Johnny Ball’s motivational lecture aims to encourage young people to consider studies that will lead towards University and Career Paths in Maths, Science and Technology.
In a time of uncertainty, where the world is a mess, verging on a threat to its very existence, the media focuses on past scientific failings that have brought us to this precarious position.
Well, nothing could be further from the truth! This lecture takes a look at the successes and benefits of Science and Technology over the past 50 years. Johnny encourages young people to be more confident for the future, today, as technology moves forward it offers us many insights into why we might produce a better world for the next generation, than anyone else has ever imagined possible before.

Practically all functions in the body vary from time to time. Such variations are often cyclic, where the variations occur as regular rhythms. Such rhythms can have a periodicity ranging from seconds, to day and night (circadian) and up to annual variations. In recent years it has been found that all cells in the body have clock functions, enabling them to keep time and also to be in equilibrium with the rest of the body. This lecture is a survey of how cellular clocks operate and how cyclic variations in different functions are important aspects of human daily life.

Inflammation has long been recognised as a beneficial response of the body to injury or infection. It is now recognised as a complex interplay between constitutive cells, multiple mediator cascades and migratory cells from the bloodstream which, paradoxically, is also implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of important diseases. These include atherosclerosis, arthritis and COPD, and, when the formidable array of its redundant effector mechanisms is turned against the host, the development of safe, incisive therapy is problematical. In the conference we will explore the mechanisms by which this normally beneficial defence process may cause disease and how a new understanding of its mechanisms is leading to novel treatments for inflammatory disorders.
Image courtesy of Professor Chris Haslett

Professor Miles Padgett is a lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow. This lecture will challenge the quote made by Einstein that "God does not play dice with nature".

In 1905 Einstein published three articles that changed our understanding of the workd for ever. One of his articles enabled us to understand how nature works at the most fundamental level and this lead to the development of Quantum Mechanics. However, there are subtle aspects of Quantum Mechanics that caused Einstein concern. These concerns have been debated for over 100 years and recent experiments, in the last 20 years, show that Einstein could have been wrong.

A frank debate about the perceived degradation of civil liberties within Scotland, the UK and Europe. Detention without charge, police spy drones, cctv, id cards and challenges to the independence of the judiciary - are these symptoms of a Big Brother state or a necessary response to new threats? With Magnus Linklater as judge, Lord Falconer QC and Baroness Helena Kennedy QC called witnesses to examine this critical issue. Audience members formed the jury to decide whose argument they found more convincing.
Image courtesy of Microsoft

Lord Kelvin was a giant of the 19th Century Science, his fundamental contributions to thermal physics, electromagnetism and optics being matched by practical achievements ranging from undersea amplifiers to marine compasses. In Glasgow, where Kelvin held the chair of Natural Philosophy for over 50 years, the 100th anniversary of his death was celebrated by four leading scientists who looked at where the fields Kelvin started are now and where they are going. Sir Michael Berry - on vortices in light, Ed Hinds on cold atoms, Wilson Sibbett on telecommunications and Denis Weaire on Foams and Kelvin’s Legacy. Kelvin was three times President of The Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Image courtesy of University of Glasgow

This lecture presents the thesis that what we generally term ‘classical music’ in the western tradition is integral to the very concept of ‘modernity’. This is something that makes it exceptional, and bound to a specific historical context, rather than something that can be regarded as a timeless norm within world music. While classical music is difficult to isolate entirely from all other forms of music in terms of its materials and structure, it is more securely defined in relation to a particular historical tendency which embraces an ensemble of cultural practices. One of the ways it relates in particular to modernity is through its association with a particular range of human subjects. Image courtesy of Microsoft

The Scottish Enlightenment made no distinction between public and private scholarship. The intellectuals of the age felt they were working on the “science of improvement” for the country and the wider world. Why does the public intellectual still matter? How can formal thinking in universities reach outside the academy? How do we mobilise a new generation of public intellectuals? How can they and our great universities inspire and inform our evolving democracy? Professor Rice explored the idea and role of the public intellectual in contemporary Scotland. Image courtesy of Graham Jepson, Aberdeen Magazine

Victoria Crowe’s work gains inspiration from the natural, and is transformed by memory, association and art historical references into a personal language. Victoria has been working on a collaborative project with David Ingram using Botanical collections as the basis for an examination of the transitory nature of all living things. Herbarium collections that contain specimens identified by Darwin that no longer exist in the real world have much to say about the world that we now live in and how we memorialise it. Scientist and artist discussed the boundaries between science, nature and art and the challenges and rewards of working together on such a project. Image courtesy of Victoria Crowe

Dr Irwin Jacobs, Chairman, Qualcomm, was presented with his IEEE/RSE/Wolfson James Clerk Maxwell Award 2007 at the Annual Statutory Meeting on 1 October 2007y. He followed this with a talk entitled Reflections on the amazing and Ubiquitous Cellphone

This stimulating lecture involved three astronauts/cosmonauts who have flown at different stages in the 50 years of space flight. It outlined the effects that natural and human impacts have had on climate change. It examined how the earth has changed, based on how the earth looked 50 years ago and how it looks now, and considered the vital role that space research has and is playing in addressing these issues. Held in association with Careers Scotland and the Association of Space Explorers, this lecture offered a unique opportunity to hear from, and engage with, those who have been in space, and seen for themselves the significant effect climate change is having on our planet.

Europa Nostra UK, which forms part of a pan-European federation of 200 heritage organisations, held its Annual Meeting in Edinburgh, taking the above theme for its programme.

This included a lecture to commemorate Lord Duncan-Sandys, a former President of Europa Nostra, given by Sir Timothy Clifford on Sunday 16 September, on The influence of the Italian Grand Tour on art collecting in Britain.

A one-day conference on the general theme, in association with the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Open to any member of the general public with an interest in the visual arts and architectural history, which is particularly relevant to the City of Edinburgh.

This Evening Lecture provided an introduction to the
subsequent two-day conference.

There are lots of things that we think we know about how the brain works. Sources of everyday information such as magazines, newspapers, popular press and TV often inform us of these processes. This conference discussed what we really know about the functioning of the mind. Speakers addressed questions including “Do we really use only 10% of our brain?”; “Can we stimulate the creativity of the right hemisphere?”; “Can we believe our memories?”; “How can we improve our learning skills?”; “Does the size of the brain matter?”; “Does the moon influence our behaviour?”; “Is bilingualism good or bad?”; “Can we trust our intuitions?”; “Can we detect a liar?”. Image courtesy of Our Dynamic Earth

For the first time in centuries, far more people are moving into the Highlands than are leaving. Inverness is Britain’s fastest-growing city and, in contrast to the experience of Scotland as a whole, the population of the Highlands is soaring – up 50 per cent in places like Skye. Where joblessness was once endemic, unemployment rates are below the Scottish average. Culturally, the Highlands are flourishing and, in an area once synonymous with absentee landlordism, local communities are taking over estate after estate. A Scotland looking for pointers as to how to secure a good future, argued James Hunter, need only look north. Image courtesy of HIE

The Royal Society of Edinburgh is celebrating the 250th anniversary of one of its most eminent Fellows, Thomas Telford. The greatest Scottish civil engineer, whose innovative achievements spanned bridge, canal, road, harbour and public health construction of unparalleled benefit to society extending down to today. He was a self-taught practical engineer applying then state-of-the-art technology to myriad transport-related projects across the UK and other parts of the world.

This conference is intended to inform civil engineers and interested members of the public who want to know more about Telford’s achievements. This conference is part of national celebrations being co-ordinated across the UK by the Institution of Civil Engineers marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Telford.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh holds a prestigious annual European Lecture and is delighted that Commissioner Figel' has agreed to give this year’s lecture and speak on the subject of Reforming Europe's Universities: why and how?.

Commissioner Figel' has had responsibility for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism since November 2004. As a citizen of Slovakia, Figel' brings the experiences and ideas of a new Member State, which joined the European Union in May 2004, to the development of these policy areas.

Multidisciplinary research has developed the field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Molecules that “do things”are now being made. New experimental approaches focused on how atoms cluster together have led to the production of novel nanostructures and a general refocusing of research interests on controlling self-assembly process. Fascinating fundamental insights into formation mechanisms have been revealed and nanoscale devices, which parallel devices in standard engineering, are now being created. On the horizon are possible applications ranging from civil engineering to advanced molecular electronics. Supercomputers in our pockets (as well as our heads) and buildings which can easily withstand powerful hurricanes and earthquakes may be possible. Image courtesy of Professor Sir Harry Kroto.

David Macdonald’s pioneering approach to studying animal behaviour using pure and applied methods revealed unknown intricacies in foxes’ social behaviour. This leap was made possible through advances in behavioural ecology, radiotracking and night vision technology. The findings formed the basis of science used to control wildlife rabies and led to the establishment of Oxford Universities WildCRU – a world leading research unit. The lecture examined carnivore societies ranging from badgers in Britain, wolves in Ethiopia and lions in Zimbabwe, through linked themes of the intricacy of mammalian societies and the relevance of that understanding to their conservation. Image courtesy of David Macdonald

How can engineers help to alleviate worldwide poverty? What role can they play in addressing the impacts felt by climate change? How can they create a more sustainable future for civilisation? These are the key themes covered in this year’s Brunel International Lecture.
Image courtesy of Professor Jowitt

In the era of data protection, information — above all ‘personal’ and ‘sensitive’ information — that pertains to individuals is said to be private, and its disclosure is prohibited unless special circumstances obtain. Yet this assumption does not stand up to scrutiny. People differ in the inferential links they can draw between different bits of information, and may often legitimately come to know information of a sort that is classified as personal or sensitive. One and the same item of information may be classified as ‘personal’ in some contexts, but as ‘non-personal’ in others. So the required distinction between personal and non-personal information cannot be well drawn. Privacy might be better protected by regulating communication than by trying to define and privilege special categories of information and regulating the way in which they are ‘processed’. Communication rather than information offers a fruitful focus for rethinking the ethics of privacy — and a largish range of related topics. Image courtesy of Baroness O'Neill

The rise and rise of autonomy has been one of the most striking ethical developments of the last 50 years. It represents a surprising change in the fortunes of what had previously been a rather specialised notion. Nowhere has this rise been more evident than in medical and research ethics, where the ethical treatment of patients and of research subject is often equated with respecting their autonomy. Yet a sober look at what is proposed suggests that autonomy in medical and research practice is often equated with using informed consent procedures. Moreover, these procedures have been developed in ways that often make impossible demands, that are not ethically required. A sober look at informed consent requirements suggests that their importance has more to do with avoiding come classical sorts of wrong doing such as coercion and deception, than with any robust conception of autonomy. Image courtesy of Baroness O'Neill

2007 sees the tercentenary of one of the most controversial moments in Scottish history: the parliamentary Union with England in 1707. This conference aimed to showcase the work of an exciting new generation of Scottish historians engaged in revising the traditional agenda of debate on the Union. Not only was the era of Union a scene of conflict between competing nationalist and unionist visions of Scotland’s future, but the period also needs to be understood in the light of a vigorous culture of popular politics beyond the parliamentary elite, fierce religious debates over the status of the Kirk, and a major European war.
Image courtesy of Parliamentary Archives

Talks included : LOFAR & SKA by Prof. Steve Rawlings (Oxford University) and AGN Feedback by Dr. Philip Best (ROE). RSE Undergraduate and Postgraduate prizewinners, Jenny Noble and Rita Tojerio, also made presentations.

The Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland Annual Forum brings all those organisations who have applied for funding from the Foundation together on one day.

Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland funds Research Fellowships and PhD Studentships through the RSE. The speakers at the RSE Workshop are either currently holding an award, or have held an award in the past. The research projects funded by the Foundation are related to "Improving the quality of life of the Ageing Population."

Dr Norman Alm, who was a previous holder of a Support Fellowship, gave a presentation about developing computer-based systems to assist people with dementia, and in particular the need for user involvement throughout the research and the importance of engaging, aesthetically excellent designs. Dr Irina Erchova spoke about the research project she is currently working on, which examines if some of the age-related deficits in memory might be explained by the very same brain processes that control learning and memory throughout life. Dr Lesley Jessiman, held a PhD Studentship, and she talked about her current research work on Parkinson's disease, which she is carrying out in the Cognitive Neuropsychology Research Laboratory at Dundee University.

In chemical science as well as in most branches of natural philosophy, expert practitioners of their subject, judging by past experience, are often no better than their younger colleagues or members of the general public in forseeing the scientific and technological future. The veracity of this statement was illustrated (in terms intelligible to non-experts), and the reasons why this is so, elaborated by reference to specific discoveries, advances and developments in chemistry, physics, medicine, molecular biology and astronomy.
Image courtesy of Sir John Meurig Thomas.

Energy is vital to our national well-being and should not be allowed to become a political football. The debate must encompass all aspects of energy, not just electricity. The confrontational nature of the public debate, particularly between the various technologies, is false, it inhibits decision making, and results in a reduction in the options.
These issues affect everyone and the Royal Society of Edinburgh is seeking to engage as wide a range of society as possible to debate the issues and to help better inform the decisions that need to be taken urgently. The widest possible consensus should be sought.

Protein-coated microcrystals (PCMC) are an innovative materials/ particle technology that has wide-ranging applications across drug delivery, nanotechnology, separations technology and biocatalysis. Drug delivery of proteins and vaccines using PCMC however, has been the major focus of research and development over the last 5 years. Effective delivery of therapeutic proteins is and remains a challenge for the pharmaceutical industry, but represents a significant opportunity for both the patient and provider. PCMC can be formulated to span a range of drug delivery routes such as via inhalation whilst providing drug-based particles that show excellent resistance to stress conditions of temperature and humidity.

Educational programmes, particularly at university level, are largely driven by research agendas. It is abundantly clear that scholarly research exchanges - communication and authorized publication – will very soon require digitalisation. The problems to be overcome are both technical and institutional and the humanities community must define, explore, and address these problems. This lecture marks the completion of the Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels, published by Edinburgh University Press.

What happens to a star? Big stars are in delicate balance, kept alive by a big nuclear reactor in the middle. But what happens when the fuel runs out? Some stars don’t take it very well, and explode violently in a supernova explosion. Others may collapse dramatically into a Black Hole. Here we explore the strange properties of curved space around Black Holes and dip our toes into wormholes, time travel and the physics in the movies. Public lecture forming part of the RSE Schools Roadshow.

This seminar presented a frank analysis of the historical and present situation of Glasgow society, as well as recognising that, despite the physical regeneration of the city and the improvement in employment prospects, there are still underlying problems to be addressed of social, cultural and spiritual poverty in particular areas of the city. Glasgow’s development and some root causes of its present and past social difficulties were put into a global perspective. Our current method of tackling these issues was examined, and the physical, medical, social, cultural and spiritual needs for the building of healthy communities, explored.

Ten years ago, Dolly became the world’s most famous sheep. Looking back, what did her birth really mean for science and the society we live in? What can be done now and in the future with the technology? And what should be done?
Image © Roslin Institute

A day of activities for all ages to mark the life and death of Dolly the Sheep.

Meet the scientist who led the team that created Dolly, take part in family workshops including art workshops (all ages) and extract your own DNA! (age 10+).

Talk to the vet who cared for Dolly and find out from Museum staff how she was prepared for display. See Dolly’s bones and other objects on exclusive display for a limited time only.
Image courtesy of © Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland

Science is international. It is fundamental to our understanding of the world we live in and how we respond to and interact with it. Throughout history science has enabled mankind to tackle some of the world’s most pressing problems and its role as a force for change is growing in importance. Technology and innovation now impact greatly on our daily lives and the pace of change is quickening. The resulting benefits are enormous and wide-ranging. It is crucial that Scotland’s science base is ready to take advantage of future global opportunities and that our young people are excited and engaged by science.

In Scotland culture has been celebrated as a key factor on the road to devolution. Since 1999 debates and policies on culture - from the National Cultural Strategy to the Cultural Commission; the review of the national companies to the launch of the National Theatre; and “Creative Scotland the awards” to “Creative Scotland the agency” –have busied government. Drawing on the experience of key figures in Scotland’s cultural life, this seminar explored our new engagement with cultural development and policy. How might a “policy-defined culture” impact on Scottish life and change the image that Scotland presents to a wider world?

Environmental scientists are well aware of the importance of the past in understanding the present, but historians are rarely involved in analysing landscape change, despite their discipline’s ability to help establish not only what happened but why. Dr Watson’s own work with an interdisciplinary team in the Centre for Environmental History at the University of Stirling seeks to unravel the highly complex relationship between nature and human activity in the Scottish uplands over the last four hundred years. The results provide a fascinating insight into the shaping of the landscape and the attitudes of those who inhabited the ‘wildernesses’ we love today. Image courtesy of Dr Fiona Watson

This lecture considers the growing appeal of human dignity as a guiding principle in modern medical decision-making. Calls to uphold human dignity are particularly acute when life and death decisions are involved, and these arise at both the beginning and the end of the human life cycle. But human dignity is a notoriously difficult idea to enshrine in law: does it refer to my assessment of my own life and what I consider to be dignified, or does it concern a more objective view of what might generally be considered to be a dignified existence? Faced with this dilemma, we will consider how valuable the appeal to human dignity is for patients´rights and what alternatives might be preferable.