Research festival spotlights the digital world

The impact of digital technologies on society is set to be explored at a major research showcase.

A series of workshops, debates and exhibitions will also examine the importance of data for research, the benefits of outdoor spaces, and financial planning for families.

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 group of people in Edinburgh city centre

Experts from Edinburgh are joining an engaging line-up of speakers as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Festival of Social Science.

The UK-wide festival – which runs from 19 October to 9 November – offers opportunities to consider topics related to the social sciences at events run by university researchers.

The University is presenting 10 events as part of the Festival. Bookings can be made from the Festival website. All events are free and open to the public.

Navigating the digital world is a key theme. Events will cover a range of topics such as relationships on social media, the use of personal data and the limitations of AI generated images.

Dr Chase Ledin, from the Usher Institute, will lead a workshop exploring the role of technology, online spaces and social media in people’s relationships and sexual health.

The event, at the Glasgow Zine Library on 18 October, will feature a discussion and creative zine making.

Outdoor spaces

Researchers from the Groundswell Consortium and a range of partners, will present a project to investigate how outdoor spaces affect people’s health and wellbeing.

A green space challenge initiative, from 19 October to 9 November, invites people to share their views to help inform the future of outdoor spaces.  In the week before the initiative a webinar will share how people can take part in the challenge.

Dr Morgan Currie and Dr Vicky Gorton, of the School of Political and Social Science, will present research on public attitudes towards the reuse of personal data by government and university researchers.

The discussion event, at Moredun Library on 24 October and North Edinburgh Arts on 7 November, aims to raise awareness of data sharing practices and to collect people’s views.

Digital communication

Researchers from the University’s Contextual Mental Health research group will be spotlighting some of the nuances of online communication at an event on 25 October at IKEA Edinburgh.

Aimed at families, the event will explore themes such how people interpret emojis and the hidden meanings of texts, with a variety of interactive activities, including quizzes and games.

Prof Arkotong Longkumer and Dr Gaurav Rajkhowa of the School of Divinity, will present a three day exhibition looking at how digital technology can be used to repatriate artefacts acquired by museums in the course of colonialism.

The exhibition, at Chrystal MacMillan Building, Meeting Room 4, from 28 to 30 October, will be the first public display in the UK of images and 3D replicas of artefacts from the Gaidinliu Collection which were taken from the Naga community in north-eastern India more than 90 years ago and are kept in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.

Financial wellbeing

Emily Shipp, of the Edinburgh Business School, is leading two free drop-in events for mothers to envision their future and plan for their financial wellbeing.

These interactive arts events at McDonald Road Library on Tuesday 29 October and Friday 8 November combine children’s arts activities with a space for parents to relax and consider their long-term needs.

Dr Juliane Kloess, of the School of Health in Social Science, will tackle the issue of online safety for children and young people with an event exploring the ways in which offenders engage with their victims via the internet.

The exhibition, at 50 George Square from 1 November, is a collaboration between an artist and the researcher to raise awareness of online interactions, and the significant psychological impact these may have on children and young people.

Images of Care

PhD student Melody Wang and Dr Nichole Fernandez, of the Advanced Care Research Centre will share research exploring how AI-generated images can uncover biases and misconceptions about care and ageing in society.

The exhibition at the University’s Inspace from 4 to 8 November, includes a workshop on creating AI images and a discussion event around the powerful stories behind the exhibition.

Dr Andrew James Williams, of the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy (SCPHRP), will lead a workshop exploring the collection and use of data on young people’s health in areas such as diet, exercise, sleep and wellbeing.

The event, at Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House on 6 November, is particularly aimed at young people aged 8-18 years and their families, as well as teachers and youth workers.

Combatting HIV stigma

Dr Sophie Atherton and Dr Jaime Garcia-Iglesias, of the Usher Institute, are presenting an exhibition sharing public health messages about the importance of ending the stigma of HIV. 

The exhibition, at Craigmillar Library from 8 to 22 November, includes posters created by students at Castlebrae Community High School and George Watson’s College.

The Festival of Social Science began in 2002 as Social Science Week and has run annually since then, growing in size, breadth and coverage.

The Festival plays a key role in promoting the benefits of the social sciences to society and connecting researchers with new audiences.

Related links

Festival of Social Science

Link to Edinburgh events 

Image credit - George Clark via Getty images

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2024