Café Connect

Activity and exercise are known to positively impact our physical and mental health.  However, there’s much more that we need to know about the effect of activity and exercise.

This talk with Dr Derek Ball discusses how the levels of physical activity changed over time, what was the impact of the pandemic and how exactly activity and exercise impact our health.

Read the transcript for the Physiological Effects of Exercise and Activity podcast

Speakers: Dr Karen Scott (Senior Research Fellow, Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen) and Dr Soumya Palliyil (Head of Scottish Biologics Facility)

Indiscriminate use of antimicrobials affects not just the bugs that cause disease but also our friendly resident microbes and contributes to antimicrobial resistance. How can we develop new therapies for effective treatment of infections without causing resistance? What is stopping new antimicrobial development?

Read the transcript for the Pros and cons of antibiotics podcast

With research suggesting that the average cost of a school uniform for one child at £337 per year, schools and Government are coming under pressure to limit the cost parents face. But why is it that schools in Scotland and wider UK are so tied to having school uniforms?

This discussion with Dr Rachel Shanks from the University’s School of Education will examine the history of school uniforms in Scotland, discuss her research on school uniform policies and her work influencing policy makers and education officials about how this significant cost on parents can be addressed.

Read the transcript for the School uniforms: Taken for granted but are they fit for purpose? podcast

Speakers: Professor Paul McNamee (Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen) and Lucie Giles (Public Health Intelligence Principal, Public Health Scotland)

Does Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol have unintended consequences for diet quality and health? Alcohol MUP was introduced in Scotland in May 2018 as part of the Scottish Government’s strategy to reduce the health and social harms associated with alcohol misuse. In this conversation we will look at the research trying to understand whether household food spending was reduced following the introduction of MUP and the effect that this has on diet quality. We will also discuss whether these changes to diet quality have consequences for people’s health.

Read the transcript for the Alcohol Pricing in Scotland – Does it Affect Your Food Shopping podcast

A conversation with Dr Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager with Professor Keith Bender, SIRE Professor of Economics. In this episode we discuss the role of Sir Thomas Jaffrey in the history of Aberdeen in the early twentieth century.  He was a banker and major philanthropist who helped shape Aberdeen Art Gallery building and collections as we know then today as well as establishing the chair of Political Economy at the University of Aberdeen.

Read the transcript for the 'Sir Thomas Jaffrey and Political Economy' podcast 

Speakers: Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager and Barney Crocket, Lord Provost of Aberdeen

A conversation with Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager with Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Barney Crocket. This conversation looks at the lives of two children who came to Aberdeen, from Nazi Germany, through the Kindertransport of the 1930s.

Read the transcript for 'Aberdeen and the Kindertransport' podcast

Speakers: Professor J. Ignacio Canales (Chair in Strategic Management, University of Aberdeen) and Mauricio Quiroga (Owner and CEO, Gran Vista Management Partners)

In business management, Strategy is the way companies compete with one another. The growth of the internet giants is restricting how companies can compete, so is this the end of Strategy? Find out how the British fox and the Andean condor can teach us how to face the internet giants. 

Published research: Nayak, Ajit, Robert Chia, and J. Ignacio Canales. Noncognitive microfoundations: Understanding dynamic capabilities as idiosyncratically refined sensitivities and predispositions. Academy of Management Review 45.2 (2020): 280-303.

Read the transcript for 'The End of Strategy' podcast

Speakers: Dr Kathryn Martin (Lecturer at the Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen) and Marjory D’Arcy (Chair of Grampian 50+ Network).

We discuss the benefits of walking and how walking groups such as Grampian 50+ Network can have a positive impact on the physical and mental health of older people. We also look at how the social aspect of walking has been affected by Covid-19 lock down rules.

For more information on the Grampian 50+ network

Read the transcript for the 'Walking towards Health and Happiness in Later Life' podcast

A conversation with Dr Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager and Dr Malcolm Harvey, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations. In this episode the discussion is around events after the recent US Presidential and election and the inauguration of Joe Biden as 46th President of the United States of America. The discussion touches on the election process, the events of 6 January, the future of the Republican Party and the second impeachment of Donald Trump.

Read the transcript for the 'US Presidential Elections' podcast

A conversation with Dr Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager with Dr John McKenzie, Research Fellow, Rowett Institute. In this John discusses his latest research into food insecurity in Scotland and proposed policies for a right to food.

Read the transcript for The Right to Food podcast

A conversation with Dr Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager with Marylee Anderson, Chaplain to the University and Dr Louise Page, Lecturer. The discussion ranges over the unique and fascinating history of Kings College Chapel as well as the special place that the Chapel has in the hearts and minds of the community of the University of Aberdeen.

Read the transcript for the 'King’s College Chapel – history, architecture and significance' podcast

Speakers: Professor Corri Black (Director of the Centre for Health Data Science, University of Aberdeen), Dr Nick Fluck (Medical Director for NHS Grampian), Dr Graham Osler (Health intelligence Analyst, NHS Grampian) and Dr Dimitra Blana (Lecturer in Health Data Science, University of Aberdeen).

Leading figures from the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian discuss and reflect on how they combined their expertise and worked together to analyse emerging Covid-19 data and define NHS Grampian response to the pandemic.

Read the transcript for the 'Following the Science: How is data modelling used to inform the COVID-19 response at a local level' podcast.

A conversation with Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager, and Professor Donald Hislop. This conversation looks at the future of work. Work has been constantly changing with new technology and home or tele-working has been revolutionised recently. This podcast will look at how this has happened and examine the impact of Covid-19 on homeworking. 

Read the transcript for The Future of Work podcast

A conversation with Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager, and Neil Curtis, Head of Museums and Special Collections. This episode looks at research which has been done on aspects of the rich museum collections held by the University of Aberdeen. Recent research projects have engaged with pre-historic beakers, skeletal evidence and more to offer tantalising glimpses into life in the north east of Scotland 4000 years ago. 

Join Chris Croly, Public Engagement with Research Manager and Dr Claire Hawes, to discuss the results of a project to investigate Aberdeen’s rich burgh records. A great chance to learn about life in medieval Aberdeen. 

We’ve all heard about asymptomatic or healthy carriers in the current Covid-19 pandemic but this is not new. We will talk about the historic “Typhoid Mary” case and discuss the implications of isolation for public health and social conditions.

Speakers: Dr Virtu Solano, Research Fellow, Dr Adam Rofe, Research Fellow, and Dr Max Baldassarre, Lecturer in Cellular Microbiology, University of Aberdeen

A conversation with Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager, Rob Donelson, Executive Director of Advancement, and Professor Bill Naphy, on the 525 alumni of achievement project. This project celebrates the accomplishments of the University of Aberdeen’s alumni across the world and in many different walks of life. 2020 is the University’s 525th anniversary and we are seeking the names of 525 alumni of achievement to celebrate.

Get involved and make a nomination

Discussion with Professor Zosia Miedzybrodzka (Chair in Medical Genetics and Clinical Geneticist), Dr Jonathan Pettitt (Reader in Genetics) and Dr Lynne Mennie (Project Manager for Genome Sequencing in NHS Scotland), University of Aberdeen

The NHS in Scotland is deciding whether and how to adopt whole genome sequencing as a routine test to diagnose genetic conditions. We will examine the science underlying whole genome testing, discuss the challenges and limitations of this approach and address some of the questions that still remain.