What effect do genes have on our health? Generation Scotland,an ambitious genetic study of thousands of families in Scotland,aims to answer why one family may be at high risk of heart disease,another from diabetes and yet another from depression. Depression and related mental illnesses affects around a quarter of the population. Our genetic studies are casting important light on some of their causes, with the future promise of better diagnosis, prevention and treatment.

There can be no more striking a consequence of recent Chinese economic reform than the emergence of a middle class, thought to number around 150 million people. This phenomenon is re-shaping the Chinese economy and conditioning the strategies of international companies seeking to do trade in this growing market. But who are these people? What are their views and perceptions? In the 18th century, the American middle class – rallying behind slogans such as “No taxation without representation!” – struggled hard for a say in their country’s political destiny. Are China’s emerging consumers hard-wired to repeat that experience, transferring in.uence at the cash register to power at the ballot box? Or has China, as its government professes, found an alternative model for development?

This lecture will touch on how science informs us of climate change, and how climate change will impact on communities such as Arbroath, what we can do about it and how scientists can make a difference. Professor Glover holds a Personal Chair of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Aberdeen where she has an active research group pursuing a variety of areas, from microbial diversity to the development and application of whole cell biosensors (biological sensors), for environmental monitoring and investigating how organisms respond to stress at a cellular level. She is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a member of the Natural Environment Research Council, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Part of the RSE@Arbroath series.

Burns’ impact on the world can be measured by his influence on readers in the Scottish diaspora and English-speaking communities, on readers elsewhere and, finally, on members of English-speaking colonial elites, especially in British India. Neal Ascherson will examine why the effect of Burns on the literature and imagination of the world was much less than that of Scott and Ossian. It is ironic that Burns was a writer of internationalist ambition, while the other two essentially exalted a national culture. Where his influence was strongest in oter language-cultures (e.g. Russia), it was often because he was appropriated as almost a domestic poet of that culture.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, in honour of Robert Burns' 2009 celebration, will be holding a special Burns Supper.
Contributions will be made during the Supper by Mr Clark McGinn and the renowned Scottish singer/songwriter Gill Bowman one of the finest interpreters of Robert Burns' songs performing today.

Diners will be able to listen to some of the best Scottish music and enjoy the finest of Scottish produce within the dining rooms of the prestigious New Club with the stunning views of Edinburgh Castle forming a perfect backdrop for this celebration dinner.

Featuring Harald Kosik on piano, Verena Stourhz on violin and Hannes Gradwolh playing cello the Haydn Trio Esissenstadt is one of Austria’s leading chamber music ensembles. Since 2002 the trio have worked closely with the renowned Scottish Singers Lorna Anderson (Soprano) and Jamie MacDougall (Tenor). The Royal Society of Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh are delighted to be able to bring to Edinburgh , for one night only, Jamie, Lorna and the Haydn trio Esienstadt and watch all five performers breathe new life into Haydn’s Scottish songs. The evening offers further surprises with an exciting link up with one of Scotland’s pre-eminent composers of this generation James MacMillan FRSE. The five perform his newest, as yet untitled, Scottish themed piece of work.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh is organising a major one-day conference on ‘Robert Burns and Global Culture’ in 2009. The conference will reflect on issues such as the global reputation of Burns, the translation and reception of Burns in world literatures, the influence of Burns on the image of Scotland abroad, and the continuing celebration of Burns in global culture in statues, music and Burns Supper events. As Scotland’s National Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh has decided to host this conference on Scotland’s national bard as one of a series of global events to commemorate Burns on the 250th anniversary of his birth.
There will be contributions from leading Burns scholars from around the world, and there will be plenty of scheduled time for discussion as well as a session on the latest research on Burns.
Sheena Wellington and Kirsteen McCue will perform at a musical lunch In the middle of the day. A number of additional activities are planned to complement the main conference including a keynote public lecture, a classic Burns Supper with a leading after-dinner speaker and a Burns inspired concert.

In the context of new nations and nationalisms, and government cultural policies, how do institutions representing different art forms respond to the challenge of being ‘National’? In this seminar, a panel of guests representing prestigious Galleries and Museums throughout the UK and Ireland will debate the challenges involved in operating under a ‘National’ remit. Questions to be addressed include the challenge of achieving and maintaining artistic excellence; the duty to preserve and nurture our national heritage while encouraging experimental work and the importance of playing a leading role in the strategic development and organisation of the art form nationally.

The annual ECRR Peter Wilson Lecture is one of the highlights of the RSE events programme and has, in the past, attracted many of the key . gures of the science world including Professor Ian Wilmut, Steve Jones and Sir John Krebs. The lecture is named after Professor Peter Wilson, former Professor of Agriculture and Rural Economy at the University of Edinburgh, who had a pivotal role in the emergence of ECRR in 1989 as an outward-looking voluntary association of science-based organisations linked by an involvement in one or more aspect of ‘rural research’. This year’s talk will be given by Professor John Beddington the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser. The lecture will provide a prime opportunity to hear from and question the Chief Scientist.

This Discussion Forum will explore Scotland’s love affair with
alcohol and ask how unique these problems are? Are we drinking more than our international cousins? And what is the real effect that this is having on our mental and physical health? Our panel of experts will discuss the social factors that may lead to binge-drinking and alcoholism and demonstrate the neurological effects of our nation’s favourite drug.

Alcohol misuse not only affects the health and welfare of individuals but also has a major impact on family relationships, communities and society as a whole. More people than ever are drinking excessively and trends in alcohol related harm are rising. Scotland has the fastest growing rate of chronic liver disease in Europe. Alcohol problems cost Scotland at least £2.2
billion a year and place a signifi cant strain on the resources of the NHS and emergency services. What are the drivers of this? Through exploring the fi elds of genetics, neurochemistry, and psychology through to the current hedonistic social culture, this unique conference aims to look closely at the psychoactive and addictive nature of alcohol, and how its influence in these fields interplay from molecular to societal levels.

The Gannochy Trust Innovation Award of the Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland’s highest accolade for individual achievement in innovation. Carrying a prize of £50,000, the award was established to encourage and reward Scotland’s young innovators. The 2008 winner is Dr Colin Urquhart, CEO of
Dimensional Imaging Ltd. Dimensional Imaging’s DI3D™ system is the first commercial application in the world that uses passive stereo photogrammetry to derive accurate, high resolution 3D surface images from only a stereo pair of images acquired using standard digital stills cameras. DI3D™ systems are being used worldwide in fields as diverse as orthodotics, plastic surgery, burns treatment, dermatology, psychology and entertainment.

They said it couldn’t be done. For years, the prosthetics industry focused on delivering incremental improvements to a pincer-like hand design that was not a true reflection of a human hand. The concept of a hand with articulating fingers was considered too great an engineering challenge for prosthetic device companies. While the industry stood still, a small company from Scotland was tearing up the rule book and forging ahead with the development of the i-LIMB Hand, the world’s first bionic hand. That company was Touch Bionics and this is their story.

Alternative medical treatments have been used for thousands of years but were mostly replaced with a more scientiFIc approach to the treatment of illness and disease in the last century. These practices are undergoing a resurgence of popularity within the public. What do these therapies offer that conventional medicine does not? How does patient care and safety compare within this and the conventional medical field. These questions and their possible answers will be explored by our panel of experts.

Although many thousands of people opt to use complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) instead of, or as well as conventional medicines, many of these therapies are not supported by positive scientific evidence for specific effects. So what does a patient experience with CAM? What is the evidence to suggest these therapies work and how is it obtained? What should the public know about CAM and what information and support should conventional medical practioners be providing for them? These are a few of the questions that a programme of international speakers from both CAM and conventional medical backgrounds will attempt to answer.

Andrew McLellan has been HM Chief Inspector of Prisons since October 2002. He was previously a member of the District Council in Greenock, served as a university tutor and was a prison chaplain in Stirling. He also served as Minister of St Andrew’s and St George’s in the centre of Edinburgh for sixteen years. Between 1994 and 2004 the Airborne Initiative offered a mould-breaking residential courses for high tariff young male offenders who might otherwise have languished in prison. Fifty per cent of those who got through a course did not re-offend. Andrew McLellan will be addressing the problem of finding realistic alternatives to prison for young offenders.

Part of the conference “Geometry and Physics” celebrating the 80th birthday of Sir Michael Atiyah OM PRSE, who will chair the meeting. Professor Peter Higgs FRSE (Edinburgh) will speak on the origins of the concept of the eponymous boson. Professor Edward Witten (Institute for Advanced Study, USA and CERN, European Organisation for Nuclear Research) will speak about the modern theory of the boson, and what is being tested at CERN. Professor David Saxon (Glasgow) will outline the experimental challenges. There will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions.

Scotland is a leader in seeking to use science based policy, regulation and voluntary industry codes to increase the sustainability of the aquaculture sector within the context of increasingly focused regulation and global environmental and economic forces.

The symposium will explore sustainability under four broad themes of the environment, fish health and welfare, the role of science within regulation and policy, together with the socio-economic impact of aquaculture. The symposium is being organised by the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF) in conjunction with The Royal Society of Edinburgh and The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and aims to engage delegates from a wide range of backgrounds with an interest in aquaculture, bring together the extensive portfolio of SARF sponsored research, complemented by internationally recognised keynote speakers.

To coincide with this intense, absorbing and powerful piece of theatre from Michael Frayn, (running at the Edinburgh Lyceum from 17 April - 9 May), the RSE hopes to bring a panel of eminent scientists together to discuss the conversations of Heisenberg and the other German scientists, following their capture and internment at Farm Hall near the end of World War II, whilst exploring the underlying science and the full implications in more detail.

Further details to be announced.

Stem cells have been the subject of one of the fastest-growing areas in biomedical research internationally in the past decade. Once identified, they were very quickly recognised as having enormous potential for use in treating a wide range of previously intractable diseases, but there remain significant hurdles to their widespread introduction.

While much attention has focused on the important ethical and legal aspects of the stem cell research and the appropriateness of stem cell use in medical practice, this conference will address the scientific issues currently confronting stem cell researchers. After reviewing the achievements of the recent past, it will consider the current state of research before taking a look into the future and considering how to overcome the barriers to realising the dream of stem cells becoming routine therapy.

Speakers will be: Sir John Gurdon, Cambridge, UK, Professor Roger Pederson,Cambridge, UK, Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, London, UK, Professor Ian Duncan,University of Wisconsin, USA Professor Paul Sharpe, London, UK, Professor Olle Lindvall, Lund, Sweden, Professor Frank Luyten, Leuven, Belgium, Professor Alan Colman, Singapore, Sir Ian Wilmut, Edinburgh, UK, Professor Sian Harding, London,UK, Dr John Connelly, London, UK

Caledonian Research Foundation is a Scottish Charity, incorporated in Scotland as a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registration No. 36656. Scottish Charity No. SC014705