Science Festival 2016
Informatics staff and students are involved in a number of events, 26 March–10 April.
Edinburgh International Science Festival was the world’s first - and is still one of Europe’s largest - public celebrations of science and technology.
This year, events run by or featuring familiar faces from the School of Informatics include Robot Lab, Technologies of the Future - Today, Game On!, The Rights of The Machine, Unbottling the AI Demon, Edinburgh Living Lab's Bikes vs Cars Future Vehicle Showcase and not least, the Tam Dalyell Prize Lecture.
In addition, postgraduate student James Garforth has been science advisor for Uncanny Valley, an interactive show for 8-12 year olds.
Robot Lab
Date/time: Saturday 26-Wednesday 30 March, 10am-4.30pm
Suitability: All ages
Place: Learning Centre Level 2, National Museum of Scotland
Cost: free
Event: Drop-in activity for all ages featuring robots from Edinburgh Centre for Robotics. Students Alejandro Bordallo and James Garforth* will be among the students staffing the stand.
Junkyard Clusters
Date/time: Saturday 26-Wednesday 30 March, 12 noon and 2pm (60 mins)
Suitability: Ages 8+
Place: Learning Centre Level 4 Seminar Room, National Museum of Scotland
Cost: free
Event: Working with staff from Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC), students Justs Zariņš and Larisa Stoltzfus, from our Centre for Doctoral Training in Pervasive Parallelism, will help teams of children to build a desktop computer, run tests and make it work as part of a cluster.
Uncanny Valley
Date/time: Tuesday 29-Thursday 31 March, various times
Suitability: Ages 7+
Place: Dissection Room, Summerhall
Cost: £10 standard, £8 concessions
Event: Interactive show which tells the story of Ada and her best friend, a robot called OKAY (Outstandingly Knowledgeable Android Youth), who is under threat of being terminated...
Technologies of the Future, Today
Date/time: Wednesday 30 March, 8-9.30pm
Suitability: 14+
Place: Main Hall, Summerhall
Cost: £8.50 standard price / £6.50 concessions / £4.25 #SciPals students
Event: Edinburgh Centre of Robotics students and alumni Wolfgang Merkt, James Garforth, Iris Kyranou, Carson Vogt and Sandy Enoch discuss some of the robots they have created and what artificial intelligence might do in the future.
Game On!
Date/time: Thursday 31 March-Monday 4 April, 12noon-1pm and 3-4pm.
Suitability: For ages 8+ but perfect for ages 10-14.
Place: Learning Centre Level 4, Studio 1, National Museum of Scotland
Cost: Free (ticket required from the venue on the day, subject to availability). Each ticket also admits one adult if desired.
Event: This workshop by Dr Areti Manataki offers a hands-on and playful taster session in computer programming. Participants learn the basics of coding in Scratch, a visual programming language, and design and build their own computer game.
The Rights of The Machine
Date/time: Monday 4 April, 8-9.30pm,
Suitability: Ages 14+
Place: Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall
Cost: £8.50 standard price / £6.50 concessions / £4.25 #SciPals students
Event: Do intelligent robotic systems deserve civil rights? Or even human rights? Hear what promises to be a very stimulating panel discussion featuring Professor Alan Bundy and Dr Patricia Vargas.
Unbottling the AI Demon
Date/time: Thursday 7 April, 5.30-7pm
Suitability: Ages 14+
Place: Auditorium, National Museum of Scotland
Cost: £8.50 standard price / £6.50 concessions / £4.25 #SciPals students
Event: Professor Sethu Vijayakumar, Professor of Robotics and Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, will join a distinguished panel to talk about the risks that could arise from the development of human-level artificial intelligence (AI).
Bikes vs Cars Future Vehicle Showcase
Date/time: Saturday 9 April, 11am- 5pm
Suitability: 14+
Place: Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation
Cost: Free (drop in)
Event: The School of Informatics is a partner in Edinburgh Living Lab, which will conduct an eBike test ride experiment as part of the Bike v Cars Future Vehicle Showcase at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation. Participants will have the chance to test ride a selection of electric bikes from Electron Wheels and collect data about their experience. The data will contribute to ongoing work on the future of sustainable transport in Edinburgh.
Tam Dalyell Prize Lecture
Date/time: Sunday 10 April, 6-7.30pm
Suitability: Ages 14+
Place: Playfair Library, University of Edinburgh
Cost: Free (ticket required)
Event: Professor Vijayakumar looks at how humans and robots will work together in the future. Talk with live demonstrations and discussion.
Useful links
Edinburgh International Science Festival
#SciPals half-price ticket scheme for students