Edinburgh Award – Cricket Pro Series – Science and Independence – Photography Competition – Edinburgh Fun Run
Dame Elizabeth Blackadder is to receive the Edinburgh Award later today at the City Chambers. The Edinburgh artist has now had a mould of her handprints set in a flagstone in the quadrangle at the City Chambers, along with those of all others who have received this prestigious award.
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Cricket Scotland has just announced the launch of the new Pro Series competition for 2013. The enhanced structure replaces the existing Cricket Scotland Regional Series and will provide a stronger and more sustainable platform for the establishment of domestic professional cricket in Scotland.
The two new “Pro Teams” will feature Scotland’s very best players, including all fourteen Scottish based players who are centrally contracted by Cricket Scotland. Details of support staff and playing squads will be announced in the near future.
Over the course of the season the teams will play a series of matches against each other in all three formats, with the complete schedule shown below. The schedule includes a minimum of two three-day matches, five one-day games and three T20’s. This represents a significant enhancement on the previous regional series. More details on the first match at Myreside on 28 April 2013 and how to get tickets here.
Will independence affect Scottish science and innovation?
Science and industry leaders to debate at the Edinburgh International Science Festival
Scotland’s scientific research is highly regarded, but we struggle to translate this knowledge-base into a profitable, high-tech, industrial economy. So could Scottish science and innovation benefit from independence, or even so-called ‘devo-max’?
A debate on Scottish science, innovation and independence will take place on Monday 1 April as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival and is organised in association with The ESRC Innogen Centre. Scottish Science and Innovation brings together leading voices from science and industry to put forward and justify both sides of the independence debate and explore the futures they envisage for Scotland. Speakers include Prof Hugh Pennington (Chair of Bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen), Iain Gray MSP representing a ‘Better Together’ standpoint, Colin Macilwain (Editor of the science policy newsletter Research Europe) and Allan MacAskill (Director of Scottish Renewables) representing a pro-independence standpoint. The debate will be hosted by BBC Scotland Science Correspondent Ken Macdonald.
With the date now set for the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, debate on its implications for Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom is now in full swing. Opinions are sharply divided on how Scotland’s scientific research, technological innovation and future economic success would be affected by a yes or no vote next September.
Would our innate creativity be unleashed, enabling us to reach new heights of innovation-based prosperity, or would we struggle to maintain our present position? These very important questions do not currently feature highly in public debate on independence, although they are beginning to be hotly contested among academics, industry and government bodies in Scotland and Westminster.
Speaking in advance of the Scottish Science and Innovation debate, Innogen’s Scientific Advisor, Prof Joyce Tait said: “Science and innovation will be the foundation on which the prosperity of a future Scotland will depend. And yet they have a low profile in the public debate about independence. In hosting this event we intend to make people think more deeply about these issues in the run-up to the referendum.”
Prof David Wield, Director of the ESRC Innogen Centre, further commented: ”The Scottish science base is currently very strong, but industrial research and development is less so, with relatively weak performance in science-led industry. Could independence change that, for good or ill? I’m very much looking forward to the views and insights Monday’s debate will provide on these issue that are crucial to Scotland’s future.”
Scottish Science and Innovation will take place at 8.30pm on Monday 1 April 2013, at Teviot Row. Tickets are £8/£6 and available from www.sciencefestival.co.uk or through the Box Office on 0844 557 2686.
This year the Edinburgh International Science Festival celebrates 25 years of introducing audiences of all ages to innovative and entertaining science and is marking the occasion with a diverse programme of events over the next 10 days until Sunday 7 April. The 2013 Science Festival looks forward to the next 25 years and invites visitors to explore the future of our lives, our cities, our food, our play, our medicine, our challenges and our world. Full details of the 2013 programme can be found at www.sciencefestival.co.uk.
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Edinburgh Outdoors are running a photography competition this month. You can find out details about how to enter here but you need to take a photo in one of the many parks that the council manage and send it in to them. You can do this on Twitter by using the hashtag #edinparks, but the website also gives you other ways to enter. You might remember that Edinburgh Outdoors is also an app and we interviewed Sally Kerr at the council to find out about how to use it.
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The Edinburgh Fun Run is not until 28 July 2013 so you have plenty of time to get fit before then, but if you enter now then you could get 2 for 1! More details here.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
