Royal Society of Edinburgh Prizes - St Andrews honoured

The Royal Society of Edinburgh has announced their Prize Winners for 2014 and the University of St Andrews is honoured to have received four! Sincere congratulations are in order to Professor Andrew Whiten FRSE FBA, Dr Katie Stevenson, Dr Per Ola Kristensson and Dr Catherine Cazin on their fantastic achievements.
  
Senior Prize for Public Engagement to Professor Andrew Whiten FRSE FBA, Wardlaw Professor of Psychology and Professor of Evolutionary and Developmental Psychology, School of Psychology and Neurosciences, for his extensive, creative and unique forms of public engagement particularly as founding Director of the “Living Links to Human Evolution” Research Centre at Edinburgh Zoo.
 

Thomas Reid Medal (Early Career Prize) to Dr Katie Stevenson, Senior Lecturer in Late Medieval History, School of History, for her outstanding scholarly work on the cultural and political history of late medieval Scotland which has established her as a leading international expert in the field and for her commitment to knowledge exchange. 
                     
RSE/Makdougall Brisbane Medal (Early Career Prize) to Dr Per Ola Kristensson, Lecturer in Human Computer Interaction, School of Computer Science, for his outstanding research work and entrepreneurialism that intersects human-computer interaction, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Dr. Kristensson is also a Member of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland.

RSE/Makdougall Brisbane Medal (Early Career Prize) to Dr Catherine Cazin, Royal Society University Research Fellow and Lecturer, School of Chemistry, for her outstanding research work and breadth and depth of experience in her chosen field of homogeneous catalysis. Dr. Cazin is also a Member of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland.

Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows 2014

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has recently announced the intake of 53 new Fellows for 2014. Congratulations to Professor John Hudson (School of History), John MacColl (Library) and Honorary Professor Robert Tooze (SASOL).

Each year, new fellows are elected following a rigorous five-stage election process. The breadth of the Fellowship, which includes more than 1500 people ensures that the RSE can provide leadership and excellence across all areas of public life.

Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows 2013

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has today announced the new intake of Fellows for 2013, which includes three academics from the University of St Andrews:

• Professor Peter Cawood - Department of Earth Sciences
• Professor Moira Jardine - School of Physics and Astronomy
• Professor Alan Sutherland - School of Economics and Finance

This year, there are 47 new UK and International Fellows to add to our 1500-strong Fellowship. Fellows are elected following a rigorous five-stage election process, and will now play an important role in ensuring that the RSE can continue its work for the advancement of learning and useful knowledge.

5 University of St Andrews RSE Young Academy members announced

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has announced the second group of RSE Young Academy of Scotland appointments, which consists of 50 new members, including 5 from St Andrews.

• Catherine S J Cazin - School of Chemistry
• Chris S Jones - School of English
• Per Ola Kristensson - School of Computer Science
• Christian Rutz - School of Biology
• Andrew R Timming - School of Management 

The RSE Young Academy of Scotland fosters interdisciplinary activities among emerging leaders from the disciplines of science and humanities, the professions, the arts, business and civil society. Established by the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2011, the Young Academy of Scotland provides a platform for able and innovative young entrepreneurs, professionals and academics to develop a coherent and influential voice, and to address the most challenging issues facing society in Scotland and beyond.

Royal Society Medal for Early Career Researcher

Dr Sharon Ashbrook, Reader in Physical Chemistry has been awarded the Royal Society of Edinburgh Makdougall Brisbane Medal, recognising her excellent achievements as an early career researcher in the physical sciences and for her leadership record and commitment to excellence in all areas of academic life.

Dr Ashbrook is at the forefront of research into solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. Her current research interests focus on the development of new methods in solid-state NMR, particularly for quadrupolar nuclei, such as ¹⁷O, ²³Na and ²⁷Al. She is also interested in the application of these methods to a wide range of systems including minerals, zeolites and ceramics. More recently, Sharon has developed an interest in the application of first-principles calculations of NMR parameters in the solid state.

Workshop: Film Festivals in Scotland and Beyond – Activism and Social Impact

November saw the inaugural meeting of the Scottish Film Festival Studies Network. Founded by Dina Iordanova and Alex Marlow-Mann and funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, this initiative provides a forum for festival scholars and practitioners (both within Scotland and beyond) to interact and exchange ideas.

The first meeting took place on Monday 7th November at the Royal Society of Edinburgh and took the form of an interactive workshop dedicated to Film Festivals in Scotland and Beyond – Activism and Social Impact, a subject closely linked to the fourth Film Festival Yearbook, which is forthcoming in January and will be dedicated to Film Festivals and Activism.

Diane Henderson, David Cairns 
and Matthew Lloyd during the EIFF panel

The first session comprised a lively discussion on ‘Film Festivals and Activist Causes’ between Nick Higgins (University of Edinburgh/ filmmaker), Eddie Harrison (Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival ) and Ron Inglis (Regional Screen Scotland), which was moderated by David Archibald (University of Glasgow). This was followed by a session on ‘Documentary Film Festivals: Nodes and Networks’, moderated by our own Leshu Torchin and featuring interventions by Robin McPherson (Edinburgh Napier University), Mona Rai and Paula Larkin (Document Film Festival) and Sonja Henrici (Scottish Documentary Institute). After lunch a session on ‘Where Is the Edinburgh International Film Festival Headed Next?’ focused on the festival’s prospects after the appointment of its new Artistic Director, Chris Fujiwara. The debate was chaired by Matthew Lloyd (Glasgow Short Film Festival/ author of How the Movie Brats Took Over Edinburgh) and featured comments by David Cairns (Edinburgh College of Art, Shadowplay) and Diane Henderson (Edinburgh International Film Festival).

Želimir Žilnik in conversation with 
Dina Iordanova

Each of these panels were highly interactive and featured extensive discussion between the panellists and members of the audience, which comprised a range of academics, festival practitioners and industry figures. The final session was a little different; it featured a conversation between veteran activist filmmaker Želimir Žilnik and Dina Iordanova in which he reflected back on his long career and the role festivals have played in the success of his films.

Some sixty people attended this event, which proved a stimulating forum for both debate and networking. A second workshop is planned for the same time next year (date and venue t.b.c.)

To be kept abreast of developments, and to join in the discussions on film festival culture, sign up to the Scottish Film Festival Studies Network by visiting: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/sffs

6 University of St Andrews RSE Young Academy members announced

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has announced the first members of the new RSE Young Academy of Scotland, which has been established as a unique opportunity to bring together some of the most able and innovative young academics, entrepreneurs, artists and professionals in Scotland. It is the first such academy of its kind in the UK and aims to stimulate creative ideas and collaborative work in addressing some of Scotland’s key challenges. The 68 members of the Young Academy include 6 academics from St Andrews.

Sharon Ashbrook – School of Chemistry
Ineke De Moortel – School of Mathematics and Statistics
Aileen Fyfe – School of History
Jeffrey Murer – School of International Relations
Craig Smith – School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies
Nicole Tausch – School of Psychology

Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows named

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has today announced the new intake of Fellows for 2011, which includes three academics from the University of St Andrews:

• Professor Francis Stephen Halliwell, Professor of Greek, School of Classics
• Professor Alexandra Martha Zoya Slawin, Professor of Chemical Crystallography, School of Chemistry
• Professor Klaus Zuberbuhler, Professor of Psychology, School of Psychology 

The RSE recognises each new Fellow as having achieved excellence within their discipline or profession.