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and educational developments in schools.
Lena has authored 24 books on the theory
and practice of social work including her
latest book Green Social Work, which
explores the role of social work in addressing
environmental crises and social inequality.
She is especially interested in bringing people
together in research dialogues across the
physical sciences, social sciences, health
sciences and arts and humanities. Lena is a
researcher on the exciting multidisciplinary
research project Earthquakes without
Frontiers, which brings together physical and
social scientists along with policymakers to
better understand earthquake hazards and
help vulnerable communities prepare for
them.
Claire
Horwell
Dr Claire Horwell is a Co-Director of
IHRR and Geohazards Theme Leader in the
Department of Earth Sciences. She originally
joined IHRR as a Research Council UK
Fellow in 2007. Claire’s research focuses
on the study of respiratory health hazards
from volcanic ash. She is a pioneer in her
field as little research has been done on the
short or long-term health effects of human
exposure to volcanic ash. Crystalline silica
in volcanic ash is of concern to public
health because in industry it is well-known
that breathing in crystalline silica can lead
to chronic diseases in the lungs, such as
silicosis and lung cancer, and people with
pre-existing lung conditions like asthma are
particularly vulnerable. In her research, Claire
studies the ash from a mineralogical and
geochemical perspective to understand the
different features of the ash that might affect
its toxicity, including the size, shape and
composition of volcanic ash particles, along
with measuring the crystalline silica content
of the ash. Scientific research of volcanic ash
can help to better inform policy on protecting
populations from exposure. As Director of the
International Volcanic Health Hazard Network
(www.IVHHN.org), Claire works closely with
government agencies in rapidly assessing
the potential hazard of volcanic ash after an
eruption occurs, allowing appropriate acti