Research from the University of Glasgow will be showcased at the Orkney International Science Festival from 1 – 7 September.

The MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Science Unit

We will be participating for the first time at the Orkney International Science Festival, delivering a session 'Apps the way to do it! Using Smartphone apps for weight loss' to a local primary school on 2 September, writes Louise Jack, MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit

Pupils will have the opportunity to discuss how technology can assist in improving health and they'll work together with our researchers, Dr Lynsay Matthews and Dr Juliana Pugmire, to create their very own 'health app'.

Lynsay and Juliana, from the Unit's Complexity in Health Improvement and relationships teams, will also be at the Festival's Family Day on 3 September in Kirkwall's King Street Halls, where they'll be hosting the popular 'Health in the City' interactive game. This lets attendees build and design their own city and see the impact their choices would have on public health.

'We're excited to visit Orkney and share some of the work we do here at the Unit' said Lynsay, Trial Manager of the HelpMeDoit! study. 'It's also a great opportunity for us to hear the perspectives of those living in rural settings and what their priorities are for public health and wellbeing.'

Visit HelpMeDoit!for more information about the study. 

Glasgow Polyomics

Glasgow Polyomics will be at the Family Day on 3 September, at the King Street Halls in Kirkwall, writes Becky Hothersall, Glasgow Polyomics

Visitors will find out about the molecular detective work we do at Polyomics, from personalised medicine to uncovering historical forgeries. They can try their hand at forgery, reveal the hidden colours in plants and inks, and extract DNA from fruit.

The Orkney International Science Festival is an exciting opportunity to show people the broad applications of 'omics research and we hope to find out what their priorities are for future research, through our voting game.

End of Life Studies

The Glasgow End of Life Studies Group hopes that Orkney International Science Festival visitors will join them for a series of fascinating series of talks about spirituality, ethics and compassionate communities at the end of life, writes Catriona Forrest, End of Life Studies.

On Thursday 1 September the group is inviting everyone to meet their international end of life experts over coffee on the island of Shapinsay.

At 7pm medical anthropologist Dr Shahaduz Zaman will give a short talk about his research into the concept of the 'compassionate community' and community models of palliative care delivery followed by audience discussions.

On the Friday the group is holding two consecutive events in Kirkwall Town Hall, in collaboration with the Church of Scotland and the online magazine ehospice.

In the first event of the evening, Professor Robin Taylor and Reverend Dr Hamilton Inbadas will give short talks about the role of spirituality and bioethics at the end of life.

Later the same evening, Dr Shahaduz Zaman will give a short talk on Compassionate Communities and Palliative Care. Prof Robin Taylor and Rev Dr Hamilton Inbadas will join him to ask 'can we build a compassionate community?' in a panel discussion which will be chaired by Kate Jackson, founding editor of ehospice international.

Global Interventions at the End of Life is a four-year study funded by the Wellcome Trust, led by Professor David Clark and based on the University of Glasgow's Dumfries Campus. 

To find out more about the End of Life Studies Group, please visit End of Life Studies or follow @EndofLifeStudy on Twitter.

More information

For more information and to buy tickets for any of the events visit Orkney International Science Festival

First published: 30 August 2016

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