

LSTM has now joined a battery back scheme for recycling portable batteries.

The first container to place the batteries in has been put in the original building in the old reception corridor.

Only waste portable batteries should be placed into the Battery Cans provided

• Batteries should be kept dry

• The Battery Cans are suitable for all types of portable batteries

Examples of a portable battery include:

• The AA—AAA—C or D sized batteries used to power a torch or portable CD player or minidisk player, or the AA or AAA batteries used to power a remote control that may accompany appliances such as televisions and DVD players.

• The battery used to power a portable MP3 player.

• The battery used to power a laptop or mobile phone.

• The button cell fixed to the motherboard of a personal computer or laptop, or used to power a wristwatch.

Safety Information

Some batteries contain hazardous materials such as Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Lithium (Li) and Mercury (Hg).

Although these are hazardous to the environment and can be dangerous to health, batteries are safe if handled correctly. Please follow these simple instructions;

· Do not break open batteries.

· Do not allow batteries to get wet or place wet batteries in the container

· Do not expose batteries to excessive heat or fire. Batteries may explode in fire releasing toxic fumes

· Do not mix dry batteries (sealed) with wet batteries (unsealed, such as lead acid).

· Never use steel containers for storage. These can cause batteries to short out, always use properly labelled plastic containers provided.
Always follow the instructions provided to ensure portable batteries are safe to handle.

All safety information in relation to this scheme will be available on the intranet in due course.

LSTM Photo Competition 2010

Winner of the 2009 photo competition Patient Patients, by Professor Mark Taylor

LSTM’s Photo Competition continues in 2010. This year the competition is to find the best photo relating to LSTM activities, whether it is field research or operational services. The competition is open to all LSTM staff, students, alumni and project partners. There is one overall prize of £250 to the winner. The deadline is 14 May 2010. Please read the full terms and conditions below before entering the competition.

How to enter
Entries are to be submitted by email to Billy Dean at william.dean@liv.ac.uk detailing when and where the photograph was taken, an explanation of the subject matter and how it relates to an LSTM project. Entrants full name and contact details to be included.

Terms and conditions

1. The deadline is 5pm on the 14th May 2010. The winner will be announced shortly afterwards.

2. The entrant retains the copyright of all images submitted. However any images submitted may be used for LSTM’s general publicity purposes and the name of the photographer will be credited.

3. Image copyright: The entrant must be the sole author and owner of the copyright of all images entered. It is the legal responsibility of the entrant, and not LSTM, to ensure that they comply with ownership and copyright requirements, and own the rights to reproduction of their images.

4. Please act responsibly and with consideration when taking photographs of people, and whenever possible please gain the permission of those featured. Any images of children under the age of 18 must have the written consent of their legal guardian.
5. A maximum of three images per entrant may be submitted.

6. All images must be at least 0.5 megapixel and submitted by as jpeg file format via email. Images may be rejected on the grounds of poor image quality.

7. Entry is free.

8. The subject of the image may be anything that directly relates to LSTM activities.

9. The winner will be selected by professional photographers McCoy Wynne.

10. LSTM reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions.

For further information please contact Billy Dean, Development Officer, 0151 705 3272

email:  william.dean@liv.ac.uk