The College of Humanities and Social Science is well represented at this year's Edinburgh International Science Festival, with staff and students involved in a wide range of events. Image Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences Edinburgh International Science Festival offers a great opportunity to discuss our research with the public, explore the impact of science on our lives, past and present and for students to share creative responses to the challenges posed by science. Catharine Ward Thompson ( ESALA - ECA) and Jamie Pearce investigate the links between mood, health and place. Andy Clark (Philosophy - PPLS) examines the nature of consciousness. Katie Overy (Reid School of Music - ECA) explores the impact of music - and silence - on the brain and Peter Lamont (Psychology - PPLS) attempts to uncover the 'real' location of our minds. Edinburgh College of Art Would you trust an Edinburgh philosopher? Find out as Alistair Isaac and Alasdair Richmond (both in Philosophy - PPLS) playfully enact an Enlightenment debate between Reid and Hume on the trustworthiness of what others tell us. As we look forward to Edinburgh College of Art 2015 Degree Show, Mal Burkinshaw, Programme Director for Fashion (ECA), hosts a special LateLab at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, which considers fashion from history, from the engineering and allure of corsetry to the chemistry and brutality of Renaissance beauty regimes. For more details on these and other College Science Festival events see our digest below. Include article found - identified by: 1.165328 HTML Thinking Outside the Brain **SOLD OUT** Dr Peter Lamont (Psychology - PPLS) explores the wider context of thought and attempts to uncover the 'real' location of our minds. More and more, you’re being told that everything you think and do is in the brain. Politics is in the brain, religion is in the brain, art is in the brain, you are your brain. Now the brain is a wonderful thing, but it’s not the whole thing. From the moment you’re born you interact with the world and with other people. In the process of doing that, you work out how to think and what to think, about politics, religion, art and everything else. Your brain is just part of a larger process of thinking, which involves not only the connections in your brain, but also the connections between our brains. Saturday 11 April 2015, 5.30pm Saturday 11 April 2015, 7.00pm Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall Find out more about Thinking Outside the Brain on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival HTML Music on the Brain Are we fundamentally wired for sound, and what effects do different notes, tones and harmonies, including those that we cannot ‘hear’, have on our perception? Prof Trevor Cox of the University of Salford is joined by eminent science writer Philip Ball, psychology of music expert Dr Katie Overy (Reid School of Music - ECA), pianist Will Pickvance and sound designer Peregrine Andrews for a sonic odyssey in psychoacoustics, featuring live performance, tales of how to live without music and a look at the surprising effects of silence on the human brain. Hosted by Helen Arney. Saturday 11 April 2015, 8.00pm Saturday 11 April 2015, 9.30pm Dissection Room, Summerhall Book tickets for Music on the Brain on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival HTML Brain Box **SOLD OUT** What's in the Brain Box? There are clues inside but you'll need to use your brain to work it out! Become a brain scientist with colleagues from the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences (PPLS) and the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE). Find out how amazing your brain is and investigate how it works. Follow us on Twitter @brainboxone. For ages 8-12. Tuesday 14 April 2015, 3.00pm Saturday 18 April 2015, 4.00pm Learning Centre Level 4, Studio 1, National Museum of Scotland Find out more about Brain Box on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival HTML The World of Illusions Is seeing always believing? Join neuroscientists, psychologists and illusionists for an evening in the five-floor wunderkammer of Edinburgh’s Camera Obscura to explore the multi-faceted mechanics of perception. Enjoy a glass of wine and a chat with our scientists as Dr Dave Carmel (PPLS) and Prof Roger Newport discuss the workings of the human mind and how crafty mathematics can be used to exploit the glitches in our mammalian brains. Learn how an Ames Room works, navigate the vortex tunnel and discover how we are programmed to find human faces in the mirror maze. Tuesday 14 April 2015, 8.30pm Tuesday 14 April 2015, 10.30pm Camera Obscura and World of Illusions Book tickets for The World of Illusions on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival HTML Me and Granny are Learning Spanish: is it ever too late to learn a second language? What happens when we learn a language and does speaking two affect how our brains develop and age? Is it too late for those of us who only speak English? Prof. Antonella Sorace and Dr Thomas Bak (PPLS) will take you on the journey of a language learner’s brain, from infancy to old age, sharing what language-learning can do for us. They will be joined by zoologist and lifelong monolingual Prof. Aubrey Manning and Louise Glen from Education Scotland to discuss language policy and the public health and social side-effects of a national shortage of language skills. Wednesday 15 April 2015, 8.00pm Wednesday 15 April 2015, 9.30pm Main Hall, Summerhall Book tickets for Me and Granny are Learning Spanish on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival HTML Brain, Mind, and Consciousness... But What About the Soul? Science has been remarkably effective at describing the natural world, including human beings, so how do we think about the ‘soul’? A panel from The University of Edinburgh will discuss perspectives on the existence (or non-existence!) of an immaterial soul, one of the toughest questions in scientific and religious discussion, engaging in open and honest conversation with the audience. The panel features Dr Michael Fuller, Teaching Fellow in the School of Divinity, Dr Mark Harris, Lecturer in Science and Religion, Sarah Lane, PhD candidate in Science and Religion and Dr David Ward, Lecturer in philosophy of the mind and cognitive science. Thursday 16 April 2015, 8.00pm Thursday 16 April 2015, 9.30pm Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall Book tickets for Brain, Mind, and Consciousness on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival HTML LateLab: Beauty by Design At the final LateLab of the 2015 Edinburgh International Science Festival, Sian Hoffman will unlace the engineering and allure of body-modifying corsetry, Jill Burke (History of Art - ECA) will peel away the chemistry and brutality of Renaissance beauty regimes (with free Renaissance facials & makeovers) and Charlie Porter of the Financial Times will focus on changing the fashion industry's mindset of gender and diversity issues. Hosted by Tricia Allerston, Deputy Director at the Scottish National Gallery and Mark Daniels, Director of New Media Scotland. Friday 17 April 2015, 8.00pm Friday 17 April 2015, 9.30pm Scottish National Portrait Gallery Book tickets for LateLab: Beauty by Design on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival HTML Should You Trust What You Hear about Science? An Enlightenment Debate: Hume vs Reid One of the famous scholarly disagreements of the Scottish Enlightenment was between Thomas Reid and David Hume on the trustworthiness of what others tell us. Reid argued that trust is an essential part of the human condition, while Hume remained sceptical of the testimony of other people. Should we trust what we’re told about science? Dr Alistair Isaac and Dr Alasdair Richmond (Philosophy, PPLS), will playfully enact an Enlightenment debate between Reid and Hume, introduced and moderated by Dr Matthew Chrisman. Friday 17 April 2015, 5.30pm Friday 17 April 2015, 7.00pm Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Summerhall Book tickets for Should You Trust What You Hear about Science? on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival HTML The Great Ape Debate People are apes, but are apes people too? In 2014 a US court case argued that a privately held chimpanzee named Tommy should be granted legal personhood, the latest event in a long-standing debate over the rights of apes, all of which are threatened species. The call for greater rights for higher primates has been championed by voices ranging from Richard Dawkins to Ricky Gervais to Twiggy, but what do the experts have to say about the mental and emotional lives of apes? Join Dr Lewis Dean, Dr Catherine Hobaiter and Dr Ben Sachs from the University of St Andrews; Dr Clare Cunningham from Abertay University and Dr Suilin Lavelle (PPLS) for a controversial discussion of primate cognition and behaviour, human and animal rights, the philosophy of science and what we owe our closest evolutionary cousins. Friday 17 April 2015, 8.00pm Friday 17 April 2015, 9.30pm Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Summerhall Book tickets for the Great Ape Debate on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival HTML Embodied – An exhibition by Art Space Nature **FREE** A unique exhibition of art works responding to carbon in its many forms by students of the Edinburgh College Art Space Nature. As part of the annual collaboration between the Edinburgh College of Art and the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, students of the Art Space Nature programme show a series of provocative works that explore visual and interactive stimuli in the context of ECCI’s multi-faceted approach to creating a low carbon future. Student practitioners are mixed-discipline (architecture, design, sculpture, fine art, landscape architecture), work individually and in groups. Free exhibition. No ticket required. Friday 10 April 2015, 4.27pm Friday 10 April 2015, 4.27pm Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation Find out more about the exhibition venue Find out more about Embodied on the site of the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation Publication date 15 Oct, 2015
HTML Thinking Outside the Brain **SOLD OUT** Dr Peter Lamont (Psychology - PPLS) explores the wider context of thought and attempts to uncover the 'real' location of our minds. More and more, you’re being told that everything you think and do is in the brain. Politics is in the brain, religion is in the brain, art is in the brain, you are your brain. Now the brain is a wonderful thing, but it’s not the whole thing. From the moment you’re born you interact with the world and with other people. In the process of doing that, you work out how to think and what to think, about politics, religion, art and everything else. Your brain is just part of a larger process of thinking, which involves not only the connections in your brain, but also the connections between our brains. Saturday 11 April 2015, 5.30pm Saturday 11 April 2015, 7.00pm Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall Find out more about Thinking Outside the Brain on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
HTML Music on the Brain Are we fundamentally wired for sound, and what effects do different notes, tones and harmonies, including those that we cannot ‘hear’, have on our perception? Prof Trevor Cox of the University of Salford is joined by eminent science writer Philip Ball, psychology of music expert Dr Katie Overy (Reid School of Music - ECA), pianist Will Pickvance and sound designer Peregrine Andrews for a sonic odyssey in psychoacoustics, featuring live performance, tales of how to live without music and a look at the surprising effects of silence on the human brain. Hosted by Helen Arney. Saturday 11 April 2015, 8.00pm Saturday 11 April 2015, 9.30pm Dissection Room, Summerhall Book tickets for Music on the Brain on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
HTML Brain Box **SOLD OUT** What's in the Brain Box? There are clues inside but you'll need to use your brain to work it out! Become a brain scientist with colleagues from the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences (PPLS) and the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE). Find out how amazing your brain is and investigate how it works. Follow us on Twitter @brainboxone. For ages 8-12. Tuesday 14 April 2015, 3.00pm Saturday 18 April 2015, 4.00pm Learning Centre Level 4, Studio 1, National Museum of Scotland Find out more about Brain Box on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
HTML The World of Illusions Is seeing always believing? Join neuroscientists, psychologists and illusionists for an evening in the five-floor wunderkammer of Edinburgh’s Camera Obscura to explore the multi-faceted mechanics of perception. Enjoy a glass of wine and a chat with our scientists as Dr Dave Carmel (PPLS) and Prof Roger Newport discuss the workings of the human mind and how crafty mathematics can be used to exploit the glitches in our mammalian brains. Learn how an Ames Room works, navigate the vortex tunnel and discover how we are programmed to find human faces in the mirror maze. Tuesday 14 April 2015, 8.30pm Tuesday 14 April 2015, 10.30pm Camera Obscura and World of Illusions Book tickets for The World of Illusions on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
HTML Me and Granny are Learning Spanish: is it ever too late to learn a second language? What happens when we learn a language and does speaking two affect how our brains develop and age? Is it too late for those of us who only speak English? Prof. Antonella Sorace and Dr Thomas Bak (PPLS) will take you on the journey of a language learner’s brain, from infancy to old age, sharing what language-learning can do for us. They will be joined by zoologist and lifelong monolingual Prof. Aubrey Manning and Louise Glen from Education Scotland to discuss language policy and the public health and social side-effects of a national shortage of language skills. Wednesday 15 April 2015, 8.00pm Wednesday 15 April 2015, 9.30pm Main Hall, Summerhall Book tickets for Me and Granny are Learning Spanish on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
HTML Brain, Mind, and Consciousness... But What About the Soul? Science has been remarkably effective at describing the natural world, including human beings, so how do we think about the ‘soul’? A panel from The University of Edinburgh will discuss perspectives on the existence (or non-existence!) of an immaterial soul, one of the toughest questions in scientific and religious discussion, engaging in open and honest conversation with the audience. The panel features Dr Michael Fuller, Teaching Fellow in the School of Divinity, Dr Mark Harris, Lecturer in Science and Religion, Sarah Lane, PhD candidate in Science and Religion and Dr David Ward, Lecturer in philosophy of the mind and cognitive science. Thursday 16 April 2015, 8.00pm Thursday 16 April 2015, 9.30pm Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall Book tickets for Brain, Mind, and Consciousness on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
HTML LateLab: Beauty by Design At the final LateLab of the 2015 Edinburgh International Science Festival, Sian Hoffman will unlace the engineering and allure of body-modifying corsetry, Jill Burke (History of Art - ECA) will peel away the chemistry and brutality of Renaissance beauty regimes (with free Renaissance facials & makeovers) and Charlie Porter of the Financial Times will focus on changing the fashion industry's mindset of gender and diversity issues. Hosted by Tricia Allerston, Deputy Director at the Scottish National Gallery and Mark Daniels, Director of New Media Scotland. Friday 17 April 2015, 8.00pm Friday 17 April 2015, 9.30pm Scottish National Portrait Gallery Book tickets for LateLab: Beauty by Design on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
HTML Should You Trust What You Hear about Science? An Enlightenment Debate: Hume vs Reid One of the famous scholarly disagreements of the Scottish Enlightenment was between Thomas Reid and David Hume on the trustworthiness of what others tell us. Reid argued that trust is an essential part of the human condition, while Hume remained sceptical of the testimony of other people. Should we trust what we’re told about science? Dr Alistair Isaac and Dr Alasdair Richmond (Philosophy, PPLS), will playfully enact an Enlightenment debate between Reid and Hume, introduced and moderated by Dr Matthew Chrisman. Friday 17 April 2015, 5.30pm Friday 17 April 2015, 7.00pm Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Summerhall Book tickets for Should You Trust What You Hear about Science? on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
HTML The Great Ape Debate People are apes, but are apes people too? In 2014 a US court case argued that a privately held chimpanzee named Tommy should be granted legal personhood, the latest event in a long-standing debate over the rights of apes, all of which are threatened species. The call for greater rights for higher primates has been championed by voices ranging from Richard Dawkins to Ricky Gervais to Twiggy, but what do the experts have to say about the mental and emotional lives of apes? Join Dr Lewis Dean, Dr Catherine Hobaiter and Dr Ben Sachs from the University of St Andrews; Dr Clare Cunningham from Abertay University and Dr Suilin Lavelle (PPLS) for a controversial discussion of primate cognition and behaviour, human and animal rights, the philosophy of science and what we owe our closest evolutionary cousins. Friday 17 April 2015, 8.00pm Friday 17 April 2015, 9.30pm Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Summerhall Book tickets for the Great Ape Debate on the site of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
HTML Embodied – An exhibition by Art Space Nature **FREE** A unique exhibition of art works responding to carbon in its many forms by students of the Edinburgh College Art Space Nature. As part of the annual collaboration between the Edinburgh College of Art and the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, students of the Art Space Nature programme show a series of provocative works that explore visual and interactive stimuli in the context of ECCI’s multi-faceted approach to creating a low carbon future. Student practitioners are mixed-discipline (architecture, design, sculpture, fine art, landscape architecture), work individually and in groups. Free exhibition. No ticket required. Friday 10 April 2015, 4.27pm Friday 10 April 2015, 4.27pm Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation Find out more about the exhibition venue Find out more about Embodied on the site of the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation
