Scotland after the referendum, human and computer face recognition and trust are just some of the issues which will be explored during the University of Aberdeen's Festival of Social Sciences next week (Monday, November 3 - Saturday, November 8.)
The Festival of Social Sciences is a UK-wide celebration of research in the social sciences, supported by the Economic and Social Research Council and will offer a fascinating insight into some of the country’s leading social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives.
Over the course of the week a wide-range of events will take place in various venues across the city.
On Monday (November 3) the University’s Professor Michael Keating, Dr Lynne Bennie and Malcolm Harvey will discuss the scope Scotland has to make its own choices and potential challenges following the referendum, while on Tuesday (November 4) Satrosphere will host an event that will see Dr Advaith Siddharthan and Michael Smith from the University look at how successful the use of social media is when discussing political issues.
Dr Karen Salt from the School of Language and Literature will examine the simple concept of trust and the effect it has in society at the Skeptics in the Pub event at Cellar 35 on Thursday (November 6).
Other events include Sporting triumphs, transport tribulations and twitter which will look at the transport disruption during the Commonwealth Games and the role twitter plays in the investigation of what happened and how traffic issues can be improved in the future;and The death of innocence, an evening of poetry and storytelling as Professor Steve Heys and Thomas Scotland narrate how young men met terrible fates while serving in WW1.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond, Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Aberdeen, said: “Every year the UK’s social science community come together to showcase advances across areas that affect us all - from politics to climate change, economics to population growth - and I am thrilled that the University of Aberdeen is once again involved in the Festival of Social Science.
“The events which feature in the Festival programme offer a fantastic opportunity for the University to demonstrate just some of the current research which is happening right here in the city.”
Dr Rhiannon Thompson, Project Officer in Public Engagement with Research at the University, said:
“We are delighted to be part of the Festival of Social Science for a second year. After a successful festival in 2014, the University of Aberdeen became one of six hubs in the UK.
“The events will reflect how current social science research in Aberdeen is helping to tackle global challenges and will invite the audience to question and discuss research work in relaxed and informal settings.”
For more information about the Festival of Social Sciences and to view the full programme of events, please visit www.abdn.ac.uk/engage/foss