Fascinating Futures Programme

11:00 – 11:15am RSE@ Inverness Introduction MacLean Room Sir Andrew Cubie FRSE Dr Rebekah Widdowfield, Chief Executive A brief introduction to the RSE@ Inverness programme and the Fascinating Futures Family Day. 11:15 – 12:00pm The Science of Star Trek MacLean Room Professor Dame Anne Glover FRS PRSE Professor Dame Anne Glover, President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, will explain through the medium of Star Trek, how a quality STEM education can provide young people with the ability to boldly go where no man or woman has gone before. She will describe how several sci-fi based tech gadgets, have been the inspiration for many of the modern technologies we use today, and demonstrate that STEM allows people to make imagination become reality.

Chair: Sir Andrew Cubie FRSE 11:15 – 12:00pm Science Ceilidh: Getting Creative & Musical Chapel Room with Science Mr Lewis Hou Come find out all about the science of music, from the physics of instruments to the benefits of playing an instrument to your brain! With live music and hands-on demonstrations for families and adults, come along and maybe even try your hand at an Orcadian Strip the Helix or Canadian Brain Dance at the end!

Introduction: Dr Rebekah Widdowfield 12:00 – 12.30pm Is There a Future for Tourism? MacLean Room Dr Sandro Carnicelli, University of the West of Scotland Tourism is a key human activity but issues concerning tourist behaviour and “overtourism” are gaining significant media attention and encouraging governments to close areas and protect communities. This talk examines tensions in international mobility and argues that the future of tourism needs to be just and sustainable with greater attention to equity. This talk will challenge our tourist-being and discuss the rights of local communities to host. It will help us to think about how to be better tourists not only in the future but now.

Chair: Professor Stuart Monro FRSE 12:15 – 12:45pm Scottish Stories About the Sea Chapel Room Dr Anuschka Miller, SAMS Selkies are mythical Scottish creatures that are part seal and part human. In this session selkie woman Murdina will tell old and new stories about living below the waves.

Introduction: RSE Staff 12:30 – 1:00pm Nurses – Fiction Versus Reality Marie Cameron, University of the Highlands and Islands In some ways Nursing has stayed the same for decades, but in many ways it is changing rapidly, with advances in science and technology contributing to these changes. In this talk we will look at some of the portrayals of nursing and medicine in fiction (including in television and films) and compare these to the reality of Nursing in the 21st Century.

Chair: Sir Andrew Cubie FRSE 1:00 – 1:30pm Crime Squirrel Investigators: The Naughty Chapel Room Nut Thief Emily Dodd – Author Rosie’s secret hazelnut store has been ransacked and her best friend Charlie agrees to help her to find the naughty nut thief. Discover the different ways animals eat nuts with songs, science, woodpecker hip-hop and a water squirting squirrel.

Suitable for age 4-7 years Introduction: Professor Stuart Monro FRSE 1:30 – 1:45pm Food For Thought Prize Giving MacLean Room Lucinda Bruce–Gardyne FRSE, Genius Foods The winners of our recent RSE Food For Thought Competition will be presented with their prizes by Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, founder of Genius Foods.

Chair: Professor Dame Anne Glover FRS PRSE 1:45 – 2:30pm Science Ceilidh: Getting Creative & Musical Chapel Room with Science Mr Lewis Hou Come find out all about the science of music, from the physics of instruments to the benefits of playing an instrument to your brain! With live music and hands-on demonstrations for families and adults, come along and maybe even try your hand at an Orcadian Strip the Helix or Canadian Brain Dance at the end!

Introduction: Sir Andrew Cubie FRSE 1:45 – 2:15pm Video Games: More Than Playthings MacLean Room Dr Andrew Reid, Abertay University Video games are a global, multi-billion pound industry with a media spotlight shining bright on harmful and damaging claims in recent years. However, games have been making positive contributions to people’s lives for generations, and continues to grow as one the most important industries for twenty-first century living. In this talk, Dr Andrew Reid will present how Abertay University is continually encouraging its students to apply their game development skills to societal problems, with reference to award-winning video games created by students.

Chair: Dr Rebekah Widdowfield 2:15 – 2:45pm Scotland’s Big Flapper Skates In Trouble: How MacLean Room Can We Save Them? Dr Anuschka Miller, SAMS This talk explores how we can protect our marine environment in Scotland using the example of the little known but impressively large flapper skate that inhabits Scotland’s seabed. Marine Protected Areas are a relatively new tool to improve marine conservation in Scotland and much research goes on to explore how to make them work effectively. This presentation is part of the EU Interreg VA project MarPAMM that gathers missing information on protected marine habitats and species and develops monitoring tools and management plans.

Chair: Professor Stuart Monro FRSE 2:45 –3:15pm Balloon to the Moon Chapel Room Gill Arbuthnott, Author Why did a sheep make the first hot-air balloon flight? Do you have what it takes to be an astronaut? Which animal was the first to see the far side of the moon? Will you ever have that holiday on Mars? Join Gill Arbuthnott to find out about the history of space travel, from the balloon flight that started it all, to the Apollo moon landings and beyond.

Introduction: RSE Staff 2:45 – 3:15pm A Taste of Plants MacLean Room Dr Madalina Neacsu, The Rowett Institute This talk highlights the Scottish Government funded research carried out at the Rowett Institute, Aberdeen, UK. The research focuses on sustainable (plant based) sources of protein, their efficacy to meet nutritional demands as part of a balanced and healthy diet and their potential to developing bioactives-rich functional foods and ingredients aimed to tackle major health problems such as non-communicable diseases.

Chair: Dr Rebekah Widdowfield 3:15 – 3:45pm Making Human Brains in a Dish MacLean Room Professor David Price, University of Edinburgh Scientists have now developed ways to turn cells scraped from our skin into mini-brains floating in a dish of liquid. The mini- brains have been called “brain organoids” and they are no bigger than your thumbnail. They are most similar to the brains of unborn children early in their first trimester. Why would scientists want to make brain organoids? One reason is that they can be used to test how brain development can go wrong; obviously, we can’t find this out by experimenting on unborn children! I will discuss this and other matters related to brain organoids and their uses.

Chair: Professor Dame Anne Glover FRS PRSE 3:30 – 4:00pm Can’t-Dance-Cameron: A Scottish Chapel Room Capercaillie Story Emily Dodd, Author Cameron the capercaillie is the worst dancer in the Scottish Cairngorms, but maybe with the help of his new friend, Hazel the red squirrel, he’ll learn some great moves! Can’t-Dance-Cameron is a brilliant story about believing in yourself, full of fun actions, sounds and dancing.

Suitable for age 4-7 years Introduction: RSE Staff 3:45 – 4:30pm Fascinating Futures - Open Q & A MacLean Room Various Speakers – Chair: Professor Dame Anne Glover FRS PRSE A panel of speakers from our Fascinating Futures Family Day will answer your questions about the Future. Get your thinking caps on and test them out!

Prize Giving: Mr Lewis Hou, RSE Innovator’s Public Engagement Prize 2018 Innovator’s Prize to Mr Lewis Hou, Founder and Director of the Science Ceilidh, and Science Education Consultant, for his innovative and original contributions to public engagement, particularly in thinking creatively about combining arts and sciences through his Science Ceilidh which has engaged over 5000 people around the UK with science and folk festivals and collaborations with Cancer Research UK, ScienceGRRl and various science festivals, including the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Chair: Professor Dame Anne Glover FRS PRSE 4:00 – 4:30pm Your Brilliant Brain Chapel Room Gill Arbuthnott, Author Explore the workings of your brain in this interactive event with Gill Arbuthnott. Do all animals have a brain? Just how good is your memory? Can you really trust what you see? And do you have a superpower? Come along and find out about the workings of the amazing organ that we all take a bit too much for granted.

Introduction: RSE Staff

Interactive Displays – Available All Day

Sole Searching with the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science Dr Heather Doran and Catarina Sobreira Join us to make your own forensic footwear marks and contribute to our huge Citizen Science project. Our mission at the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science is to raise standards of forensic science used in our courts. To do this we need your help! You can chat to us about our work in forensic science research at the University of Dundee and how you find out more and get involved.

Young Engineers and Science Clubs Scotland 2019-20 Programme Melanie Riddell, Programme Manager Young Engineers and Science Clubs Scotland (YESC) is Scottish Council for Development and Industry’s Scotland wide nursery, primary and secondary school education programme. For more than 30 years; with support from Scottish Government, Education Scotland and our industry partners, YESC has played a leading role in developing resources, competitions and events to grow interest and spark enthusiasm in STEM subjects and careers. Our comprehensive programme supports teachers to deliver the Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence, with projects for learners working from early level to senior phase (ages 3 to 18). Visit our stand to find more about our 2019-20 programme.

The Search for Life Beyond Earth Rosie Cane & Ophelia Gunn – PhD Students at The University of Edinburgh/UK Centre for Astrobiology Join scientists from the UK Centre for Astrobiology and learn about the search for life beyond the Earth! Test samples of Martian soil for signs of life, play a game of exoplanet top-trumps, handle fossils and meteorites and learn about current research being done at the UK Centre for Astrobiology to help in the search for extra-terrestrial life. Suitable for all ages - aliens welcome!

The Amazing Uses of Seaweed Blair Watson, Dornoch Firth Information Officer, Marine Conservation Society Find out how useful our seaweed can be, what plastic is doing to our marine world and how you can help to save our seas!

Nurses – Fiction Versus Reality Marie Cameron, Head of Undergraduate Nursing, UHI Discover how nursing is changing rapidly, with advances in science and technology contributing to these changes.

Video Games: More Than Playthings Dr Andrew Reid, Abertay University Discover how games have been making positive contributions to people’s lives for generations, and how the gaming industry is growing to be one of the most important industries for twenty-first century living.

Making Human Brains in a Dish Professor David Price, University of Edinburgh Explore how scientists are developing ways to turn human skin cells into mini-brains and how this will contribute to advances in medical science.

Is There a Future for Tourism? Dr Sandro Carnicelli, University of the West of Scotland Find out how to be a better tourist now and in the future!

A Taste of Plant Dr Madalina Neacsu, The Rowett Institute Discover how plant-based foods could be used to provide a healthy diet and tackle major health problems.

Women in Science This pop-up exhibit gives a taster of our full exhibition in the RSE’s reception in Edinburgh. The exhibit focuses on and celebrates some of the exceptional women scientists within the Fellowship; come and find out about the women in the display and what they’re holding!

Book Signings Gill Arbuthnott and Emily Dodd will be available for book signing and chat!

Biographies Professor Dame Anne Glover FRS PRSE President, Royal Society of Edinburgh Anne Glover is a molecular biologist who has studied how we respond to stress at the molecular level. She was the first Chief Scientific Adviser to the President of the European Commission (2012-2015). Prior to that, she was the first Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland (2006-2011). She has been an effective and well respected ambassador for European science. She is a trustee of many charities and has a particular interest in how knowledge can be used to transform lives in Africa. She is President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and took up office in April 2018. She is currently Special Adviser to the Principal at University of Strathclyde.

Gill Arbuthnott, Author Gill Arbuthnott has been a published children’s author since 2003, and until recently combined her writing with a teaching career. She is now a full-time writer and science communicator and thinks being a children's author is probably the best job in the world. Her books Dark Spell, Beneath and What Makes You You? have been shortlisted for major UK book awards. In her latest book she has taken a trip to the moon, and some of her current writing projects involve going back in time and under the sea, (on the page, at least...)

Marie Cameron, Head of Undergraduate Nursing, UHI Marie has been a Nurse for over 30 years, and has nursed in the UK and overseas, in both public and private healthcare, and in a wide range of clinical areas. The past 14 years of Marie’s career have been spent in Higher Education, teaching the next generation of Nurses. Marie’s background in both Nursing and Biomedical Science have helped with her passion for teaching nurses about the application of science to Nursing practice, and Marie also uses her dual qualifications to promote Nursing as an applied science career through a range of science public engagement events.

Dr Sandro Carnicelli, University of the West of Scotland Dr. Sandro Carnicelli is a Senior Lecturer in Events and Tourism at the University of the West of Scotland. Sandro has been working in the field of Tourism in Brazil, New Zealand and Scotland for over 10 years. Sandro is on the Executive Board of the Leisure Studies Association and a member of the ABRATUR (International Academy for the Development of Tourism Research in Brazil). Sandro is on the Editorial Board of Tourism Management Perspectives and of the journal Annals of Leisure Research and he is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning.

Rosie Cane & Ophelia Gunn, PhD Students at The University of Edinburgh / UK Centre for Astrobiology The UK Centre for Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary research centre established in 2011 at the University of Edinburgh. Its scientific focus is the study of life in extremes and investigating the conditions that give rise to habitable environments for life on the Earth and potentially beyond. Rosie Cane and Ophelia Gunn are postgraduate research students at the UKCA. Rosie studies the habitability of extreme environments in our Solar System and Ophelia investigates the potential habitability of theorised liquid water environments on Mars.

Emily Dodd, Author Emily Dodd is passionate about science and wildlife, and writes for CBeebies show Nina and the Neurons. She is the author of picture books and non-fiction science books, a screenwriter for CBeebies and a writer of BBC radio plays for children. With over ten years’ experience of delivering workshops in schools, museums and other venues, her events are a mixture of learning and fun sure to engage children.

Dr Heather Doran, Public Engagement Manager, Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, University of Dundee Heather Doran is the Public Engagement Manager at the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, University of Dundee. She is a member of the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) committee and the Local Organising Committee for the PCST Conference 2020. In 2015/2016 she was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travel Fellowship on the communication of science travelling to the USA, Japan and China to explore how major research institutes and individual researchers help foster online engagement through social media. Heather began her involvement in public engagement during her PhD in molecular pharmacology at the University of Aberdeen when she was Editor and co- founder of Au Science Magazine.

Lewis Hou, Founder of Science Ceilidh Lewis is passionate about interdisciplinary and equitable creative participation in communities and education. He directs the award-winning Science Ceilidh exploring science, traditional arts and health and wellbeing, and is the Scotland Ambassador and action researcher for the Fun Palaces campaign for Cultural Democracy. With a research background in neuroscience, he consults on projects worldwide and was the recipients of the JCI Scotland's Top Young Person of the Year 2019 and delighted to be awarded the RSE Public Engagement Innovator medal!

Dr Anuschka Miller, Head of Communications / Director Ocean Explorer Centre, Scottish Association for Marine Science UHI Anuschka is a marine biologist who works for greater public knowledge about the marine environment as an essential stepping stone towards effective conservation. She lives and works in Oban at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (the UK’s oldest marine science organisation), where she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students, has developed a marine science visitor centre and uses film, social media, web, media and events to share her enthusiasm and love for the marine environment with as many people as she can reach.

Dr Madalina Neacsu Dr Madalina Neacsu is a research fellow at Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, being trained as a biochemical engineer and did her PhD on Natural Products Chemistry. Madi is specialised in natural products food formulation and bioactivity. Earlier in her career, she was involved in commercial work overseeing the development of several plant-based bioactive-formulations used in as food ingredients leading to EFSA approved claims. Madi’s research examines the effects of supplementing diets with alternative sustainable sources of protein such as buckwheat, quinoa, chia, hemp, potato bean and fava bean (grown or with potential to grow in Scotland) on human nutrition. Having a zero-waste approach, she is developing bioactives-rich functional foods and ingredients aimed to tackle major health problems such as non-communicable diseases, and the reformulation of old recipes. Whit this, she is intending to make traditional food favourites healthier and to stimulate the demand of these novel crops. By conducting human dietary intervention studies, Madi is looking at how novel crops and food formulations can be used to improve diet and health. As a personal challenge she is looking to find and establish novel or underutilised crops as best candidates for food security and for a healthy sustainable diet. She is currently working with industry through external funding reformulating healthier foods using sustainable and local raw ingredients.

Professor David Price, University of Edinburgh I studied Medicine at Edinburgh University and worked as a doctor for a year before heading south in 1982 to do a PhD at Oxford University on how the brain develops after birth. I then moved to the University of California at Berkeley in the USA to study the genetics of early development of invertebrate species. I returned to Edinburgh in 1988 to establish my current research programme on the genetics of early brain development in the embryos of mammals. My work, which is on human and non-human species, is relevant for understanding the causes of congenital diseases in humans.

Dr Andrew Reid, Abertay University Dr. Andrew Reid is a Lecturer in Games Production at Abertay University. Having graduated from Abertay’s Game Design and Production course in 2015, Andrew undertook a Ph.D. in Applied Game Design at Glasgow Caledonian University, completing his studies in 2018. Andrew’s teaching responsibilities include game testing, user experience and interaction design, and professional practice. Andrew’s research interests revolve around the development of ‘applied games’, in particular for education, public awareness, and accessibility. Andrew has been a STEM Ambassador since 2016 and enjoys speaking to young people about planning for a career in games.

Melanie Riddell, Young Engineers and Science Clubs Young Engineers and Science Clubs Scotland (YESC) is Scottish Council for Development and Industry’s Scotland wide nursery, primary and secondary school education programme. For more than 30 years; with support from Scottish Government, Education Scotland and our industry partners, YESC has played a leading role in developing resources, competitions and events to grow interest and spark enthusiasm in STEM subjects and careers. Our comprehensive programme supports teachers to deliver the Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence, with projects for learners working from early level to senior phase (ages 3 to 18). Visit our stand to find more about our 2019-20 programme.

Catarina Sobreira, PhD Student, Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, University of Dundee Catarina Sobreira holds a BSc in Forensic Science from the University Of Bedfordshire and a MSc in Forensic Medical Sciences from Queen Mary University Of London. Catarina joined the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science in September 2018 to pursue a PhD in Forensic Chemistry. Her research project focuses not only on the transfer and persistence of gunshot residue (GSR) but also on the characterisation of GSR particles and how its recovery affects the elemental and chemical composition, and the morphology of the materials. The study is also to investigate how GSR can affect and be affected by the donor substrates (for example fabrics), looking closely at the interaction of the particles during primary transfer and the damages caused by the particles and the traces left on the textiles.

Blair Watson, Dornoch Firth Information Officer, Marine Conservation Society We at the Marine Conservation Society believe that too much is being taken out and too much is being put into our seas. Our scientists, campaigners, volunteers, advocates, data experts, fundraisers, divers and researchers are all passionate about creating a sustainable future for our seas.

RSE@ SCHOOLS TALKS

A series of FREE talks for schools across Scotland.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is pleased to launch the 2019/20 series of talks and lectures for schools across Scotland. RSE@ Schools talks are FREE to schools and available at any point during the school year.

SPEAKERS All our talks are presented by experts, keen to enthuse and excite students from school years P6 to S6, on a wide range of subjects from forensic science, astronomy and physics to literature, culture and the arts. Many of our speakers are willing to work with teachers to tailor their talks to fit with class curriculums and for different age groups and class sizes. In addition, many are keen to adapt their talks for Continuing Professional Development events for teachers too. Please contact us directly for more information if you are interested in organising one for your staff team. In this programme you will get a flavour of some of the speakers we have available, along with their lecture topics. If, however, there is a particular topic that you would like to cover, just get in touch and we will endeavour to find a speaker to suit. We’d also love to hear your suggestions for future RSE@ School Talks programmes!

FREE TO SCHOOLS The talks are FREE to schools. The RSE will cover all speakers’ costs, including travel and accommodation. All the school needs to provide is a venue for the talk and, of course, the audience! Teachers are also asked to supervise the students during talks and provide the students time to complete a feedback form afterwards (example of feedback forms for students and teachers are at the back of this programme, with the application form).

RESOURCES You can also find additional resources on the RSE website – www.rse.org.uk – such as Quiz-a-Whiz videos, Start-Up Science Masterclasses, competitions and resource packs.

With thanks to our event contributors and supporters

The Royal Society of Edinburgh

22-26 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PQ 0131 240 2780 www.rse.org.uk

@news_RSE Royal Society of Edinburgh

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s National Academy, is Scottish Charity No. SC000470