The Institute of Earth Systems recently collaborated with the University’s Department of Pharmacy on hosting Dottoressa Estefanía Sánchez Reyes from the University of Salamanca, Spain as part of the ERASMUS + staff mobility programme. This visit, which took place during the week of 2 to 6 September, incorporated a short course titled An Introduction to Aeropalynology (what's in the air we breathe?).

Topics covered during the theory sessions of this course included:

• An introduction to aeropalynology science: the pollen grain
• Allergenic flora: trees, shrubs and herbs
• Aeropalynology monitoring stations: devices, and
• Applications of aeropalynology studies: health improvement in environmental allergic disease.

Practical sessions held during the course focused on the collection and preparation of samples, and on observation of pollen and spores in the atmosphere through microscope analysis. The eleven participants on this 2-day course included both undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Department of Pharmacy and the Institute of Earth Systems.

Aeropalynology is the study of pollen and spores transported in the atmosphere, and is a sub-field of the science of aerobiology. The practical importance of aeropalynology lies in its application to the study of allergies such as hay fever, in climate change analysis and phenology trends, as well as in its use for understanding the spread of diseases between humans, other animals, and agricultural plants.

Should you be interested in conducting research in this field, please contact Dr Belinda Gambin by email.