Our meetings are held on the second Monday of each month in the
afternoon at Shawford Springs Care Home, Otterbourne Road, SO21 2RT.
As the average attendance is about eight members, we would welcome
up to three new members joining the group. We take turns in presenting an
item of interest that may have appeared in the news or magazines, or a
research topic. Occasionally we have a meeting involving short talks on
miscellaneous subjects, which are easy to develop, usually generate lots of
discussion, and provide members with confidence in presenting talks.
Talks later this year include:
Monday 14 September "The Philosophy of Science"
Monday 12 October "A Pulsar Ship Navigation System"
Monday 9 November "Early Communication Technology & related topics"
Monday 14 December Four short talks on Metabolic Rates v Age, Salinity
and the Impact of Solubility (we sit on a mound of salt), Ferranti Series
computers and Asteroid Deflection, an update on NASA's DART Mission to
deflect Earth-bound asteroid impacts.
Recent talks covered:
Waves and Coastal Defence. Waves are essentially fluctuations of water levels from millimetres to tens of meters high and range from short waves to tidal periods measured in hours. Initially wind will create ripples, while
subsequent strengthening wind will create a confused sea. As the wind persists it will propagate waves in the direction of the wind. On large bodies of water, waves can journey large distances from their area of origin. Waves
generated more locally are known as sea or storm waves, while waves generated some distance away are known as swell waves. Local storms can erode beaches, causing sand to be dragged offshore to settle and create a
raised hump. Prevailing currents may also transport sand along the coastline. As waves approach softer coastlines, they erode the soft sediments and build a beach which is the natural form of coastal defence. Wind-blown sand can create dunes behind the beach, forming a reservoir of sand which can restore the beach after a damaging storm. With developed coasts such as Bournemouth, artificial restoration is required. Most coasts include self-regulating erosion sections. Advancing waves will continue to erode the softer coastline and initiate a bay
formation. This process increases the overall length of the wave and reduces the energy per unit length, so the wave becomes less erosive.
We also looked at detecting illegal migrants inside heavy goods vehicles
(HGVs). Increasing security breaches and terrorist activity necessitate
improved security surveillance and detection techniques. These include (i)
detecting migrants, drugs, alcohol, weapons and explosives hidden in trucks,
trailers and containers, (ii) preventing threats from concealed weapons and
explosives at airports and seaports, (iii) safeguarding industrial complexes and
buildings from threats, and (iv) preventing threats from suicide bombers and
gun attacks at public events. Eurotunnel became the first ever company to
install a millimetre wave system (MMW) to detected migrants inside HGVs,
thus avoiding potential £2,000 fines imposed by UK Government. With a
throughput of about four HGVs per minute, the system can scan over 3,200
HGVs in a day. MMW Systems were also tested at Dover, Calais and other
European ports. Next generation systems (whole body MMW scanners)
were tested at airports such as Gatwick and Bonn, and at train/underground
stations. Spin-offs from this technology include car collision avoidance
sensors, facial recognition, and helping customers decide which clothes to buy
at Debenhams in Oxford Street, London!
For further information please contact me at the link below.
Janusz Adamson
| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Leader: | |
| When: | Monthly on Monday afternoons 2nd Monday in Month |
| Venue: | Members' Homes |
To email the Project Leader click on the link with his/her name. To obtain the Project Leaders telephone number access the Telephone Directory
When the group is shown as full, please use the link to send an email to the Group Leader requesting to join the waiting list.