The public will tomorrow (Saturday) get the chance to experience a different side of University of Aberdeen life from medical tours to music from medics.
Cultural treasures and zoology specimens will also be on show to those heading along to the various University buildings taking part in Doors Open Day.
One of the University’s big attractions is the brand new state of the art Suttie Centre for Teaching and Learning in Healthcare which will open to the public for the first time.
Visitors to the £21M Foresterhill complex - where medical students are taught and health professionals can brush up on existing skills - will be able to see all sorts of medical activities including blood pressure measurement, resuscitation, hand washing and demonstrations on sophisticated simulators.
Guests will also be able to view three newly commissioned, spectacular artworks in the building and have a last chance to buy a CD of easy listening jazz music by the Swing Doctors – a local five piece comprising a professor of medical education, a heart surgeon, a psychiatrist, a neurologist and an anaesthetist from the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian.
All proceeds from At Last – the band’s first CD – are going towards further improvements at the Suttie Centre, thought to be unique in the UK.
Professor Hamish McKenzie, Head of the Division of Medical and Dental Education at the University, plays keyboard with the band. He said: “So far sales from our CD have raised £5,000 for the Suttie Centre which is absolutely tremendous. We hope to sell the few remaining copies at Doors Open Day because all funds raised are supporting this landmark medical education centre of which Aberdeen can be extremely proud.”
The Suttie Centre is open to the public between 10 am and 4pm tomorrow.
Next door to Suttie is the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) – the base for scientists investigating a host of conditions including cancer, bone disease, Alzheimer’s disease, fungal infection, Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia.
The IMS will be offering lab tours at 11am and 12.45pm.
Also on the Foresterhill campus is the Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society which is open to the public tomorrow between 10am and 4pm and features displays of memorabilia linked with the development of medicine in the North east.
Med-Chi has an office and display at the Suttie Centre and also has the Medico-Chirurgical hall adjacent to the Polwarth building which features displays of medical portraits and artefacts.
Down at Old Aberdeen visitors to the University’s Special Libraries and Archives can see historical artefacts which have been accumulated over the last 500 years. Visitors can take behind the scenes tours of the archives and rare book stacks at 10am, 11am, 12 noon and 1pm.
The 200-year-old the Old Town House which was restored to its former glory thanks to the University and Heritage Lottery Fund and is now used as a gateway to the University is open to the public between 10am and 4pm.
The University’s Natural History Centre and Zoology Museum - the only zoological museum in the region with one of the largest collections in Scotland – is open to the public between 10am and 4pm.