BU Research Blog

March 5, 2015

Matt Bentley’s Fusion Fund Research – South Africa Final Update

Matt - having one last look!

This short spell in Stellenbosch is now drawing to a close. We have achieved much in developing the relationship with the abalone farm, Abagold and putting in place everything that is required to ensure a successful visit by the two BU students later this (N. Hemisphere) summer. Received congratulations from the host, Charlotte, at the guest house for being in Stellenbosch on the hottest day in over a hundred years. On Tuesday the temperature reached in excess of 41 degrees and it was reported as the hottest place on the planet. The report on the visit is just about complete so just tidying up loose ends now. I did manage to find time to do a little pond-dipping to get a water sample for Genoveva Esteban (hopefully it will contain the mini-beasts that she is looking for). I think it may take some patient microscope work! See you all soon.

March 3, 2015

Matt Bentley’s Fusion Fund Research – South Africa Update

PG research mbentley

Matt and Carol Simon met with Candice Untiedt, a potential PhD student, who travelled to Stellenbosch from Cape Town for the meeting. Candice is working currently at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town. She already has a suite of expertise, especially in the taxonomy of polychaete worms, which would be key to developing a PhD project jointly supervised by Matt, Carol Simon in Stellenbosch and Andy Mackie at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. Candice studied for her BSc and MSc at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in Durban in the Oceanographic Research Institute. After this she worked on the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP II) studying macro-benthic organisms (bottom dwelling invertebrates) in the Natal bight. She has two papers already from her MSc and two more to come.

Candice is passionate about the marine environment and fingers crossed we can find a way to find her PhD research at BU!

Candice Untiedt - a potential PhD student

February 24, 2015

Matt Bentley’s Fusion Fund Research in South Africa

mbentley

Here in South Africa kicking off the Fusion Fund project on controlling pest infestations in abalone aquaculture. I arrived safely in Stellenbosch yesterday after the overnight flight from Heathrow. It was nearly two hours late but actually arriving at 08.30 rather than 06.30 local time is not a bad thing. I met up with Carol (Dr Carol Simon) in the Botany and Zoology Department of Stellenbosch University today. Two BU students will be here on the Fusion Fund project early this summer so sorting out the details for their visit are the first priority. We need to plan all the experimental work carefully to make sure we don’t lose time and get everything done (I should say achieve all the objectives!) that we need to during their research visit.

Dr Simon is the SA lead on the project

Tagged / Stellenbosch

Matt Bentley’s Fusion Fund Research – South Africa Final Update

Matt Bentley’s Fusion Fund Research – South Africa Update

Matt Bentley’s Fusion Fund Research in South Africa

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