Minsc

Minsc /ˈmɪnsk/ is a fictional character in the Baldur's Gate series of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing video games developed by BioWare. He originated from the pen-and-paper Dungeons & Dragons sessions held by the lead designer of Baldur's Gate, James Ohlen, and was expanded upon by the game's lead writer, Lukas Kristjanson. His video game debut was in Baldur's Gate as a companion character who can join the player's party. He also appears in the sequel, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, the expansion, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, and the 2015 game Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, as well as in promotions relating to the titles. Minsc is voiced by Jim Cummings in his video game appearances.

In the storyline, Minsc is a ranger, originally tasked with serving as a bodyguard to the witch Dynaheir as part of a "dajemma" (rite of passage). When Dynaheir is captured by gnolls, Minsc asks the player to help free her, after which both characters are available to assist the player. Eventually, the player's party is captured and when Dynaheir is killed by the mage Jon Irenicus, Minsc teams with the player in the pursuit of justice. A berserker, he has a strong desire to uphold good and be heroic, though with an extreme fervor that causes those around him to regard him as possibly insane. His animal companion is a hamster named Boo, with whom he often consults.

MINSC

MINSC (Mineral Scaling) is a European FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) that addresses the current and future challenges of mineral scale formation. The research themes of MINSC relate to the mechanisms of nucleation, growth and inhibition of mineral scale formation through experimental and field projects.

Overall description of MINSC

MINSC brings together experts from 6 Universities and 5 Industry partners across Europe to provide state-of-the-art training in mineral scale research to Early Stage Researchers (ESR) and Experienced Researchers (ER). The research and training will be carried out as 13 parallel but complementary projects that will address mineral scale formation aspects at three levels: the molecular, the macroscopic and the field level.

Molecular level: 5 projects will focus on the fundamentals of scale mineral nucleation and growth of carbonates/oxalates (ER1, ESR1, ESR3), barite (ESR4) and silica (ESR2). These fellows will be hosted by the Universities of Leeds, Copenhagen and Münster with opportunities for research secondments to our other university and industrial partners.