Heriot-Watt to open doors for Exploration Weekend

Heriot Watt University is opening its doors this weekend with a series of family friendly, hands on lab visits, cultural events, exhibitions and lectures.

The Exploration Weekend, which begins on Friday night with the Annual Stakeholder Meeting, then between 10am-4pm on Saturday staff will welcome families, fellow Heriot-Watt colleagues, alumni and members of the public for a wide range of free events, demonstrations and lectures offering a unique opportunity to learn about the institution’s world class, global research.

Visitors can find out what it feel like to stand on a wind turbine in the middle of the North Sea, operate the controls of an underwater robot or journey to the sea bed using 3D visualisation?

This May, all this and more is on offer to the public as Heriot-Watt University opens its doors for an exciting weekend of sea themed events at the Edinburgh Campus.

As part of Heriot-Watt’s ‘The Year of the Sea’ celebrations, visitors will explore how the sea can provide energy, what changes in sea temperature, acidity and composition does to sea creatures, both at depth and on the shore, and how we can all play a greater part in reducing the amount of microplastics in the environment.

Families can get hands on and win prizes during the science ‘Exploration Trail’ with interactive robotics demonstrations and microscopes mysteries to solve.

Oriam, Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre, will be hosting an Open Day on Saturday 19^th May from 10am-4pm with a variety of fun filled activities for young families. Youngsters can get involved in a range of sports, from inflatables in one of the Centre’s impressive sports halls through to team football activities on the facility’s synthetic pitch, used for training by Scotland’s national football and rugby teams. There will also be the Year of the Sea themed face-painting in an outdoor marquee, so families can enjoy the spring weather.

For those interested in delving deeper in to the work of the University, a ‘Spotlight On Science’ series will allow visitors to hear short presentations from leading scientists, followed by Q&A sessions in small groups.

Professor Sir Geoff Palmer OBE will hold a special lecture on the University’s relationship with the Gibson-Craig family and Scotland’s role in the abolition of slavery, with Heriot-Watt’s Museum and Archive opening its doors to display a new ‘Edinburgh and Emancipation’ exhibition.

Visitors can also learn more about postgraduate business education at the world leading Edinburgh Business School (EBS), and the exciting plans for Panmure House, the last home of the Father of Economics, Adam Smith, which EBS will be opening later this year in the Canongate.

Commenting on the Exploration Weekend, Professor Richard A. Williams, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, said, “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Campus to enjoy what is set to be an exciting and informative two days, as well as an opportunity to showcase our academics’ innovative research.

“Throughout 2018, we are celebrating the Year of the Sea across our five campuses. Our biologists, ecologists, engineers, chemists, roboticists and mathematicians are collaborating on a series of research projects as we explore the many facets of our seas and the life, energy and opportunities they present. As we open the doors to our Edinburgh campus, we look forward to sharing some of our findings as well as inspiring the next generation of budding scientists to pursue a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).”

For further information about the Exploration Weekend please visit www.hw.ac.uk/exploration-weekend