Staff news

Researchers support Explorathon

Researchers from the University will be taking part in Explorathon '15, a public celebration of research and discovery, on Friday 25 September.

The event, which celebrates European Researchers' Night, is running simultaneously across Scotland. It includes 58 different activities in Edinburgh that are open to all.

Afternoon

University staff from Edinburgh College of Art and the schools of Chemistry, GeoSciences and Informatics feature in the afternoon programme at the National Museum of Scotland.

Topics include the symmetry and asymmetry of life, big data, the features of light and its interaction with matter, 3d printing and architectural reconstruction and the inner workings of volcanoes.

The University Careers Service will take part in From the Ground Up: Career Tips, Tricks and Tales. This special event for over-16s will offer tips for getting on to the career ladder and take careers advice questions from the audience.

At Edinburgh Zoo, the human brain, DNA and the science of life are among the topics being explored by colleagues from the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions and the School of Biological Sciences.

Finally, researchers from the School of Engineering will host a drop-in session on particles at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Evening

A series of evening events offer visitors an opportunity to explore Edinburgh researchers' work in more depth.

PhD in an Hour will look at li-fi and the potential use of LED light bulbs for wireless data communication. A Cafe Scientifique event will look at the cultural history of neon signs and a session at Canongate will explore what historic ghost stories can teach us about life in early modern Scotland.

Universities

The Beltane Public Engagement Network has coordinated Explorathon '15 in Edinburgh, bringing together researchers from all four of the capital's universities. Explorathon is Scotland's biggest public celebration of research and discovery.