2017

Staff and students from all over The University of Edinburgh took part in the Sleep In the Park event on Saturday 9th December.

Housed in the Scottish Story Telling Centre on the Royal Mile as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a free exhibition of illustrated works done by Edinburgh College of Art students has been on display over the summer.

Originally, our brains were designed to be multilingual, managing two or more languages easily. Neuroscientist Thomas Bak reckons that, like sedentary lifestyles and an unhealthy diet, the monolingualism that’s come with modern society makes our thinking skills decline faster as we age and can actually make us more vulnerable to dementia in later life.

Dr Marisa De Andrade is a lecturer in the University’s School of Health in Social Science (HiSS) and an Associate Director of the Centre for Creative-Relational Inquiry (CCRI). She brings her creative background in radio presenting, journalism and performing arts to health policy and practice. Along with an inter-disciplinary team in HiSS, she may have another trick up her sleeve – keep your eyes peeled for a new cutting-edge MSc in Health Humanities & Arts launching in 2018 (subject to College approval). Her show ‘Measuring Humanity’ is part of the 2017 Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas.

Bilingualism Matters is a research and information centre at the University founded by Professor Antonella Sorace. Studying bilingualism and language learning over the lifespan, it has branches around Europe and the US, and believes everyone can enjoy the benefits of having more than one language.

This year the School of History, Classics and Archaeology will be hosting a series of free ‘Edinburgh Festival Brown Bag Events’.

Charlotte Clarke is a Professor in the University’s School of Health in Social Science with much of her work focusing on dementia care. This year, Professor Clark and her team have worked with Skimstone Arts to create a play for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

For the third year, the University has partnered with the Edinburgh International Festival for its spectacular curtain-raiser. On the nights of 4 and 5 August, the city’s St Andrew Square will be transformed into a giant canvas, emblazoned with large-scale light installations that celebrate the Festival’s 70th anniversary.

It is only a matter of days until the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival swaggers into town and it is great to see two of its best venues popping up again in George Square Gardens.

The Brook Street Band come to Scotland for the first time as part of a spectacular series of summer concerts.

An insight into this years opening day events at Edinburgh’s International Film Festival, the impact of Brexit on the screen industry and the thriving environment of Scottish film production.

We caught up with Rachel Hosker, University’s Archives Manager. Rachel is involved in numerous events throughout this year’s Edinburgh festivals, including a talk that celebrates the Film Festival’s 70th year.

We interviewed Dr Jonny Murray, Director of Undergraduate Studies at Edinburgh College of Art. Dr Murray’s main research interests lie in the field of contemporary Scottish cinema and popular culture.

Be assured, it’s not only Cannes and Sundance film festivals that get the glamour; the Edinburgh International Film Festival, which is the world’s longest continually-running film festival, has its fair share of movie premieres, press screenings and VIP gala events. And if you are looking for a unique way to get involved, then the Centre of Open Learning run the ideal course for you in conjunction with the festival itself - Insight into Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Professor Mary Bownes, Professor Emerita of Developmental Biology, helps coordinate the University's contribution to the Edinburgh International Science Festival. As the 2017 festivities draw to a close, she shares her impressions.

Jon Oberlander, Professor of Epistemics in the School of Informatics, is the winner of this year's Tam Dalyell Prize for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science, the University award for public engagement.

Isla Myers-Smith, Chancellor’s Fellow in the School of GeoSciences, studies the impact of a warming climate on shrub plants in the Arctic – the trees of the tundra. Her team, known as TeamShrub, is contributing to art exhibitions taking place at Summerhall. They are also presenting Tundra shrubs – Arctic time machines, a workshop during which visitors can prepare and examine shrub samples under the microscope.

Dr Martin Parker, Director of Outreach at the Reid School of Music, joins Anne La Berge, Christos Michalakos and Ben Schogler to explore the ongoing influence of digital technology on music.

Professor Jamie Pearce of the School of GeoSciences and Professor Sarah Curtis of Durham University will join a discussion of how our surroundings affect our health, Why Places Matter for our Wellbeing.

Carmen Marcon is the director of Isaac’s Eye, a contemporary play on the life of a young Isaac Newton and his transformation into a great scientific thinker.

Paul Patras, Lecturer in the School of Informatics, gives insight into the privacy risks posed by internet connected wearable devices when he presents the BCS Sidney Michaelson Memorial Lecture, Wearables That Snitch on Us.

Dr Walid Magdy, Lecturer in the School of Informatics, joins a panel of experts for Test Tube to YouTube – an examination of the behind-the-scenes factors that influence our social media feeds.

Festival season begins for the University with the Edinburgh International Science Festival, the first in the calendar of Edinburgh's leading festivals. The UK's largest science festival boasts a vibrant and varied programme of events, with an impressive level of University involvement.