It’s our first blog of 2024 and it’s so lovely to finally see the lighter mornings and evenings appearing! As always, we’ve been busy bees welcoming events to the campus which has set us in good stead for the upcoming months when things hot up in the Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC)!
Celtic Connections
We had a brilliant time in January hosting the team from Celtic Connections in the Barony as part of the University’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. Between 19th January and 3rd February, we welcomed almost 3,000 audience members across 10 diverse performances including the Scottish Ensemble with Edgar Meyer & Special Guests, Martin Hayes & The Common Ground Ensemble and Tern, Damien O’Kane & Ron Block Band with The Madeleine Stewart Band and Colin Steele: Stramash and Gloriosa. It was great to be part of such an iconic music festival in Glasgow which really brought the city to life in the dark and gloomy month of January.
An evening with Alice Roberts
We had a musical interlude with ‘An evening with Alice Roberts – in partnership with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’ on the 20th January, which saw our 450 seater Auditorium almost at full capacity.
The evening began with an introduction from Strathclyder Professor Dame Anne Glover, president of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS), who gave us a brief background of the important work the society undertakes before opening up the stage to Professor Roberts who recounted tales from her books about three burial sites and what these tell us about human lives from the past.
International Women's Day
These celebratory events were followed by a rousing guest lecture from the remarkable Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell on Friday 8th March as part of International Women’s Day. Dame Jocelyn’s visit was particularly fitting as she has played a vital role in leading the way for women in science, inspiring the next generation of female scientists on campus. Read more about Dame Jocelyn in this inspiring article.
Upcoming events
2024 is shaping up to be a great year with more events planned for the Diamond Jubilee across the campus, the city and indeed the world. This includes a series of Town & Gown lectures which demonstrate why we’re known as the Place of Useful Learning, taking inspiration from our roots in the Scottish Enlightenment. The series will see some of Strathclyde’s finest minds discuss society’s most complex challenges, including Professor Sir Harry Burns, Professor Sir John Curtice and our Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Jim McDonald.
The first lecture in the series will be given by Professor Dame Anne Glover, Special Adviser to the Principal and ex-Chief Scientific Adviser for both Scotland and the EU. “Inventing the Future” will consider how science and engineering can deliver exciting possibilities, looking at how themes imagined in sci-fi shows like Star Trek in the 60s, 70s and 80s are now reality. Alongside light-hearted moments, Dame Anne will discuss the ethical and societal considerations of technological advances, in particular AI. There will be opportunities for audience questions and networking following the lecture. This event is free to attend, but places should be reserved in advance.
We also have a jam-packed diary in TIC over the coming months, including the Political Studies Association Conference 2024 (PSA24), the Photovoltaics Science, Applications and Technology Conference 2024 (PVSAT-2024), Spring SciX 2024, Glasgow Tech Fest 2024 and the IEEE I2MTC 2024 so our team is going to be kept on its toes!
We’re excited to welcome delegates old and new to campus, promoting our fantastic city as a destination for conferences and providing that real ‘People Make Glasgow’ experience! If you have an idea for an event or would like to find out more about bringing a conference to Glasgow, then we’d love to hear from you!