(mostly) FREE stuff to do in Aberdeen this week (April 10-17th) !

• A talk about Fungi (TONIGHT) 7.30 pm Zoology Lecture Theatre Tillydrone Avenue ABERDEEN

This talk introduces the diversity of the kingdom of the fungi and explains how these extraordinary organisms are functioning all around us.By turn fascinating or feared; hopefully you will leave thinking the fungi more friend than foe.

• Simon Singh is here this weekend for an event with Aberdeen Skeptics in the Pub and British Science Association (but unfortunately this event is sold out already)

• Visit the Mission Possible Exhibition at Satrosphere (EVERYDAY!)

You might normally associate biology with how your heart works, or with the creepy crawlies found at the bottom of your garden but this exhibition explains how biology is related to our everyday lives through agriculture, biotechnology, our food and our well-being. There's a picture of a Highland cow too so it must be good.

• CafeMED Monday 6pm is All about how we use blood donations (where do they go?) FREE 6pm Suttie Centre 

It's 100 years sience the first blood transfusion. With over two million blood donations in the UK last year alone, we'll discuss what happens to donated blood and the pros and cons of transfusion. With Professor Mark Vickers and Dr Henry Watson. Cafe MED is a short talk followed by a Q&A there are refreshments available.

Booking for the May Festival 2014 is now open. Get tickets now for things like BRIGHT CLUB 2014 (where researchers do comedy) and check out all the MAY-HEM events coming up! 

Not interested in a talk? Why not visit Aberdeen Maritime Museum, the Cruickshank Botanic Gardens or Duthie Park (all COMPLETELY FREE)! 

Seen any other interesting events that I haven't mentioned? Email me!

Interested in keeping up to date? Subscribe to this blog here by entering your email in the box on the right of the screen! 

National Science and Engineering Week - Recap

I had a fantastic time during National Science and Engineering Week in Aberdeen. There were far too many events for me to review individually. But I did manage to record some of them and I will link to those as soon as I am able to get them online.

I thought I would do a little re-cap of some of the new things I learnt during the week...

• I got to chat about a topic very close to my heart, with Chris Peters from the fantastic Sense about Science team - empowering everyone to challenge scientific claims by ASKING FOR EVIDENCE at Aberdeen Skeptics in the Pub.

• Lucy Hawking made me remember just how much I love talks, stories and images related to SPACE EXPLORATION, imagination and the understanding of where we came from (there's a great blog post about this event here)

• Once again the importance of evidence based medicine was discussed at CafeMED when speakers shared their current research into finding cures and robust methods of diagnosis for Parkinson's disease

• I finally understood (with the help of a rubber band) why there are Northern Lights, at Cafe Scientifique Inverness . I also learnt that we might not understand as much as we do about the Northern Lights if it wasn't for the Norweigan scientist Kristian Birkeland who developed a method of fixing nitrogen from air for fertiliser production and used the money from that to carry out his research into the Northern Lights (there's several blog posts worth of material from this one talk!) 

I found out how shark immune systems are similar to our own and how their immune systems can be used to generate cures for human disease (like cancer) at Cafe Scientifique Aberdeen with the fantastic Helen Dooley.  

• I learnt how time was decided and rolled out across the UK (and finally how it reached Aberdeen) at the final Discovery Gallery talk in Aberdeen. 

• Could too much fat be bad for your brain (and memory) as you get older? The talks at Bring Your Own Brain got me thinking....

On Saturday, I had an amazing time talking to people; scientists who had volunteered their time and visitors to Satrosphere Science Centre for the Discovery Day.

Unfortunately, I had too much fun during the week and started to feel a bit ill so I have spent the weekend recovering.

If you missed NSEW 2014 don't worry, there are plenty more events taking place in Aberdeen in April! 

I will also update this page with links to further pictures, summaries, podcasts and videos when they appear online! 

National Science and Engineering Week in Aberdeen

National Science and Engineering Week starts this week in the UK.

There's a whole programme of interesting speakers, workshops, hands on activities for people of all ages covering a HUGE array of topics taking place all over the UK.

There are lots of free events in Aberdeen and there is a lovely shiny brochure! All put together by the British Science Association Branch in Aberdeen (disclosure, I am a branch member).

Nearly all events are free and most don't even require booking so there is no excuse not to try out something new this week.  

If getting outdoors is your thing why not join the forestry commission in the woods? or take a walk in the gardens? Or if you want to experience some science while relaxing with a coffee then there are talks from researchers covering the latest findings and thoughts on topics such as Parkinson's Disease to talks on the history of how we mapped the globe. These are all taking place at various locations in the city every night next week. We will even have a visit from the children's book author Lucy Hawking (daughter of Stephen).

Don't miss Discovery Day either, this is a chance to visit Satrosphere Science Centre (FOR FREE) and mingle with scientists and researchers, watch some science shows and try your hands at some fun activities and exciting challenges.

Hope to see you there! 

Astronomy in Aberdeen - Celebrating Sir David Gill

If you escape the bright city lights of Aberdeen on a clear evening and look up you might get treated to an astronomical display of stars and meteor showers. If you are really lucky, then you might get a glimpse of the northern lights.

The relatively dry climate of North East Scotland gives us plenty of clear nights for prime stargazing and it's a great, free alternative to a night round the tellybox. Before the days of the T.V., when there wasn't much else to do once the sun went down, a local mathematician and astronomer, Sir David Gill, took the very first photograph of the moon in 1868.

If, like me, you are an interested (extremely) amateur astronomer without a telescope or space rocket and prefer the temperature to be above 20 degrees then you are in luck. The toasty warm Aberdeen Maritime Museum has just opened a free exhibition all about Aberdeen's most famous astronomer and there are a series of free evening talks about local stargazing, the history of time and the life of Sir David Gill. You can even pick up a stargazing live calendar!


Image taken by Nick Bramhall a Aberdeen based hiker, photographer, stargazer and blogger who also writes about astronomy.

Gill is credited with taking that VERY FIRST photograph of the moon in 1868 but that was by no means his only contribution to our knowledge of space. Gill took accurate measurements of the stars and determined the distance of the sun from earth using the parallax of the planet Mars (see more on how that works here).

Gill was the son of a clockmaker and the free exhibition is well worth a visit to see some impressive telescopes, grandfather clocks and the heliometer he used from the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen Museums and Royal Astronomical society collections. The exhibition also details information about Gill's life in Aberdeen and the history of timekeeping.

It is also believed that Gill took the very first photograph of the Great Comet of 1882, although that wasn't taken in Aberdeen, it was taken when Gill was Her Majesty's Astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Cape Town, South Africa.

One big realisation for me was that Greenwich mean time was only officially rolled out in 1884. Before that people in Aberdeen could have been eating their breakfast while London was having lunch and no-one knew when you were supposed to catch a train. Although I do quite like the idea of just setting my own time. That could come in very useful.

Gill was taught by James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish mathematical physicist in Aberdeen who's own contributions to physics ranked alongside Sir Issac Newton and Einstein. He also took the first permanent colour photograph in 1861 (which is of a tartan ribbon, see below).

Aberdeen researchers still contribute to our understanding of space today, just last month provided theories about whether life can exist on other planets in our solar system.

If you are interested in more astronomy in Aberdeen then check out the Aberdeen Astronomical Society events page who are very active in the local area and tweet out information on what is visible in the local night sky.

I'm heading back out into the cold now with my woolly hat, jumper and a flask of tea now to stare at the stars!

• Aberdeen Maritime Museum location
  Tuesday - Saturday 10am-5pm
  Sunday 12pm-3pm
  Closed Monday
  Tel (01224) 337714
  Admission free