The detection of gravitational waves in 2015 confirmed Einstein’s prediction of a century before – and opened an entirely new window on the universe. Prof. Martin Hendry of Glasgow University, a senior member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration which made the discovery, surveys the brief history of gravitational-wave astronomy ...
James Clerk Maxwell’s discovery of the nature of light led to radio waves and modern telecommunications as well as laying the foundations for much of modern physics. It was on Maxwell’s new foundations that Einstein rebuilt Newton’s work on motion, and the three are widely regarded together as the greatest physicists of all time. ...
We’ll hear about making electric vehicles more efficient with motors in the wheels. We’re joined by the founders of the pioneering Slovenian company who developed the concept. Prof. Tom Stevenson answers questions about James Clerk Maxwell and Eric Walker provides night sky advice.
Are the challenges of climate change so great that we should leave them for the world’s leaders, meeting in November in Glasgow? Not at all, says Dr Bobby Macaulay, of Perth College UHI’s Centre for Mountain Studies. Communities can take actions that make a difference, ranging ...
”There are stunning views over Scapa Flow, the islands and of course the Pentland Firth and Caithness. This area can be a good place for seeing cetaceans and seabirds.”
Can public bodies cope with the biggest challenges of today? Yes they can, says Prof. Iain MacLeod of the Institution of Engineers in Scotland, if they put in place an ethos of critical thinking – constantly challenging and revising proposed solutions and approaches. He gives examples of organisational ...
Gardening can sometimes seem a battle against those plants we consider weeds which want to grow in our carefully-prepared spaces for flowers and vegetables. But, say ethnobotanical researcher Anna Canning and gardener/composter Elizabeth Woodcock, there are other ways ...
With the signs of global warming ever more evident and little international agreement on action, the time has come, says Prof. Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University, to switch to a new approach – to develop technology to remove the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide ...
The tunnels linking islands in Faroe are transforming the lives of communities. Teitur Samuelsen, the chief executive of the company that owns the new 11-kilometre Eysturoy tunnel, describes how the project was planned, organised and financed.
Join us for an informal evening gathering online. You can chat with some of the speakers about the talks of the day or indeed open up discussion on any topic. You can find out more about the Festival and Orkney itself, open up new discussion, or listen to some interesting stories.
A science festival has a radical role in developing a creative climate for a region. Here is the story of how it began, and how Orkney was involved from an early stage in the concept.
