Light can be used to measure temperature in many settings, says Prof. Graham Machin of the National Physical Laboratory – from healthcare to manufacturing processes for iron and steel, glass and paper. He describes research under way at the Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow that aims to revolutionise the practice of thermometry – including measuring microchip temperatures with sensors smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
Airborne dust from Mount Hekla’s 1845 eruption is said to have given Orkney’s potatoes a fine flavour. Could rock dust improve soil quality and help crops today? Growers in Orkney, the Black Isle and Moray have produced tatties in trial areas, with and without addition of dust provided by Orkney's Cursiter Quarry. Hospitality students in UHI Orkney’s training restaurant will serve them for you to taste-test.
From distant stars to tiny cells, cameras open up new worlds – and now they have entered the quantum domain. At the University of California, Berkeley, a team of physicists and biologists use individual electrons to image proteins inside cells. One of the team, Dr Eric Cooper, shares the latest images and explains how quantum mechanics holds the key to building ever more powerful quantum cameras.
Meet friends old or new and enjoy the best of Orkney cheese, meat, fish and baking. Come in good time for the best choice of food and for the Toast. Today's One O’Clock Toast is to Dr Jean McPhail, later Cursiter, doctor in Papa Westray for nearly 25 years. It is given by Andrea Massey of the Orkney Women Doctors Research Group.
Too often, says Prof. Stephen Friend, patients coping with mental illness feel isolated and neglected, and that applies to their families as well. A new project uses a smart ring on the finger to gather detailed data to follow mood transitions and their triggers, using health apps and wearables co-designed by patients themselves.
Part of developing resilience in uncertain times, says artist Jenny Pope, is to go back to making things for ourselves, and transforming them into something new. “For this workshop we will use recycled and found material to make our own three-dimensional responses to the world around us. It’s aimed to be something to enjoy, and also to be one more small step towards looking after ourselves in this ever-changing world.”
Join the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) at its annual Science Festival open day for a series of ocean energy talks, hosted at EMEC’s main office in Stromness. Learn about innovative projects harnessing the power from Orkney’s seas, monitoring the environment and wildlife, storing power as green hydrogen, and the creation of e-fuels to decarbonise aviation.
Join members and friends of the Heriot-Watt diving team for more of its 60-year story. They look back at past highlights, review ongoing work, and describe other developments in Orkney that have emerged from the diving activity. Prof. Joanne Porter, Prof. Bill Sanderson and Prof. Hamish Mair are joined by Dr Siti NurTahirah Jaafar and local divers – with some refreshments and an anniversary cake to cut.
Everyone has heard of endorphins, the “feel good” chemicals; but less is told about their discovery, just over fifty years ago – in Aberdeen. It was made by a small group led by Prof. Hans Kosterlitz, who had come to Aberdeen from his native Germany in 1934 to work with JJR Macleod, the insulin pioneer and Nobel laureate. “It was a very competitive international race,” says Dr Alistair Corbett, who joined Kosterlitz’s group later, “and Aberdeen took on the world – and won!”
The old Norn language of Orkney and Shetland is long gone, but far from forgotten – and now Shaetlan is gaining recognition as a language in its own right. Shetland-based linguist Prof. Viveka Vellupillai tells us why. Ragnhild Ljosland of UHI Orkney shows from Norwegian comparisons where it might go next. Musician Barry Nisbet from Yell performs his reconstruction of the old Hildina Ballad, long preserved in Foula.
Due to ongoing work at the Hoy Kirk this event has been held over to next year's programme. For anyone who has already booked the ferry, Orkney Ferries are able to offer refunds. As long as you cancel at least one hour before a sailing departs, they are able to give a full refund. Cancellations can be made by email, phone or on their website if you have booked online.
Fireflies and glow-worms do it ... and also some algae. Laundry detergents, sugar - even envelopes and sellotape - can glow too. How does this come about? And how can we see it in action? Johnathan Doran and Dr Paul Beaumont from SSERC turn down the lights for a family show packed with live demonstrations designed to spark curiosity about how, and why, so many unexpected things glow in the dark.
Online AIs are very accessible, and free; but there can sometimes be unintended consequences, for instance when they start to name real people – which can be us. They can make up a fake quote, saying something that you wouldn’t normally do on a site you wouldn’t normally visit. They can confuse you with someone else of the same name – who may have committed a crime. Prof. Lilian Edwards, a leading academic in the field of internet law, sets out some of the situations that can arise – and what can or can’t work to try to cope with them.
When an old language fades away from daily life, fragments can still survive in song. Musician Barry Nisbet from Cullivoe in Yell gives some examples and describes how he is making them available for today's generation.