scholarly journals An interview with Jamie Davies

Development ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 148 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seema Grewal
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Engineering ◽  
Developmental Biology ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Significant Contribution ◽  
British Society ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Young Researchers

Jamie Davies is Professor of Experimental Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh. Spanning the fields of developmental biology, tissue engineering and synthetic biology, his research aims to understand the mechanisms by which cells organise themselves into tissues, focussing on the kidney. In addition to his research, Jamie is involved in science communication and public engagement, having written several books for specialist and non-specialist readers, and having given numerous public lectures and broadcasts. In April 2021, Jamie was awarded the inaugural Wolpert Medal from the British Society for Developmental Biology (BSDB), which is presented to outstanding developmental biologists who have made a significant contribution to teaching and communicating developmental biology in the UK. We spoke to Jamie to ask him about his cross-disciplinary research interests, his thoughts on public engagement and his advice for young researchers.

scholarly journals Public engagement with a twist

2016 ◽  
pp. 12-15
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Stevenson ◽  
Tony Lynch ◽  
John Palfrey
Keyword(s):  
Public Engagement ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
Scientists And Engineers ◽  
The University

An increasing number of post-graduate students and post-doctoral researchers in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Edinburgh do not have English as their first language. Indeed some researchers have barely acquired the minimum standard of English required by the College. This hinders their own development as scientists and engineers and also has implications for undergraduate tutoring and laboratory demonstrating in their science and engineering disciplines. To address this issue, an English Language Skills course was developed in collaboration with the Institute for Applied Language Studies (University of Edinburgh). The course uses the techniques and activities of science communication training for Public Engagement in sessions dedicated to learning English. Part of the rationale was that students would find comfort and confidence in their scientific knowledge, and would therefore feel empowered to speak out and improve their English skills. This case study outlines the development and implementation of the course, includes feedback from the participants and observations on the course.

El informe sobre las implicaciones de la independencia de Escocia y su adhesión a la Unión Europea

2014 ◽  
pp. 981-1016
Author(s):  
Carlos COELLO MARTÍN ◽  
Fernando GONZÁLEZ BOTIJA
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Alternative Possibility ◽  
British Government ◽  
International Organisations ◽  
New States ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
Scottish Independence ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
The Eu

LABURPENA: Gobernu britainiarrak azterketa bat argitaratu du Eskozia burujabe batek ekarriko lituzkeen ondorioei buruz. Dokumentu horri erantsita doa bi irakasleren azterketa (James Crawford eta Alan Boyle, Edinburgoko Unibertsitatekoak), Eskoziaren burujabetza-erreferendumari buruzko alderdi juridikoak jorratuz. Bertan ondorioztatzen denez, Eskozia burujabe egiten bada, estatu berritzat hartuko da nazioarteko Zuzenbidearen ikuspegitik, eta gainerako estatuak oraingo Erresuma Batua ordeztuko luke, bere erakundeei eutsiz, eta bi estatu berri agertzearen ideia baztertuz. Horregatik, gainerako Erresuma Batuak orain kide den nazioarteko erakundeen kide izaten jarraituko luke, eta Eskoziak bere atxikipena eskatu beharko luke estatu berri gisa. Hala gertatuko litzateke, adibidez, Europar Batasunarekin. RESUMEN: El Gobierno britanico ha publicado un documento de analisis sobre las implicaciones que conllevaria una Escocia independiente. Como anexo a dicho documento se encuentra el estudio de dos profesores (James Crawford y Alan Boyle de la Universidad de Edimburgo) que analizan los aspectos juridicos del referendum sobre la independencia de Escocia. En ese estudio se concluye que si Escocia llega a ser independiente, se considerara como un nuevo Estado desde el punto de vista del Derecho internacional y el resto del actual Estado sucedera al actual Reino Unido, conservando sus instituciones, rechazandose la idea de que aparezcan dos nuevos Estados. Por ello el resto del Reino Unido continuaria como miembro de las organizaciones internacionales de las que es actualmente miembro, mientras que Escocia tendria que solicitar su adhesion como un nuevo Estado. Este seria el caso de la Union Europea. ABSTRACT: The British Government has published a major analysis paper on the implications of Scottish independence: ≪Scotland Analysis: Devolution and the Implications of Scottish Independence≫. The paper annexes an Opinion written by Professor James Crawford along with Professor Alan Boyle of the University of Edinburgh, entitled ‘Opinion: Referendum on the Independence of Scotland – International Law Aspects’. The Opinion concludes that if Scotland becomes independent, it will be considered a new state as a matter of international law and the remainder of the UK will continue the legal identity of the UK and retain its existing institutions generally uninterrupted. It rejects the alternative possibility that Scotland and the remainder of the UK will both be considered new states. The Opinion also concludes that one consequence of this is that the remainder of the UK will continue its membership of international organisations, whereas Scotland will have to join many of them as a new state. In particular, Scotland will have to join the EU as a new member state.

scholarly journals Interview with 2020 Hooke medal winner Ian Chambers

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (20) ◽  
pp. jcs254219
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Stem Cell Research ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
British Society ◽  
Control Of Gene Expression ◽  
Erythroid Precursor ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
The University

ABSTRACTIan Chambers studied biochemistry at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK. He then did his PhD in the laboratory of Paul Harrison at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, also in Glasgow. Ian studied the control of gene expression during the differentiation of erythroid precursor cells, discovering that the amino acid selenocysteine is encoded by UGA, which until then was thought to work only as a termination codon. Ian did his post-doctoral work on the regulation of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with Paul Berg at Stanford University in California, USA. In 1991, he returned to Scotland to work on stem cell regulation with Austin Smith at the Centre for Genome Research (later the Institute for Stem Cell Research) at the University of Edinburgh, UK. During that time, Ian identified the transcription factor Nanog, which directs efficient embryonic stem cell self-renewal. Ian started his research group in 2006 at the University of Edinburgh, where he is also a Professor of Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology. His laboratory tries to understand the regulatory networks and transcription factors that control the identity of pluripotent embryonic stem cells, and how these modulate cell fate decisions during the differentiation process. Ian is now the Head of the Institute for Stem Cell Research at University of Edinburgh, an EMBO member and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Ian is the recipient of the 2020 Hooke Medal from the British Society for Cell Biology (BSCB).

scholarly journals Public engagement with science: Ways of thinking and practicing

2011 ◽  
pp. 45-51
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Public Engagement ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Effective Work ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Public Engagement With Science ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
The Uk ◽  
University Of Bristol ◽  
The University

The primary focus of the Higher Education Institution (HEI) is the generation and dissemination of knowledge. This knowledge is generated and shared throughout the research community and to students specifically enrolled in university programmes. Public engagement with science enables and ensures the generation and sharing of knowledge throughout a wider community.Public engagement with science has enjoyed an increasingly heightened profile in recent years with six „Beacons for Public Engagement‟1 being established across HEIs in the UK, including a National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement2 hosted between the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England In addition, public engagement is a component in the „Pathways to Impact‟ statements3 which have been introduced into all RCUK research funding applications.However public engagement, and in particular public engagement with science, can often be perceived as an add-on or „Cinderella‟ activity to be undertaken only by the dedicated and often only in their own time. This paper argues that public engagement with science is a legitimate area of academic practice in HEIs which complements and extends research and teaching. The paper outlines key principles which underpin public engagement with science and describes effective work practice

scholarly journals Social Pedagogy from a Scottish Perspective

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Social Pedagogy ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
Scottish Government ◽  
Considerable Work ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Current Concerns ◽  
The University

There is growing interest across the UK around whether European models of social pedagogy might offer a conceptual framework within which to locate social care and social welfare work. Pilot programmes that seek to introduce and apply social pedagogical principles in practice settings are emerging, including in Scotland, where a joint BA run by The University of Aberdeen in conjunction with Camphill Schools was the first qualifying programme in social pedagogy in the UK. Many of these pockets of interest can seem only loosely connected to one another. ‘Scottish Conversations’, an initiative based around The University of Edinburgh, was conceived of to bring together practitioners, academics and policy makers with an interest in social pedagogy, to explore the possibilities and implications of introducing social pedagogical ways of working in Scotland. Considerable work has already been undertaken on this by the children’s charity ‘Children in Scotland’, supported by The Scottish Government. Our intention in this paper is to draw upon existing work and to encapsulate, within one document, key themes from the literature on social pedagogy, and to consider its relevance and possible application in a Scottish context. Specifically, we suggest that social pedagogy offers a means through which distinctively Scottish ideas around social welfare and education might be reframed in a way that resonates with current concerns about the role and direction of social work and social care more broadly. In this sense, we do not restrict our focus to areas of practice such as residential child care with which social pedagogy is most often associated, but consider its features to have relevance across a broad range of provision and professional groupings.

The legacy of Douglas Guthrie (1885–1975), surgeon and medical historian

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-101
Author(s):  
Iain Macintyre
Keyword(s):  
History Of Medicine ◽  
British Society ◽  
Second Career ◽  
Arts And Humanities ◽  
Medical Undergraduates ◽  
History Of ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
Medical Historian ◽  
The University ◽  
Bernard Shaw

After graduating in medicine Douglas Guthrie embarked on a career as an ENT surgeon. When his Edinburgh hospital appointment ended in 1936 he began to write History of Medicine, which, thanks to a favourable review by George Bernard Shaw, became a worldwide best seller when first published in 1945. This marked the start of Guthrie’s second career as a lecturer in history of medicine at the University of Edinburgh where his prime responsibility was delivering systematic lectures on medical history to medical undergraduates. At a time when history of medicine was virtually the exclusive preserve of medical doctors, Guthrie promoted to them the historiography techniques of the academic historian. His vision that social historians should become involved in the field and that history of medicine should be taught in arts and humanities faculties began to be adopted in British universities a decade or so after Guthrie made the recommendation. His legacy includes the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine and the British Society for the History of Medicine, both of which he helped to found. His name is commemorated in various charitable trusts which he established to promote the study of history of medicine.

scholarly journals Cell scientist to watch – Christine Faulkner

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (24) ◽  
pp. jcs256826
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Cell Communication ◽  
Plant Cells ◽  
Postdoctoral Position ◽  
Molecule Transport ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Function ◽  
The University ◽  
Sydney Australia

ABSTRACTChristine Faulkner pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of Sydney, Australia. She then joined Robyn Overall's research group at the same institution to obtain her PhD in molecular and cell biology, where she characterised plasmodesmata, which are connection channels between plant cells that allow for communication and molecule transport. In 2005, Christine moved to the UK to continue studying plasmodesmata characterisation and function, as well as trying to understand their link to infection outcomes. Her first postdoctoral position was with Karl Oparka at the University of Edinburgh, followed by a second at the John Innes Centre in Norwich with Professor Andrew Maule. She subsequently joined the lab of Silke Robatzek at The Sainsbury Laboratory, also in Norwich, before starting an independent fellowship at Oxford Brookes University, in Oxford, in 2012. In December 2013, Christine returned to the John Innes Centre to establish her own lab. In 2016, she was awarded an ERC Consolidator grant. Her lab is trying to understand how cell–cell communication occurs in plants, focusing on plasmodesmata, and how this process is crucial for regulation of the plant immune response.

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