NAM S&T Centre – DST (South Africa) Training Fellowship on Minerals Processing & Beneficiation: Call for Applications for 2015

The Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre; www.namstct.org) has initiated a new Joint NAM S&T Centre – DST (South Africa) Training Fellowship on Minerals Processing & Beneficiation jointly with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of South Africa [www.dst.gov.za] and is pleased to invite applications for the same for the year 2015. The Fellowship is aimed at providing opportunity to the scientists and technologists from the member countries of the NAM S&T Centre for affiliation with MINTEK, South Africa (www.mintek.co.za) for a period of three months to address the skills gap in the minerals beneficiation value chain and to get exposed to minerals processing technologies and undergo in-service training attached to the existing MINTEK programmes. This training programme will provide direct and indirect benefits to the Fellows from the member countries of the NAM S&T Centre and the host country, South Africa, through creation of networks and exposure to new developments in mineral processing and beneficiation.

Under this scheme, twenty Fellowships are available for the year 2015 each for a maximum duration of three months. The sending country or the candidates themselves will have to arrange for their international travel to and from South Africa. DST (South Africa) will provide a subsistence allowance @ of US$300 per month, in South African Rand, for meals and out-of-pocket expenses in South Africa for the duration of the Fellowship. Accommodation will also be covered by the host country.

Applications recommended by the parent institutions of the interested scientists, technologists and engineers may be submitted in the relevant format by email directly to Mr. Selby Modiba / Ms. Palesa Motsoeneng of DST, South Africa at their email addresses Selby.Modiba@dst.gov.za; Palesa.Motsoeneng@dst.gov.za.

In matter of selection, the decision of DST, South Africa shall be final which will also send the Fellowship Award Letters to the selected applicants. All applicants are required to seek administrative clearance from their respective parent organisations. Copies of the guidelines for the Fellowship and the application form are attached (also available at the Centre’s Website www.namstct.org). The Guidelines may please be read carefully before making the application.

The last date for submitting application for the Fellowship is 31^st August 2014.

You are earnestly requested to please widely disseminate this announcement to the concerned scientists, researchers, minerals processing professionals, research institutions, and industry in your country.

If you are interested, please contact acle@mubs.ac.ug

Lightning Application and Research Community (LARC) to Launch at International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity

At the International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity (ICAE 2014) Conference June 15-20 in Norman Okla., Earth Networks, the operator of the world’s largest lightning network, will formally announce the creation of the Lightning Application and Research Community (LARC), a new group for researchers and scientists with a mutual interest in furthering the understanding of atmospheric lightning. By fostering communications among researchers and scientists from both academic and public realms who study cloud-to-ground and in-cloud lightning, the mission of LARC is to create a forum for ongoing dialog and the collaborative exchange of lightning science research.  “With the growing interest in utilizing total lightning data in research, there needed to be a way to stimulate discussion and share efforts among the research and application community. The formation of LARC will provide a platform for scientists and researchers who share a common goal in furthering atmospheric science and associated technologies for monitoring and measuring lightning,” says Chris Sloop, Chief Technology Officer, Earth Networks.  More than 20 academic and research organizations currently utilize total lightning data from Earth Networks Total Lightning Network, a global network of more than 800 lightning sensors situated in over 40 countries around the world. The sensors within the network detect both cloud-to-ground lightning and in-cloud lightning strikes. In-cloud lightning has been shown to be a valuable precursor to severe weather, including strong winds, hail and tornadoes – and serves as the foundation of the Earth Networks Early Warning System.  During the ICAE conference, researchers from Earth Networks and other academic and research organizations, such as the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil, will present sessions and posters based on data collected by the sensors within the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network. Highlights include:      Guinea-Conakry Lightning Network: In 2013, as part of a public-private partnership with the National Meteorological Service of Guinea, Africa, Earth Networks established the first-ever comprehensive lightning-based early warning system. An overview of the demonstration project and technology will be presented.     Proximity Alerts Based on Total Lightning: This poster session will present the science of lightning-based warnings based on the detection of in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning.     BrasilDAT Lightning Network: Researchers from INPE will present a poster session entitled “Peak Current Analysis of Negative Flashes Detected by E-fast Antenna and BrasilDAT Lightning Location System.”     ENTLN Status Update: This session will focus on the heights of cloud pulses as detected by the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network. The network, for the first time, enables the measurement of heights over large areas, such as the U.S.     Total Lightning Data in Severe Storms: This poster session investigates how properties such as lightning flash rate, in-cloud/cloud-to-ground ratio, and peak currents may be used to characterize the lightning data in different types of severe storms.

Safe from lightning when inside a car?? Interesting read

Couple Rescued After Lightning Strike Engulfs Truck In Flames Mid-Drive (VIDEO)

A car can be a safe place to ride out a lightning storm -- as long as you aren't driving when the bolt strikes.
That's what happened to Al and Betty Perry recently as they were driving down a stretch of highway near Edmonton, Canada. The couple's car was struck by lightning while it was in motion, resulting in a fiery blast that melted parts of the vehicle.
Surveillance cameras captured footage of the strike.
"It sounded like a sonic boom,” Al Perry recalled in a later interview with CTV News.
The bolt deployed the vehicle's airbags and apparently fried its electronics, locking the couple inside while smoke began to fill the cabin. Despite their best efforts, the two couldn't escape the smoldering truck, Al Perry told CTV.
"I turned my body and put my two feet up and tried to kick the window out,” he said. “I don’t know how many times I tried and tried and tried."
But just as their truck became what Al Perry called a "coffin," a police officer drove by. He helped rescue Al and Betty, and neither sustained serious injuries in the incident.
The damage done to the Perry's car is consistent with findings from the National Weather Service, which reports that lightning striking a car can ruin the vehicle's electrical system, leaving it inoperable.
According to the National Lightning Safety Institute, if you find yourself driving during a storm, the best choice is to pull over.
"We suggest pulling off to the side of the road in a safe manner, turning on the emergency blinkers, turning off the engine, putting one's hands in one's lap, and waiting out the storm," the institute says on its website.
Contrary to popular belief, a car's ability to shelter its occupants from lightning has nothing to do with the vehicle's tires. Instead, it's the metal of the car's chassis, which directs the energy toward the ground, that saves lives. For maximum lightning safety, the car's windows should also be rolled up.
The NLSI notes, however, that "situations alter results." If the car is made of fiberglass or is a convertible, for example, the conductor effect may not work.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/08/lightning-strikes-truck-video_n_5468879.html

LIGHTNING KILLS ONE, SIX INJURED

One person is confirmed dead and six others injured after lightning strikes on Sunday (4th May 2014) night in Amuria district.
The lightning bolt also damaged St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
The deceased was identified as Ben Etomet, a 52 year old resident of Akodokodoi village, Akodokodoi parish in Okungur sub-county, Amuria district.
Those admitted in hospital include; Odungul, Emmanuel Oriada, Elizabeth Apimo, Ekudo all residents of Okodokodoi parish, and Apolot Itika, a resident of Asamuk.
The incident happened in two separate places in Asamuk sub-county and Okungur that was curved out of Obalanga sub-county. Lightning bolts preceded by thunderstorms hit and burnt down the grass thatched hut in Aeket trading centre, Akodokodoi parish in Okungur sub-county killing one person instantly.
John Francis Oluma, the Amuria district chairperson, confirmed the incident and said that the victims were inside the hut drinking local brew commonly referred to as waragi.
Oluma said that the five were still in a critical condition at Amuria health Centre four and Kapelebyong health Centre III.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church which is still under construction in Asamuk sub-county was brought down on Sunday night during the heavy hailstorms.

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