Family, community and politics: the fertile legacy of Michael Young

The Institute of Community Studies was set up by Michael Young in order to carry out research on politically relevant social issues, in a context free from direct political control. A research method was devised for it whereby researchers made their own values and objectives very explicit, while staying as close as possible in their reports to the concerns and language of respondents themselves. This method has often been criticized by professional sociologists: but it reflects quite well the nature of social knowledge. It has produced reports which help to increase public understanding of social processes, and provide useful guidance to policy makers. Professional sociology on the other hand has tried to develop a rigorously value-free method. As a result, though, it often seems to be tied implicitly to values shared among researchers but not more universally. Arguably this makes it harder for the general public to understand, and accept, its findings.

Colloidal microgel in removal of water from biodiesel

A series of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) [pNIPAM]-based homo-polymer and co-polymer microgel particles were prepared by surfactant-free emulsion polymerisation. The co-monomers were acrylic acid. 4-vinylpyridine. butyl acrylate, 4-vinylbiphenyl and vinyl laurate. Co-monomers were added at a concentration of 10% (w/w) relative to the base monomer pNIPAM for the preparation of each co-polymer microgel. The co-monomers chosen vary by their organic chain length, polarity and pH sensitivity, as these should influence how the particles behave in aqueous and non-aqueous solvents. The effect of adding different types of co-monomer into the microgel structure was investigated with respect to their dispersibility in different solvents. These microgel particles have shown useful application in the removal of water from biodiesel prepared from rape seed. Karl Fischer experiments showed that microgel particles can be used to reduce the water content in biodiesel to an acceptable level for incorporation into internal combustion engines. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Safe spaces and sense of identity: views and experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people

Empirical data on the life experiences of contemporary school-age lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) young people in Britain remains somewhat sparse. This paper reports the preliminary findings of a study conducted at a recently-initiated LGB youth Summer School. To further an appreciation of issues of concern to today's LGB teenagers, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 Summer School participants (five female and five male, aged 15-18 years). The aim was to elicit their views and experiences relating to their need for support such as that offered by the Summer School. Themes drawn from participants' interviews are presented. Key issues included: being positioned as different by their majority heterosexual peers; feelings of isolation and loneliness in their peer groups and families; difficulties in finding others like themselves for companionship; and the importance of meeting more LGB people of their own age.