Bristol professor's parliament experiment

A volcano expert from Bristol University has spent a week in parliament trying to build relations between scientists and politicians.

Dr Alison Rust is shadowing city MP Stephen Williams as part of an annual programme run by the Royal Society, the UK's national academy of science.

But this year it comes in the wake of the high-profile bust-up between fellow Bristol academic Prof David Nutt and the Home Office.

He was sacked from his post as the top drugs adviser to the Government after criticising policies on cannabis.

Dr Rust said: "There isn't a large presence of scientists who are also politicians. You can see that with the Nutt affair. This is about getting a mutual understanding of how each group works."

As well as meeting government science officials, Dr Rust attended committees and watched Prime Minister's Question Time.

Mr Williams, the Liberal Democrats higher education spokesman, is MP for Bristol West – home of the University of Bristol.

Of Dr Rust's visit, he said: "I'm an MP for a university constituency and this gives me a deeper understanding of how the university works."

The Canadian academic, 36, secured a five-year term as a research fellow at the University of Bristol three years ago.

She was keen to join the Earth Science department because its volcano team, led by Professor Steve Sparks, is internationally renowned.

Dr Rust has travelled the world studying volcanoes, but most of her work is in the laboratory, replicating the way volcanoes erupt – using golden syrup and gelatine.