ARC Life
Welcome to the September 2024 edition ARC Life!
This is your monthly guide looking ahead to what is happening in the ARC to keep you informed and provide opportunities to engage with events, workshops, and conferences.
Gold LEAF award
The ARC proudly earned a gold LEAF award, thanks to the collaborative efforts of our teams from Life Sciences, Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics. Together, we tackled challenges in waste management, purchasing, chemical handling, equipment use, and research quality. LEAF, which stands for the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework, recognises labs with bronze, silver, or gold awards for their commitment to sustainability.
Art in the ARC
"Art in The ARC" celebrates the intersection between creativity and research.
The project brings in artworks from internationally recognised artists that resonate with the ethos of the building and the people who work here. Following insightful discussions with ARC residents, Dr Dominic Paterson selected the pieces which are hoped to enhance the daily environment for all.
The Western Cafe moves to table service
The Western Café now offers table service, with a “To Go” area for express coffee, sandwiches, and snacks. The team encourage takeaway orders at the “To Go” counter to improve service for all. Note that personal food isn’t allowed, table bookings are limited to 1-1.5 hours, and only assistance dogs are permitted. To reserve a table, email arc-western-cafe@glasgow.ac.uk at least 24 hours in advance.
A Message from the Eco-Hub
Hello! I'm Lauren Crilly, the new Eco-Hub Coordinator. The Eco-Hub is a new space dedicated to promoting sustainability. We're officially opening on Sept 12th on Level 2 of the Boyd Orr building. Hours will be Mon to Fri, 10am-6pm.
At the Eco-Hub, you can enjoy coffee or tea for just 50p when you bring a reusable mug. We also offer a free community fridge, a swap-shop with clothing and textiles, and will host regular activities like bike repairs, plant swaps, and sustainable crafting workshops.
ARC Introducing
This month, Professor Qammer Abbasi shares insights into his work on enhancing wireless networks and health monitoring using advanced electromagnetic technology. His passion for interdisciplinary collaboration drives innovations that have the potential to transform everyday life. Read the full interview for an in-depth look at how Qammer’s research is paving the way for the future.
Would you like share the work you do with other ARC residents?
Complete the ARC Introducing questionnaire
Connect & Collaborate
Events and workshops which provide a chance to connect with colleagues from across the University.
Celebrating Achievements in Knowledge Exchange and Innovation - call for nominations, 21st November, ARC Atrium and Conference Suite
This special event will feature a showcase of student enterprise, staff projects, and city partnerships, culminating in an awards presentation. You are invited to nominate colleagues whom you think should be celebrated via the event website.
Workshop on Artificial Social Intelligence, 20th September, The ARC
The Social AI CDT is excited to announce the second annual Social AI Workshop to be held in the ARC. This is a satellite event to the ACII and IVA conferences, also taking place in Glasgow this September.
Upcoming events, visits and workshops
Iain Clark: A Love Letter To Glasgow Exhibition, 9th – 22nd September, ARC Atrium
This is a solo exhibition by renowned photographic artist Iain Clark. Featuring a series of striking portraits, the collection showcases the diverse faces of Glaswegians, both famous and every-day, captured in both monochrome and colour. Clark’s distinctive technique, blending photography with painting, brings out the essence of the city’s vibrant community. The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of John Shaw, UofG alumnus, a proud Glaswegian and patron of the arts.
Sound and Vision: Iain Clark and Alan Riach in Conversation (part of Explorathon), 18th September, 17:30 – 19:00, free, ticketed
As part of the Glasgow Doors Open Day programme, come along to this engaging and interactive event where Iain Clark joins writer and academic Alan Riach for a conversation about their respective practices.
Professor Alan Riach will respond to the images of visual artist Iain Clark’s Love Letter to Glasgow. The pair will share their passion for Glasgow, the city that has inspired both their artistic practices.
Images of Impact Exhibition, 16th – 22nd September, ARC Atrium, free, drop in
Researchers were challenged to capture in an image how their work is making a change in the wider world, beyond academia. This exhibition showcases the best entries from the six schools across the College of Science and Engineering.
MPN Awareness Exhibition, 2nd – 22nd September, St Mungo Square, free, drop-in
Designed to raise awareness about myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), a group of rare blood cancers, this exhibition is part of a national roadshow funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd. The exhibition features 10 giant sculptures, each representing a common symptom of MPNs. This project aims to educate visitors about these often misunderstood or overlooked symptoms and encourage proactive health management.
CinemARC: “Cuban Bees” and “Honeyland”, 19th September, 18:00 – 20:30, ARC Atrium, free, ticketed
This screening will examine beekeeping and environmentalism. Features a Q&A with Glasgow Latin American Research Network.
If you would like to host an event or develop an engagement activity, please contact the ARC’s Event & Engagement Team ARCEngage@glasgow.ac.uk to discuss your ideas.
Sign up to hear about future ARC events by subscribing to our ‘What’s on at the ARC’ newsletter.
Explorathon at Glasgow Doors Open Day
21st – 22nd September, ARC Atrium, drop-in activities 12:00 – 15:00 and ticketed workshops (various times), free
Explorathon will take over the ARC, with drop-activities for all ages. There is a range of ticketed workshops covering everything from creative writing to engineering and medieval music. The fun will continue outside in St Mungo Square, with giant games of chess, sport, Latin dance and clowns. This event coincides with the Glasgow Doors Open Day festival, which celebrates our city’s cultural heritage.
No booking required for drop-in activities. For workshops, please book your place on Eventbrite.
Highlights
Choose from a wide and dynamic range of events and activities throughout the weekend and find the full listings on the ARC events webpage. We can't fit everything here, so here are some selections to get you started.
Adventures with Micro:Bits, 14:00 – 15:30, Researcher Development Suite. free, ticketed
An interactive maker’s workshop. Build your very own micro:bit environmental sensor.
Glasgow Pandemic 1832, 13:00 – 12:30, Researcher Development Suite, free, ticketed
This event will explore Glasgow's 1832 cholera crisis through an interactive board game, treating patients and exploring historical health challenges.
Grand Opera: Who owns a melody?, 13:00 and 14:00, Seminar Suite, free, ticketed
Two live performances will take place on the hour at 1pm and 2pm. These arranged versions of Vincenzo Bellini’s famous opera ‘Norma’ condense the four and a half-hour long opera into just 12 minutes. At 1:30, Professor Martin Kretschmer will give a short talk introducing music publishing practices and copyright law in 19th century Europe.
Fakery, forgery and Robert Burns, 14:00 – 15:30, Studio 2, free, ticketed
Learn more about the life and trial of ‘Antique’ Smith, accused of forging manuscripts by Robert Burns and other historical figures, and the art of literary forgery. In this interactive workshop, participants can try their hand at aging paper and writing with a quill pen and nib.
Research news
KTP project awarded grade of “Outstanding”
A collaborative Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) led by Dr Manlio Tassieri in partnership with Soapworks Limited has received the grade of "Outstanding" from the KTP Grading Panel.
The project’s purpose was to embed expertise in defining the optimum processing window for synthetic detergents, improving the consistency and quality of the product.
This exceptional result reflects the hard work, collaboration, and dedication of everyone involved. Congratulations to all who contributed!
New quantum technology hubs announced at the ARC
QuantIC hosted a visit from the Secretary of State for Science Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle in July to announce five new quantum technology hubs. University of Glasgow researchers will play leading roles in two of the new hubs.
New Internal Peer Review College
The Strategic Research Initiatives team are excited to introduce a new peer review college. Peer review is an excellent development opportunity and a means to demonstrate collegiality. The team hopes to use the college to form reviewer cohorts and panels to support internal selection processes, improving transparency, inclusivity and robustness.
Read about the Peer Review College
Operations update
John Harris appointed Interim Director or Research Services Directorate
John Harris, ARC Head of Operations, took over as Interim Executive Director of Research Services on 19th August 2024. This interim role is expected to run until March 2025. Whilst interim arrangements for his substantive role in ARC are currently being arranged, please contact Carol-Anne Smith with any operational enquiries. We will provide an update on the interim arrangements in the next edition of ARC Life.
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Best wishes,
The ARC Communications Team