Researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) have teamed up with colleagues at the University of Oxford to create a nearly three metre, erupting scale model of a volcano to sit outside the Natural History Museum in London.
A team of volcanologists are busy making the model of the Soufriere volcano on St Vincent, which will be the centrepiece of Universities Week at the museum from June 9 to 13.
The week of activity is run by Universities UK (UUK) and this year aims to open up a national conversation about the relevance of university research and its everyday impact on people's lives.
Commissioned by UUK especially for the event, the volcano was inspired by the Norfolk Firework Volcano, an explosive model of Mount Merapi which brought UEA's 50th Anniversary Festival celebrations to a dramatic close in September.
Jenny Barclay, from UEA's School of Environmental Sciences, said: 'After this winter we all understand the misery that natural hazards can cause, but they can be awe-inspiring phenomena like volcanoes too! We are going to use our volcano model to celebrate both the grandeur of eruptions but also to showcase some of the ways excellent new research, like the STREVA project, can help to reduce the negative impacts of volcanic activity.'
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