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School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh – Planet Earth Distinguished Lecture Series 2018

Planet Earth is a series of distinguished lectures, which run annually, and each year an internationally renowned natural or social scientist working within the broad remit of GeoSciences is invited to deliver a series of engaging talks aimed at different audiences. This year Professor James Jackson from the University of Cambridge will be involved in a number of activities inspiring academics, professionals within the field of geosciences, students, and the local community.

Date: 26 January 2018
Time: 6pm-9pm
Place: National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

Professor Jackson will be giving a lecture entitled: 50 years of Plate Tectonics: why do people still die in earthquakes?

There will be a poster session 6-7pm prior to the main event, together with a post-reception from 8pm providing an excellent opportunity to meet with the speaker, key academics and researchers, industry and local government representatives all within the field of GeoSciences. We anticipate that this event will be popular, and therefore recommended early booking to ensure your place.

If you are interested in attending please register here. General Admission: £5.00.

More information at www.ed.ac.uk/geosciences/news/pl2018.

In the most recent edition of the Edinburgh Geologist, we published an article Can fracking, for gas and oil, power the Scottish economy? written by Roy Thompson from the School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh. We have now published a supplement for this edition, containing a discussion by Graham Dean and a reply by Roy Thompson. You can download the supplement here.

You can also listen to an interview with Roy Thompson with online Radio Ecoshock and read a follow-on article published online in Offshore Technology Focus magazine, issue 62.

In the last few years, very exciting new fossil finds have been made in several locations in Scotland, unlocking the secrets of key moments in evolution. In Skye and the Inner Hebrides, new reptile and mammal finds from the middle Jurassic add important knowledge about this time period which is sparsely represented elsewhere. In the Scottish Borders, new tetrapod fossils help fill ‘Romer’s Gap’ and demonstrate the migration of vertebrate life onto land and the evolution of our first five-fingered ancestors. And the pavements of Edinburgh and other urban areas are providing new Devonian fish fossils and furthering our understanding of life in Devonian lakes.

This public lecture gives the opportunity to hear first-hand about major advances in our understanding of Scotland’s geology and the evolution of life. Chaired by Mark Stephen from BBC Radio Scotland, the panel will include Nick Fraser (National Museums Scotland) and Steve Brusatte, Elsa Panciroli and Tom Challands (all from the University of Edinburgh). Venue: Appleton Tower, 11 Crichton Street, Edinburgh EH8 9LE.

Tickets £5, free for students and under 18s: further information.

The Engine Shed, Scotland’s brand new national building conservation centre, opened to the public for the first time in July 2017. Based at Forthside Way, Stirling, the new learning and visitor resource will serve as the national conservation hub, using world-leading innovation to bring Scotland’s built heritage to life through technology and hands-on activities.

Open six days a week, from Monday to Saturday, the centrepiece of the free visitor experience is a large-scale map of Scotland compiled from hi-resolution satellite images. From this, additional information can be accessed using an iPad as an augmented reality device, providing people with the opportunity to explore Scotland’s buildings, plus the chance to discover how the Engine Shed is digitally documenting Scotland’s heritage.

Find out more …

One of the greatest ever photographic records of human survival on display in a remarkable new exhibition created by the Royal Geographical Society, curated by polar historian Meredith Hooper. The touring version of Enduring Eye is at the National Library of Scotland until 12 November 2017 and, alongside Hurley’s astonishing images, it showcases the expedition’s links to the people of Edinburgh.

One of these is a tartan blanket given to the expedition’s Scottish geologist James Wordie by his sister. After the ship sank, it was adapted into a jacket to help give some protection against the fierce polar winter. Also on show is a paperknife crafted from a wooden tent peg and given to Wordie by fellow Scot Henry McNish, the ship’s carpenter whose skills were essential in getting the men to safety.

Further information about the exhibition | Directions to the National Library of Scotland