Curious Minds is back in the Soutar Theatre for its 9th season of Friday evening lectures around the general theme of “Contemporary Science in Scotland”.
Every year we ask some of the top academics and researchers in Scotland to come along to Perth and tell us about their work – in a way that normal mortals can understand. We ask them to avoid “dumbing it down” but also to avoid excessive jargon or impenetrable equations. It has been enormously successful. We don’t shy away from tacking really difficult subjects – but in a way that makes them accessible to everybody. You can check out some of our previous talks here.
This year, we continue the usual eclectic mix. You can learn about the mystery of how the brain develops for a single cell into a powerful computing machine – in only a few months. You can hear about some of the latest advances in Medical science. Or you can see how a research team in Glasgow are using “crowdsourcing” to map the use of language in contemporary Scotland. And, if you have ever wondered what actually happens to the contents of your grey-lidded recycling bin – you get a chance to hear about the reality of plastics recycling from 3 speakers in Research, Industry and Strategic planning.
The talks will be held in the Soutar Theatre, AK Bell Library, Perth starting at 7:30pm.
Tickets for the live talks in the Soutar Theatre are £3.50 for PSNS members and £7 for non members.
PSNS members can purchase a season ticket for all 10 talks at a reduced price. Please note that this offer is only available before the first talk on October 4th.
Tickets for Curious Minds are available via
Perthshire Box Office
October 4th. Prof David Price, University of Edinburgh. “How we build our brains”
Our brain contains 100 billion cells with trillions of connections. This machine develops from a singe cell in less than 9 months. How is that possible?
October 18th. Dr Brendan Gabriel, University of Aberdeen. “Circadian rhythms and diabetes”
Circadian rhythms, and the biological clocks that control them, are essential to our health. Diabetes can disrupt the clock. Can it be reset?
November 1st . Prof Alessio Ciulli, University of Dundee. “Targeted Protein Degradation”
Proteins are fundamental to life – and to many diseases. TPD aims to harness the cell’s own recycling mechanisms to remove disease causing proteins.
November 15th. Dr Kevin Ross, Impact Solutions. “Plastics recycling – the unintended consequences”
Impact Solutions is a technology transfer company, taking academic research and creating real-world solutions.
November 29th. John Ferguson, Binn Group “Transitioning to a regenerative economy – in Perthshire”
Continuing our recycling theme, John is head of strategy at Binn group – Scotland’s largest independent waste management provider.
December 13th. Prof Jennifer Smith, University of Glasgow. “Mapping contemporary Scots”
Jennifer will describe an on-line project to map the words, sounds and grammar that define the Scots language as it exists today.
January 24th. Prof Michelle Williams, University of Edinburgh.“Looking inside the heart – imaging and AI”
Michelle’s work applies machine learning and AI methods to extract “hidden” information from diagnostic medical images.
February 7th. Dr Dipa Roy, University of Edinburgh. “Sustainable materials”
In the third of our series on recycling, Dipa will discuss how Research can design sustainability into the composition and structure of plastic materials.
February 21st. Prof Lorna Dawson, James Hutton Institute. “Soil forensics: how soil science helps solve crimes”.
Lorna is one of the UK’s leading forensic scientists. She has advised government, police and, of course, TV creators. She has been an expert witness in many high-profile criminal cases.
March 7th. Robin Rodger, Royal Scottish Academy. “David Octavius Hill – a pioneer of photography”
David Hill was born in Perth in 1802 and became a leading figure in early Photography. This lecture is in memory of Rhoda Fothergill – a local historian, primary school teacher and long-time PSNS secretary. The talk is free but tickets should be booked in the normal way through Perthshire Box Office
The History of Curious Minds
PSNS has been running our Winter Season of talks under the “Curious Minds” banner since 2015. These talks follow in the footsteps of a tradition of Friday evening lectures stretching back to the founding of the Society in 1867!
Here is a short selection of some of our fantastic talks from the last few years:
