University science features in online festival
Climate change, dinosaur discoveries and DIY computer games are among the topics covered by Edinburgh experts as part of a mini digital science festival.
Videos, articles and activities created by students and staff are free to access through Elements of #EdSciFest, an alternative online offering from the Edinburgh Science Festival.
The organisers of the citywide event, which was cancelled in light of the Covid-19 outbreak, have curated a range of engaging digital content for adults and children.
Materials contributed by students and staff from across the University, plus content supplied by other Edinburgh Science Festival partners, will be available beyond the festival's original end date of 19 April.
Share your thoughts on the materials on Twitter using the #EdUniEdSciFest hashtag.
Digital programme
Links to materials produced by University researchers are organised by theme below.
Elements of #EdSciFest - full online programme
Explore the full Elements of #EdSciFest online programme on the Edinburgh Science Festival website.
Secrets of Staying Sharp in Older Age
Professor Ian Deary shines a light on why some people's brains and thinking skills age better than others.
Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction
Professor Ian Deary explains the basics about IQ.
Series of talks shining a spotlight on research into health and healthcare, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease, dementia, and air pollution.
Air Pollution: The New Tobacco?
A talk in which Dr Mark Miller argues that poor air quality is polluting our hearts and minds.
Downloadable version of mini-workshop run using the video game Minecraft, which explores the incredible machinery that makes our cells work.
Preventing Dementia Micro Module
A short course about neurodegenerative diseases that cause dementia.
Avoiding Bad Eggs and Making Good Eggs
Lecture by Professor Evelyn Telfer, whose lab is working on techniques to grow and make human eggs outside the body.
Podcast series run by biology PhD students that explores science and the people behind it.
Earthly Matters: A Space Gynaecologist’s Perspective
Dr Varsha Jain talks about the impact of heavy menstrual bleeding on women, both in space and closer to home.
Parasites: Battle for Survival
Special exhibition page on the National Museums Scotland website exploring the world of parasites.
Climate Change and Agriculture
Professor Dave Reay explore why we need global agriculture to be "climate-smart" to feed the planet's ever-growing population.
Series of short videos covering different mechanisms that affect our climate, how this has changed in the past, what a warmer planet means for humankind, and the challenges this poses for global societies.
Impacts of Climate Change around the World
Interactive resource created by Edinburgh students that highlights the likely impacts of climate change on locations around the world.
Nitrogen, the Environment and Us
TedX talk by Professor Dave Reay that explores Nitrogen, the seventh most abundant element in the universe, which is essential for life on Earth.
Dr Isla Myers-Smith demonstrates how Canadian Arctic vegetation has changed because of climate change, and what these changes may mean for all tundra regions in the future. Additional content includes two digital exhibitions and a podcast episode.
Series of films showing how climate change is affecting the Polar regions, and how scientists are studying these changes.
Introduction to Supercomputing: the Postal Sort
An interactive game that explores how supercomputers can solve difficult problems more quickly than conventional computers. Includes additional activities for younger computer scientists.
Activities exploring the exciting world of video games. Learn the basics of coding in a visual programming language called Scratch and build your own computer game.
Dr Steve Brusatte reveals the stories of the people involved in Tyrannosaur discoveries and explores some of the latest fossil evidence.
Watch as Dr Steve Brusatte attempts to identify different dinosaur species using only his sense of touch.
Maths: Elements of Modern Science
A range of maths activities and resources to engage and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds, highlighting how maths is an essential part of the world around them.
Flammable Cities: A Burning Global Issue
Dr David Rush explores the issue of urban-fire risk in cities, and highlights research focused on tackling the problem.
Series of videos created by Edinburgh physicists looking into the physics of food and drink you might find in your kitchen.
Peter Higgs: An Interview With
Professor Peter Higgs in conversation with Dennis Canavan at the Orkney International Science Festival 2017.
Dr Rory Hadden explores the science of fire to shed light on what we do and don't know about it.
Colouring book and short comic exploring the important roles played by robots and sensors in the offshore energy industry.
Dr Ali Bruce shows what the Apollo 11 mission would have looked like if the rocket were made of LEGO.
A series of astrobiology resources - focused on life beyond our planet - led by Professor Charles Cockell from the UK Centre for Astrobiology.
Astrobiology resource aimed at 10-13 year olds, challenging participants to think about what life on other planets could look like. Includes an instruction video and activity sheets for download.
Professor Charles Cockell gives an overview of how we look for life in the universe, what we’ve found so far, and what that means for us.
Space Microbiology with Dr Rosa Santomartino
Dr Rosa Santomartino provides a brief introduction to the field of microbial astrobiology - the science of how microbes behave in space.
The Tam Dalyell Prize for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science recognises and rewards the University’s outstanding science communicators.
The 2020 Prize has been awarded to Dr Andrew Manches, from the Moray House School of Education and Sport, for his consistent and unwavering passion to support children’s learning in their early years. Unfortunately, his lecture cannot go ahead at the current time.
Previous Tam Dalyell Prize lectures can be watched here: https://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/event-details/tam-dalyell-prize-annual-talk