Your coverage of the proposed closure of the department of earth sciences at the University of Sheffield (THES, December 4) fails to mention that the aim of restructuring is to position students and researchers to take better advantage of the growing scientific and practical opportunities for work in this area.
Imperial College provides a good example of where reconfiguration has led to an expansion of earth sciences staff numbers and new successful disciplinary groupings within the earth, environmental and natural resources sciences.
Sir Gareth Roberts
Vice-chancellor University of Sheffield