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| Events |
| Views expressed at RSE events do not necessarily represent those of the RSE, nor of its Fellows |
| September 2010 |
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Orkney International Science Festival, Lecture,
7th September 2010, 10.00 - 11.00am at the Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall
Probing the Dark Side of Einstein's Universe
Dr Martin Hendry, Senior Lecturer, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow |
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Gravitational waves, the ripples in spacetime predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, are produced by some of the most violent and energetic phenomena in the universe, including black holes, neutron stars and supernovae. Dr Martin Hendry of Glasgow University introduces the new field of gravitational astronomy and explains what discovery of gravitational waves could mean for attempts to understand the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.
Tickets cost £4.00 adults and £2 concessions (free to all school groups- booking required).To book tickets and for further information : Orkney International Science Festival |
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Spitalfields Day : Geometry and Algebra
September 17, 2010 at 10.30am
To Be Held at The Royal Society of Edinburgh |
| This Spitalfields Day is organised in connection with the election in May 2010 of Professor Hirzebruch to an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. These lectures are aimed at a general mathematical audience, and should be accessible to graduate students. Talks will be given by Sir Michael Atiyah, Friedrich Hirzebruch and Andrew Ranicki. |
| Attendance is by advance registration only. Click Here for further information |
| Click here for a copy of the Poster |
| The meeting is supported by: London Mathematical Society, Edinburgh Mathematical Society, The Royal Society of Edinburgh and The International Centre for Mathematical Sciences |
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Lecture, 21 September 2010, 6.00pm
Facing up to Climate Change
The Lord Krebs, FRS, FMedSci, Principal, Jesus College, University of Oxford |
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The third in the Facing up to Climate Change series of high-profile lectures. The reality of climate change and the near certainty that it is man-induced is now accepted by most decision makers in the UK and elsewhere. There is less agreement on what should be done about it. In the UK, budgets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and an assessment of our preparedness for climate change, are developed by the Climate Change Committee. Will current policies meet our legally binding targets? If not, what will have to change to put us on track? How serious are we in preparing for the climate change to which we are already committed?
Professor The Lord Krebs of Wytham, Kt is an ecologist by background. He has been Principal of Jesus College, Oxford since 2005. He served as the first Chairman of the Food Standards Agency (2000-2005), and as Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council (1994-1999). He has held academic posts at the University of British Columbia, Bangor University and Oxford University, where he was a Royal Society Research Professor from 1988-2005. He has received many awards and prizes for his scientific research. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1984 and a Foreign Member of the US National Academy in 2004. Lord Krebs is a cross-bencher in the House of Lords, where he sits on the Science and Technology Select Committee. He is a member of the UK Climate Change Committee and chairs its Adaptation Sub Committee.
This lecture forms part of an RSE Ordinary Meeting and so shall be proceeded by Society Business. |
| Open to all and free to attend - registration required |
| This Event Is now full |
| Reserve Places for Facing up to Climate Change |
| October 2010 |
Franco-Scottish Science Seminar Series: Seven Keys to the Digital Future
7 October 2010, 5.30pm
Professor Chris Bishop FRSE, Microsoft Research LTD and Professor Gérard Berry, Collège de France.
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The RSE and the French Embassy in London are collaborating in a three-year programme of science events designed to explore and publicly present areas of science where both Scotland and France have a powerful presence. This symposium, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, will be the first in this series, intended to stimulate Franco-Scottish collaboration in science, to present new scientific ideas and their social and commercial implications to the public, and to increase awareness of French and Scottish science in each other’s country.
“The exponential growth in our ability to collect and store data is having profound implications for many areas of science and technology. Extraction of useful information from this data must, however, address the challenges of complexity, ambiguity, and computational cost. Part of the answer to these challenges lies in mathematical concepts whose origins date back 250 years, and which provide us with a framework for quantifying uncertainty. When combined with recently developed algorithms for computationally efficient inference, they offer a new paradigm for machine learning having broad applicability. The talk will be illustrated with tutorial examples, demonstrations, and real-world case studies.”
Chris Bishop FREng, FRSE is a Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft Research, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh, and a Fellow of Darwin College Cambridge. Chris is the author of the leading textbook Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning. In 2008 he presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, Hi-tech Trek: the Quest for the Ultimate Computer. |
| The lecture is free and open to all, tickets required. Click here to reserve a place.. Please note this lecture will start at 5.30pm |
| In addition to this key-note talk, a number of further events are taking place between 23rd September and 7th October. Full details of the symposium can be found here: |
| November 2010 |
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MacCormick European Lecture, 10 November 2010, 6.00pm
European Foreign Policy - is it Desirable and Possible
The Rt Hon Lord (Chris) Patten of Barnes CH |
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This year’s MacCormick European Lecture, named in honour of the late Professor Sir Neil MacCormick FBA FRSE in recognition of his contribution to Scottish and European politics and his international work for the RSE, will be delivered by the Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes CH. During his career Lord Patten has been an MP; Governor of Hong Kong, overseeing the return of Hong Kong to China; Chairman of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland; and European Commissioner for External Relations. Lord Patten is Chancellor of Oxford University and a Life Peer in the House of Lords. |
| This event is now full |
| Open to all and free to attend - registration required |
| Reserve places for European Foreign Policy - is it Desirable and Possible |
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Lecture, 11 November 2010, 6.00pm, Town and County Hall, Town House, Aberdeen
Adapting UK Institutions to Climate Change
Professor Sir John Lawton CBE FRS |
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The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution’s recent report explores the challenges facing UK institutions as they respond to climate change. Adaptation is not an alternative to mitigation; even if CO2 emissions were to stop tomorrow, significant climate change is inevitable, and the less successful we are at mitigation, the bigger the challenges of adaption. These challenges include considerable uncertainty about the magnitude and rates of climate change in different parts of the UK; recognising that adaptation will need to be an ongoing process, not a single action; and a willingness to incorporate an adaptation test into all major decisions. The lecture will explore these and other issues that surround the adaption challenge.
Image courtesy of Professor Sir John Lawton |
| Open to all and free to attend - registration required |
| Reserve places for Adapting UK Institutions to Climate Change |
| Supported by Aberdeen City Council |
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A series of events organised jointly by the British Academy and The Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Each day features a pair of linked events, starting at 6.00pm with an hour long discussion or 'mini lecture' on a more general medieval topic, followed by a short tea break, then lecture or panel discussion at 7.00pm. Each evening will end with a reception at around 8.00pm.
Events are open to all and free to attend - tickets required - and will take place at The Royal Society of Edinburgh. Tickets can be ordered online using links below, or through the ticketline on 0131 240 2780.
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Monday 15 November 2010, 6.00pm and 7pm
Monuments in Motion - Professor Rosemary Cramp FBA in conversation with Dr Barbara Crawford FRSE
Portable Christianity: Relics in the Medieval West (c700-1200) - Professor Julia Smith |
| Click here to reserve a place |
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| Tuesday 16 November 2010, 6.00pm and 7.00pm
"He That All Our Comford Was"? Robert The Bruce in Scottish sources before Barbour's Bruce - Professor Alexander Broadie FRSE in conversation with Dr Dauvit Broun
More than "Skimble-Skamble" Stuff :The Medieval Welsh Poetry Associated with Owain Glyndwr -Professor Gruffydd Aled Williams |
| Click here to reserve a place |
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| Wednesday 17 November 2010, 6.00pm and 7.00pm
'The Middle Ages - A Distant Mirror' Medieval Life and Death and Medievalism through the Centuries - Professor Graham Caie in conversation with Dr Chris Jones
Personifications of Old Age in Medieval Poetry - Dr Ad Putter |
| Click here to reserve a place |
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| Thursday 18 November 2010, 6.00pm and 7.00pm
The Past as Propaganda in The Declaration of Arbroath - Professor Alexander Brodie FRSE
The Past as Propaganda in the Mongol "World History" - Professor Robert Hillenbrand FBA FRSE |
| Click here to reserve a place |
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