Alumni Services

10 things for October 2019

This month's essential news, events and opportunities for alumni.

1. Who would you like to celebrate? 

Being Edinburgh
1. Who do you would like to celebrate and why?

Are there inspiring former University of Edinburgh students who should be celebrated? 

We are relaunching our alumni awards later this year and we want to know about the people who inspire you. The Being Edinburgh awards will highlight members of our alumni community who make us feel better about the world. Whose life makes you glow with positivity and pride? 

Details of the nomination process will be released shortly, so in the meantime please reflect on who you would like to celebrate and why.

 

2. Alumna named in Top 100 Influential Women in Engineering

Olivia Sweeney in a lab
2. Alumna Olivia Sweeney - an influential woman in engineering.

Alumna Olivia Sweeney (MEng Chemical Engineering, 2017) has been named among the 'Top 100 Most Influential Women in Engineering' in the UK and Europe by Inclusive Boards in association with the Financial Times. Olivia's listing recognises her work towards a more sustainable cosmetics industry through her role as Ethical Buyer for Aroma Chemicals at Lush, alongside her outreach campaigning to inspire the younger generation about the possibilities of careers in engineering.

Olivia Sweeney listed in Top 100 Influential Women in Engineering

3. Catch up with Sharing things

sharing things logo
3. Five episodes of Sharing things, the podcast for Edinburgh people, are available to listen to now.

Five episodes of Sharing things, our new student-produced podcast, are now available. This nine-part series explores Edinburgh people and what makes them tick through a conversation between two members of our university community. In the latest episode, guests Srishti Chaudhary and Abrisham Ahmadzadeh talk about writing, creativity, dangerous women, bucket lists and more.

Sharing things podcast

4. Lyell notebooks secured

Lyell notebooks
4. Historic notebooks of Darwin’s mentor secured for the public.

Historic notebooks belonging to a scientist admired by Charles Darwin are to join the University of Edinburgh’s collections, following a successful campaign. Sir Charles Lyell (1797 - 1875) influenced generations of scientists through his popular books and lectures and is credited with providing the framework that helped Darwin develop his evolutionary theories. The University has already started planning how to make the notebooks available through exhibition and digitisation.

Lyell notebooks campaign

5. Edinburgh Medical Debate 2019

Medical debate 2019
5. Join the debate

Edinburgh Medical Students Council and Edinburgh Medical School will hold a panel discussion about gender equality in the medical profession on Wednesday 6 November. The evening will be chaired by Professor Mona Siddiqui, Chair in Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh. The debate is free and open to all.  

6 November - Edinburgh Medical Debate 2019: Is Medicine still a Patriarchy?

6. Voices of the Planet

Plastic bottle with sea
6. Blog highlights impacts of the climate crisis

Highlighting the impacts of the climate crisis, the Visions blog is sharing the first-hand experiences of alumni, staff and students, focusing on those in the global south. In a recent article, alumnus Aayush Goyal, co-founder of social enterprise, Social Stories Club, shares his experiences of Chennai, his childhood home.

Visions blog

7. US-based events

US flag
7. Join our events in the United States of America.

History celebration in New York: To celebrate the 300 years of History at the University of Edinburgh, academics and partners will host a panel discussion on Monday 11 November addressing the question, “Is history a thing of the past?”. The discussion will focus on the value and purpose of studying history during this moment of profound political, social, and technological change around the world.

11 November - History celebration in New York

Alumni event in Washington DC: Join Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, and Professor Geoffrey Pullum, Professor of Linguistics, for a talk and reception in Washington DC on Thursday 14 November. Professor Pullum will give a talk on the importance of linguistics and Professor Mathieson will provide an overview of the University's Strategy 2030, followed by a drinks reception. 

14 November - Alumni event in Washington DC

8. Plotting the witches' plight

Map showing witches database
8. Survey of Scottish Witchcraft Database Project

Data experts from the University Information Services Group have created a new interactive map which tracks more than 3,000 Scots accused of being witches in the 16th and 17th century. 

Witchcraft map

9. School of Social and Political Sciences celebration

ECCI exterior
9. Join a special School of Social and Political Sciences event at ECCI

A special event on Wednesday 27 November invites school alumni to reconnect and will mark the official launch of the Alice Brown PhD Scholarships for 2019/20, a new flagship programme at the School supporting talented students who could not otherwise afford to pursue postgraduate study.

27 November - Social and Political Sciences celebration

10. Just a Sports Quiz

People gathered at Just a sports quiz
10. A night of fun sports trivia for a good cause

BT Murrayfield Stadium will play host to the 7th 'Just a Sports Quiz' on Friday 15 November, to raise funds for MND research at the Euan MacDonald Centre. Teams of ten can pay to book a table for a memorable night of sporting trivia and fun.

15 November - Just a Sports Quiz 2019

Enlightened

'Enlightened', the alumni newsletter, is delivered to email inboxes every month. You can make sure you receive yours by updating your details on the MyEd alumni portal. More information:

Enlightened