Impact singled out for recognition

A Lancaster University academic has been singled out in an international science journal for his far-reaching impact work on ship hatch designs. The weekly journal, Nature , has selected just 12 impact case studies for publication following the recent Research Excellence Framework (REF), a rigorous assessment of research work undertaken by British universities. The 12 have been picked, to showcase the importance of research for society, from 6,975 impact case studies submitted by 154 universities, whose research was assessed. Statistician Professor Jonathan Tawn's work focussed on the sinking of the MV Derbyshire more than 30 years ago and was critical in determining the conclusions of the High Court's investigation into the tragedy. The oil tanker, the largest British ship to have been lost at sea, sank when she ran into a typhoon off the south coast of Japan. All 42 crew members and two of their wives lost their lives. Professor Tawn's research identified that design standards for the strength of hatch covers of certain ocean-going carriers needed to be increased by 35%.