Glasgow Science Festival: 6 - 16 June 2013
City Centre Tour: Saturday 8th June 2013, 2pm
National Science and Engineering Week: 15 - 24 March 2013
Cathedral Tour: Saturday 16th March, 3pm
Merchant City Festival: 25 - 29 July 2012
City Centre Tour: Wednesday 25th July 2012, 4pm
Glasgow Science Festival: 5 - 17 June 2012
City Centre Tour: Sunday 10th June 2012, 2pm
National Science and Engineering Week: 9 - 18 March 2012
City Centre Tour: Monday 12th March, 1pm
Cathedral Tour: Wednesday 14th March, 2pm
Cathedral Tour: Saturday 16th July 2011, 14:00-15:00
Two public lectures at the Science Centre
From July the 10th hundreds of scientists and engineers will be arriving at the SECC to discuss advances in the understanding and application of nitride semiconductors. Glasgow is hosting the 9th International conference on nitride semiconductors http://www.icns9.org/ and will welcome visitors from five continents.
Nitride semiconductors have diverse applications ranging from blue LEDs which light the bridges over the Clyde, to the laser in blu-ray DVD players, to the display in your mobile phone. Future applications include water purifiers and replacing the light bulb in your home.
As part of the conference we are holding two public lectures in the Glasgow Science Centre, details are given below.
Tuesday 12th July 2011 12.45 – 13.15
Energy-efficient lighting: challenges for the future
Dr Michelle Moram, University of Cambridge
Home, office and street lighting uses up over 20% of our electricity supply and is one of the biggest energy consumers in new buildings. Although tremendous advances in lighting technology are currently being made, many people still use incandescent bulbs and other inefficient forms of lighting. This talk will discuss how lighting is designed and how we can tell if a light is efficient or not, as well as introducing new light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which can enable a reduction of up to 15% in our total electricity consumption.
Friday 15th July 2011 14.00 – 14.40
Science on the Streets
Dr Carol Trager-Cowan and Jochen Bruckbauer
University of Strathclyde
Glasgow has an impressive scientific and industrial heritage which we continue to build on today. Our 'Science on the Streets' talk explores this heritage – for example we discuss how the pioneering work of James Watt sparked the Industrial Revolution and how a gifted Scottish chemist Thomas Graham invented dialysis. Our talk will also visit the Ramshorn Kirk graveyard where we will describe the measures taken to stop Glasgow’s body snatchers. We will also describe the first use of electricity in Glasgow, including its use in an attempt to bring an executed murderer back to life.