ISSUE 12 • AUTUMN 2005T H E R O Y A L S O C I E T Y O F E D I N B U R G H

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RESOURCET H E N E W S L E T T E R O F S C O T L A N D ’ S N AT I O N A L A C A D E M Y

EU Research Commissioner atRSE

Energy Enquiry in the NewsScience Meets Religion

Partnership of RSE & Parliament toAttract, Retain & Recognise Scotland’sResearch Talent

Leading scientists and other key decision-makers met in The Scottish Parliament onSeptember 2 to discuss how Scotland canbest attract, retain & recognise Scotland’sresearch talent. The Presiding Officer ofThe Scottish Parliament , The Rt HonGeorge Reid, MSP, opened the eventwhich was held in the Parliament’sChamber and organised in partnershipwith the Society and Scotland’s FuturesForum. Scotland’s Futures Forum hasbeen set up by the Scottish Parliamentwith the aim of developing its capacity tothink about the future.

The discussion preceded the Society’spresentation of 42 Research & EnterpriseAwards and Prizes which wereannounced by RSE Research AwardsConvener, Professor David Saxon, OBE,FRSE. With the support of key public andprivate funding partners, these awardsare worth over £1.7million and enablesome of the brightest academics andpotential entrepreneurs from home andabroad to undertake world-class researchhere in Scotland.

Photo. L-R Professor John Coggins with The Rt Hon George Reid.

Copyright: The Scottish Parliamentary Body

Photo by Gary Doak Photo by Gary DoakPhotos © Microsoft

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The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE)is Scotland’s National Academy ofScience & Letters. It is an independentbody with charitable status. TheSociety organises conferences andlectures for the specialist and for thegeneral public. It provides a forum forinformed debate on issues of nationaland international importance. Itsmultidisciplinary fellowship of menand women of international standingprovides independent, expert adviceto key decision-making bodies,including Government andParliament.

The Society’s Research Awardsprogramme annually awards well over£1.7 million to exceptionally talentedyoung academics and potentialentrepreneurs to promote commercialexploitation of inventiveness andboost wealth-generation.

Among its many public benefitactivities, the RSE is active inclassrooms from the Borders to theNorthern Isles, with a successfulprogramme of lectures and hands-onworkshops for primary and secondaryschool pupils.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh,working as part of the UK and withina global context, is committed to thefuture of Scotland’s social, economicand cultural well-being.

Cormack Vacation ResearchScholarship 2005

Mr Edward Bloomer. The Search forBurst Gravitational Waves from PulsarGlitches. Department of Physics andAstronomy, University of Glasgow

Miss Amy Cowan. Ultrafast Rotators asa Signpost for Kinematic Associationsin the Solar Neighbourhood. School ofPhysics and Astronomy, University of StAndrews

Mr Charles Gentry. Alfven wavepropagation near coronal magnetic nullpoints. Division of AppliedMathematics, University of St. Andrews

Ms Katharine G. Johnston. A search forstarlight reflected from tau Bootis b.School of Physics and Astronomy,University of St Andrews

Miss Rachel Natalie McInnes. MagneticPumping in Oscillating Solar FlareLoops. Department of Physics andAstronomy, University of Glasgow

Cormack Undergraduate Prize 2004

Mr Thomas Barber. The Age ofGalaxies. Institute of Astronomy, RoyalObservatory, University of Edinburgh

Cormack Postgraduate Prize 2004

Dr Rejean Dupuis. Setting upper limitson the strength of periodicgravitational waves from PSRJ1939+2134 using the first sciencedata from the GEO 600 and LIGOdetectors. Department of Physics andAstronomy, University of Glasgow

Miss Christina Helen Walker. TheStructure of Brown Dwarf CircumstellarDisks. School of Physics andAstronomy, University of St Andrews

Lessells Travel Scholarship

Mr Sachi Arafat. Creating NovelParadigms for Information Retrieval toRid It of Its Ad Hoc Nature. School ofInformation & Management Sciences,University of California at Berkeley

Mr Allan John Jardine. Combinedresearch of cooperative diversityprotocols with ETH, Zürich. Institut fürKommunikationstechnik, Swiss FederalInstitute of Technology

Mr Ravindran Manoharan. Novelnonlinear dynamics method for NDT ofground anchorages. Research andDevelopment Institution: MPInterconsulting

Mr Rafael Martin. Gas productionunder aged-waste and fieldconfirmation of radios of influence ofgas wells. School of the BuiltEnvironment, Napier University

Dr Dimitri Mignard. Organo-metallicPolymer Electrocatalysts for theChemical Synthesis of Alcohols andHydrocarbons from CO2. Instituto diChimica dei Composti OrganoMetallici(ICCOM), University of Florence

Ms Alexandra Price. Application ofNeural Control Techniques to WaveEnergy Conversion. Laboratoire deMécanique des Fluides, Ecole Centralede Nantes

Scotland’s Research Talent

AWARDEESThe following awards were made at theParliament reception on 2 September:

RSE Vice-President, Professor John Coggins, commented:

Our objective in holding this gathering alongside our Research Awards presentation isto seek ways of attracting top researchers to Scotland. We should also rise to thechallenge of attracting top quality business ventures and enterprising people. This iswhat the Enterprise Fellowships are very much about. Scotland has made greatcontributions over the centuries, but we must continue to do this and I think we haveparticular opportunities in the medical sciences, the physical sciences, in engineeringand we need to link all of these together.

Keynote speeches were delivered by: Dr Gary Crawley, the Science Foundation ofIreland; Mr Hugh Ilyine, Stem Cell Sciences Ltd; and Professor Peter Grant FREng, FRSE,FIEE, FIEEE, Member of The Scottish Science Advisory Committee (SSAC). Break-outworkshops then discussed specific questions.

Closing proceedings in the Chamber, Mr Reid said

I very much hope that we will have more events like this in conjunction with ourFutures Forum where the Community engages with the politicians, and I can assurethat everything that has been said tonight, when your report is done, will go out toour Committees, to our Members and to our Minister.

A full report of the event’s findings will be available shortly from the Society in hardcopy and on its website. To register for a free copy of the report, please contact StuartBrown at the RSE: sbrown@royalsoced.org.uk. Tel: 0131 240 5000

Ms Katharine G. Johnston. “A search forstarlight reflected from tau Bootis b.

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BP Personal Research Fellowship

Dr Sarah Louise Hinchley.Determination of structures of unusual,unstable and reactive species. Schoolof Chemistry, University of Edinburgh

CRF/RSE Personal ResearchFellowships in the BiomedicalSciences

Dr Tobias Bast. Hippocampal substratesrelevant to episodic memory:differentiation and integration offunctions along the septo-temporal axisof the hippocampus. Division ofNeuroscience, University of Edinburgh

Dr Carole Torsney. 5-HT2c receptorregulation of AMPA receptor functionas a basis for increased excitability ofspinal cord dorsal horn neuronesduring neuropathic pain. Moving fromColumbia University, New York toCentre for Neuroscience, University ofEdinburgh

Scottish Executive Personal ResearchFellowship

Dr Rosalind Allen. Rare events in non-equilibrium systems. School of Physics,University of Edinburgh

Dr Alan Kemp. Advanced Disk Lasers: ANew Horizon in Solid-State andSemiconductor Laser Design. Instituteof Photonics, University of Strathclyde

Dr Keith Mathieson. A RetinalProsthesis for the Blind. Department ofPhysics and Astronomy, University ofGlasgow

Scottish Executive Support ResearchFellowship

Dr Dominic Campopiano. Defensins –structure and function of man’s naturalantibiotics. School of Chemistry,University of Edinburgh

Dr Alison N. Hulme. Chemical BiologyApproaches to Tagging and Imaging inBiological Systems. School ofChemistry, University of Edinburgh

Dr Graham Kirby. Self-ManagedReliable Location-IndependentDistributed Storage. School ofComputer Science, University of St.Andrews

Royal Society of Edinburgh/ScottishEnterprise Enterprise Fellowship

Electronics

Mr Mir Faheem. Digital WirelessElectromagnetic Interference (EMI)Measurement System. Department ofElectronic & Electrical Engineering,University of Strathclyde

Dr Ayse Goker. AmbieSense: aninfrastructure to provide personalised,context-sensitive information to mobileusers. School of Computing, RobertGordon University

Dr Sonia Schulenburg. EvolvingArtificial Traders for Successful MarketTrading. Centre for EnterpriseManagement, University of Dundee

Dr Andrew Sherlock. PartBrowser.School of Engineering and Electronics,University of Edinburgh

Energy

Mr Tong Teh. Electrochemical SensorTechnology. School of Engineering andPhysical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University

Life Sciences

Dr Richard McHugh Cannon. ImprovedMethod of Male Fertility Testing.Department of Aerospace Engineering,University of Glasgow

Dr John B. March. Bacterial viruses forantiserum production services andvaccine delivery. Department ofBacteriology, Moredun ResearchInstitute

Dr Margot McBride. A ComputerisedMethod of Positioning and SimulatingPatient Positioning for DiagnosticRadiography. School of Health & SocialCare, Glasgow Caledonian University

Dr Congo Tak Shing Ching.Development of a portable/wearablemonitoring system for non-invasivemonitoring of blood glucose levels fordiabetic patients. Bioengineering Unit,University of Strathclyde

Microelectronics

Mr Kenny Hough. Commercialisationof Image Techniques Applied to CCTVFootage. Department of Electronic andElectrical Engineering, University ofStrathclyde

Optoelectronics

Dr Gordon McAllister. Commercial PoseEstimation and Tracking Software.Division of Applied Computing,University of Dundee

Royal Society of Edinburgh/BBSRCEnterprise Fellowship

Mr Riccardo Matjaz Bennett-Lovsey.Development of a company for logic-based drug discovery. Faculty of LifeSciences, Imperial College, London

Dr Mark Eccleston. ResponsiveBiopolymers for innovative diagnosticand therapeutic delivery. Departmentof Chemical Engineering, University ofCambridge

Mr Ian Shadforth. GAPP: Transformingproteomic data into commercialknowledge. Department of AnalyticalScience and Informatics, CranfieldUniversity

Dr Martin Wickham. The IFR Model ofHuman Digestion. The Model GutExploitation Platform, Institute of FoodResearch

Research Prize-Winners 2005

Makdougall Brisbane Prize

Dr James Wright. University ofEdinburgh

W S Bruce Medal

Dr Michael Bentley. University ofDurham

Neill Medal

Professor Mike Hansell. University ofGlasgow

Bruce Preller Prize Lectureship

Professor Jason Reese. University ofStrathclyde

Mr Riccardo Bennett-Lovsey. The applicationof logic-based drug design. Illustration: Dr

Suhail Islam

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Knowledge for GrowthPRIME MINISTER BLAIR PLEDGES SUPPORT TO ACHIEVE ADEQUATE EUROPEAN RESEARCH FUNDING

On May 31, at the instigation of theRSE’s International Committee, the newEuropean Commissioner for Scienceand Research, Janez Potocnik (above)visited the Society. Discussionsincluded the 7th FrameworkProgramme (FP7) which runs from 2007to 2013 and for which budgetarynegotiations are ongoing.

Immediately following the visit, LordSutherland and President-elect SirMichael Atiyah wrote to Prime MinisterTony Blair to express their seriousconcern about the cut to the researchbudget proposed by the Council ofMinisters. The Prime Minister replied inencouraging terms, noting “I couldn’tagree more on the importance ofResearch and Development for buildingthe knowledge economy which Europe

Colin Imrie, Director of Eusolution.com Ltd, an Edinburgh based consultancy firm specialising in connecting Scotland to Europe andthe wider world, was amongst the delegates at the Society and gives his impression of the meeting with Dr Potocnik:

During the morning session, which waschaired by the RSE’s InternationalConvener, Professor Rona MacKie CBE,FRSE, the following presentations weremade to the Commissioner, each ofwhich was followed by discussion:

Science Matters: making the rightconnections for Scotland by ProfessorWilson Sibbett CBE, FRS, FRSE,Chairman of the Scottish ScienceAdvisory Committee and BishopWardlaw Professor of Physics andDirector of Research, University of StAndrews.

Strengths and weaknesses of EUfunding for Life Sciences in theUniversity of Dundee by Professor PeterDownes OBE, FRSE, Department ofBiochemistry, University of Dundee.

Innovation through the looking glassby Dr Ian Underwood FRSE, OperationsDirector, MicroEmissive Displays Ltd;and winner in 2004 of The GannochyTrust Innovation Award of the RoyalSociety of Edinburgh (Scotland’shighest accolade for individualachievement in innovation).

After his visit to the RSE, CommissionerPotoènik met leading Scottishpoliticians, including then Deputy FirstMinister and Minister for Enterprise JimWallace MSP. The Commissioner alsovisited the Scottish Parliament where hemet the Presiding Officer George ReidMSP and had informal discussions withmembers of the European and ExternalRelations and Enterprise and Culturecommittees.

The European Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Janez Potoènik fromSlovenia, called on European Governments to turn words into hard commitments tosupport the commercialisation of research when discussing the future financing of theEuropean Union over the next few weeks. During a visit to Scotland on 30-31 May atthe invitation of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, he said that the proposal of theLuxembourg Presidency to reduce the Commission’s proposed budget package forresearch and innovation by 29%, while only making cuts in the common agriculturalpolicy of less than 5%, did not reflect the stated commitment of European Ministersto place priority on developing the knowledge economy to allow Europe to face up tothe competition it was facing from other parts of the world, notably Asia (the“Lisbon”agenda”). At a time when people were questioning the purpose of Europe itwas important to demonstrate consistency between words and deeds, he said.

needs if it is to compete with the USA,China and India”. Mr Blair went on topledge “As EU Presidency, we will workhard over the next five and a halfmonths to move towards agreement ona budget for the next FrameworkProgramme”.

The Society was delighted that, in whatwas Commissioner Potocnik’s firstofficial visit to Scotland, he spent theday at Society meeting leading figuresin the science, business, and universitycommunities and discussing the mainissues of high level research inScotland. Potocnik made apresentation on: Creation ofKnowledge Economy and Society inScotland and Europe which wasfollowed by a discussion chaired by SirDavid Edward, KCMG, QC, FRSE,Chairman of the RSE’s European Forum.

Commissioner Potocnik made this pleawhen addressing a seminar organisedby the Royal Society of Edinburgh onthe proposed new seventh frameworkprogramme. At this seminar Scottishscientists and entrepreneurs drewattention to the way in which theScottish science base has reorganizeditself in recent years. Partnerships havebeen formed between institutions todevelop critical mass in research effortand to develop synergies between

Commissioner Potocnik. Photo: Gary Doak.

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different disciplines. Internationalnetworks were being formed betweenScottish scientists and those in Europeand America. Resources were beingfocused on centres of excellence whereScotland could compete - and lead theway - at the world level. Centres such asthe Dundee University School of LifeSciences are now world leaders andmake a significant contribution to thelocal economy throughcommercialisation and spin-offactivities - current estimates are that lifesciences now constitute some 16% ofthe economy of Tayside. TheIntermediate Technology Institutes hadbeen set up by Scottish Enterprise topromote market-basedcommercialisation of research. Andthere have been some real successes incommercial spin-off. Dr IanUnderwood, Director of StrategicMarketing of Micro emissive Displays ofEdinburgh, told the audience how hiscompany had developed from universityresearch into groundbreakingtechnology for display units for videoand still digital cameras and nightsights which was now being marketedin the US and to Asian manufacturers.

Commissioner Potocnik told theseminar of the Commission’s plans forthe seventh framework programme andits wish to use the programme todevelop a EU-wide research area whichwould focus on adding value tonational and regional efforts and allowEurope to compete as a knowledgeeconomy in the 21st century. EUfunding accounted for some 5% ofpublic funding for research andinnovation in the EU as a whole. Keyinnovations for the new programmewould include the setting up of aEuropean Research Council

THE SCOTTISH INDUSTRIAL R&D BASEThe Scottish Science Advisory Committee is holding a workshop at the RSE on 28th November 2005 to explore and consider thestrengths of the industrial R&D base in Scotland, (i.e. located outwith universities and research institutes), and to makerecommendations on how R&D in industry might be best supported by the science base.

The specific aims of the workshop are:§ To examine how we can improve university-industry interactions in Scotland;§ To examine how government (Scottish, UK and EU) R&D support can be best focused to benefit the industrial base in Scotland;

and§ To examine how the science base can assist Scottish industry to grow its overall value and enhance economic development in

Scotland.

For further information please contact Dr Avril Davidson. adavidson@scottishscience.org.uk

autonomous from the Commission tooversee quality and excellencethroughout the European researcharea; a doubling of the fundingavailable for promoting contacts byyoung scientists through the MarieCurie programme; and a similardoubling of funding for promotinglinks between research and industryand to allow SMEs to participate inresearch programmes.

Scottish speakers welcomed thesemoves, but drew attention to a numberof barriers which mitigated againstmaximising effective use of EU researchfunding by the most progressiveinstitutions. Professor Peter Downesfrom Dundee Life Sciences noted thatEuropean funding only constituted 3%of his faculty’s research funding andthat it was difficult for institutions tobreak into established networks ofexisting applicants. The process couldbe slow and bureaucratic, networkstended to be too large and notconducive to the sharing of groundbreaking discoveries and theprogramme did little to engage withyoung researchers. A further barrier wasthat UK institutions were movingtowards full cost recovery for researchwork but the EU system did notrecongise this approach. IanUnderwood, who led a EU-wide projecton micro display, was concerned thatSMEs could only get into the fundingstream on the coat tails of larger playersand that little if any attention was paidto SME views in the decision makingprocess.

The Commissioner responded to theseviews by stressing his commitment tosimplification of the application anddecision-making processes andfinancial systems for the new

framework programme. He hadestablished a committee of 17 smalland medium level participants to advisehim on what was required to simplifythe systems and that committee wasmaking substantial progress. It wouldalso be important to break downbarriers to the participation of smalland new applicants and youngresearchers and to focus on quality. Likeall EU programmes (and nationalprogrammes for that matter he noted)we could not expect radical changesovernight, but progress was very muchin the right direction. “I am mostimpressed by what is being done inScotland on the ground. We need tolearn to trust scientists more to choosetheir priorities and to facilitate action todevelop knowledge” he said.

The Commissioner added that theresearch and innovation programme,although important, was only oneelement of the Commission’s overallapproach to promote thecommercialisation of research. He knewthat a key target is Scotland was toincrease its share of private sectorinvestment in research anddevelopment for the current low levelof 0.6% of GDP to a level more in linewith the UK average of 1.6% andtowards the EU-wide target of 3%. Itwas therefore important to promotemeasures to increase the availability ofrisk capital and allow public sectorpartnerships to develop to lever in moreprivate research money. With this inmind Nelly Kroes, his fellowCommissioner for Competition, wouldbe launching very shortly a reformprogramme for state aids which wouldseek to establish a more permissiveenvironment across the EU for public-private research partnerships.

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InternationalACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE CZECH REPUBLICDuring a visit to Edinburgh, which coincided with the visit of the EuropeanCommissioner for Research, Professor Rona MacKie met with Professor Jan Palouš,Head of the International Council for International Affairs, Academy of Sciences of theCzech Republic and Mr Andrzej Magala (International Department Programme Officerresponsible for UK). During the visit a bilateral Agreement was signed to allow forjoint activities and an exchange programme.

Applications to this exchange programme are now open and should be submitted bythe closing date for applications, 21 November 2005 – please see the website forfurther details and an application pack: www.royalsoced.org.uk. As in the otherbilateral programmes, the RSE will pay international travel costs and UK travel (publictransport or equivalent) and the Czech Academy will pay the subsistence of researchersvisiting the Czech Republic. The costs are reversed for Czech researchers being hostedin Scotland. Visits can be up to 4 weeks’ duration and applicants should have post-doctoral status and be based at a Scottish research institution.

SCIENCE SCOTLANDCreated by the Society, in partnershipwith the Scottish Executive, BritishCouncil Scotland and ScottishDevelopment International, thispublication features the best of scienceand technology in Scotland with theobjective being to raise awarenessamongst an international audience,using global networks of partnerorganisations.

Issue 4 was published in spring 2005on the theme of understanding thegenome. Issue 5 is currently inproduction and will feature energy.

Between issues the website is updatedwith new research stories as theyappear.

If your research group has a project ofinternational standing to report, pleasesend a brief summary to Stuart Brown,using the following email address:sciencescotland@royalsoced.org.uk .

To receive copy of Science Scotland,register on the dedicated websitewww.sciencescotland.org indicating theappropriate format for receipt.Alternatively contact Stuart Brown atthe RSE, (sbrown@royalsoced.org.uk).

EVENTS10-12 October. Hi-Tech Forum with the National Science Council of Taiwan.

The Forum will comprise a Life Sciences Meeting, in partnership with the University ofEdinburgh, on 10 and 11 October at Chancellor’s Building, 49 Little France Crescent,Edinburgh EH16 4SB, and on 12 October, a Micronanotechnology workshop at theRSE.

These events are being organised to foster further collaborations between researchgroups in Taiwan and Scotland. For further information and registration, pleasecontact Frances Fowler, International Relations Manager.

18 November. New Approaches to Drug Delivery, with the Academy of Sciences ofthe Czech Republic at the University of Strathclyde.

This event is being organised to encourage collaborations between research groups inthe Czech Republic and Scotland and to launch the exchange programme. For furtherinformation and registration, please contact Frances Fowler(international@royalsoced.org.uk)

RELATIONS WITH NATIONALACADEMIESThe RSE is currently in negotiation withseveral Academies about the possibilityof signing memoranda ofunderstanding. If any Fellows havelinks with Academies overseas, theinternational team would be keen tohear from you. In particular, please letus know of any relations with Norway,China (National Natural ScienceFoundation), Hungary, Slovenia,Slovakia, Cuba and India. The RSE isalso keen to engage with the researchcommunity in Africa. If you have anylinks or ideas on how the RSE can useits limited resources effectively in thesecountries, please contact: FrancesFowler,(international@royalsoced.org.uk)

Professor Rona MacKie with Professor Jan Palouš [Photo. Gary Doak]

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NEW INTERNATIONALRELATIONS MANAGERFrances Fowler joined the RSE on 1August 2005, replacing Michael White,who had been seconded part-time tothe RSE from the British Council for thelast 3 years. Michael will resume hisfull-time British Council career when hejoins the Manchester office as LifeSciences Adviser later this year. Wethank him for the time and effort hehas made in helping to promote theRoyal Society of Edinburgh in theinternational arena and wish him wellfor the future.

RSE CHINA FORUMThrough the RSE China Forum, severallinks with China have so far emergedwithin the Fellowship. The ChinaForum hopes to organise an event topromote the links between the Chineseand Scottish research communities,with particular emphasis on Chinesepost-graduate and post-doctoralresearchers based at Scottishinstitutions. Please let the internationalteam know of any relevant contacts :(international@royalsoced.org.uk).

RSE EUROPEAN POLICYFORUMLanguage Teaching and ResearcherMobility.

The RSE European Policy Forum wouldlike to explore the issues relating tolanguage teaching in Scottish schoolsand how these affect mobility ofScottish students/graduates withinEurope later in their lives. Planning forthis event is at an early stage, so if you,or one of your colleagues, haveparticular expertise in this area and youare willing to contribute to this eventplease contact Frances Fowler or JeanFinlayson.(international@royalsoced.org.uk)

INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMMEThe International Exchange Programme provides opportunities for researchers fromScotland to further collaboration with overseas colleagues on a short visit of up to 4weeks, and also for Scottish researchers to invite foreign colleagues to visit Scotland.Follow-up trips may be possible depending on the outcomes of the first visit made.Further details on eligibility and application forms can be found on the Society’swebsite: www.royalsoced.org.uk. Completed applications (including supportingdocumentation) must be submitted before the appropriate closing dates. (The finalclosing date in 2005, for applications under the bilateral agreements, will be 21November, thereafter, 31 January, 30 April, 31 July and 31 October annually.) Youshould allow at least 2 months after the closing date before travel. Please note thatthese International Exchange Programmes are open to all post-doctoralresearchers in Scotland and not restricted to RSE Fellows.

Successful applicants who have returned from or hosted visits under the ExchangeProgramme include:

Dr Wolfgang Bertola, University of Edinburgh, who visited institutions in Italy andsuccessfully carried out experiments on the effect of additives on waterjetmanufacturing technology. The visits allowed Dr Bertola to present his recent researchon complex fluids, carry out discussions with colleagues, and prepare proposals fornew collaborations, including an application for a joint research grant.

Professor Raj Bhopal CBE, University of Edinburgh, who worked with Dr MichaelMorrissey from the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia to establish the basis offuture research networks between Scotland and Australia in the area of Public Health,particularly pertaining to the causes, course and inter-relationships of the majorchronic diseases. The visit allowed planning for the first stage in this work, comparingethnic population groups in the two countries, to take place. The next stage will bethe development of funding applications to conduct broad-based internationalcomparative studies of chronic disease patterns in ethnic minority populations.

Dr Mark Newman, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, who hosted Dr BouakhaykhoneSvengsuksa, Dean of the Faculty of Science, National University of Lao PDR. This wasthe first visit to the UK by staff from that institution. The main purpose was to engagein direct research collaboration with colleagues at the RBGE and to explore potentialcollaborative links with other Scottish institutions. At RBGE significant progress wasmade on specific research outputs as part of a Darwin Initiative project TaxonomicTraining in a Neglected Biodiversity Hotspot in Lao PDR. During her visit, DrBouakhaykhone made contact with researchers at the Universities of St Andrews andAberdeen.Dr Carol Trager-Cowan, University of Strathclyde worked with Dr Aimo Winkelmannof the Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics, Halle, Germany, on theapplication of his many-beamed dynamical simulations to the simulation of electronbackscatter diffraction (EBSD) patterns acquired from GaN (Gallium nitride) in thescanning electron microscope.

Image supplied by Dr Trager-Cowan, cour tesy of Steve Hosey. An illustration of LED lighting -Glasgow weir illustrated with blue LEDs.

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events@royalsoced.org.ukTICKETS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL RSE EVENTS. To book tickets online, visit

www.royalsoced.org.uk or contact events@royalsoced.org.uk for further information.

OCTOBER 2005

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Monday 3 October at 5.30pm**LECTUREWho You Are or Where You Are? Social and Spatial Patterning of HealthProfessor Sally J Macintyre OBE PhD FMedSci FRSE, Director, MRC Social and PublicHealth Sciences Unit, University of GlasgowIn the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries public health activities were directedtowards damaging aspects of the physical environment (polluted air and water,unsanitary housing etc). From the mid twentieth century, with the increasing importanceof chronic diseases, more public health attention was given to individuals’ behavioursand lifestyles, and more recently to aspects of the social environment such as socialcapital. This lecture will discuss how individual and environmental factors, andinteractions between them, might influence patterns of population health.

Monday 31 October at 5.30pmCLIFFORD PATERSON LECTUREOptical Science in the Fast LaneProfessor Wilson Sibbett CBE FRS FRSE,Chair of the Scottish Science AdvisoryCommittee (SSAC) and Chief Adviser onScience to the Scottish Executive

Some lasers produce optical impulsesthat last just a few billionths of amicrosecond. They allow us to watchsimple molecules disintegrate intoconstituent atoms or take snapshots oflight travelling through biological tissue.Such lasers can also micro-machinematerials such as titanium for use asclinical implants, or reshape humantissue for corrective surgery, e.g. in theeye. Wilson Sibbett will introduce someof the concepts that have enabled thedevelopment of practical ultrafast lasers,together with a range of applicationsthat range from basic chemistry toweapons decommissioning.Supported by The Royal Society

Image courtesy of Run Deep Ltd

Wednesday 16 November - FullDayCONFERENCECreation of WealthFor the last ten years growth in theScottish economy has continued to fallbelow the rate for the UK as a whole.Manufactured exports are down and newbusiness start ups remain among thelowest of UK regions. What can be doneto remedy this situation and create avibrant and successful Scottish economyfor the future? Supported by Bank ofScotland

Monday 7 November at 5.30pmENVIRONMENTAL CHOICES LECTUREComposite Individuality : A Gaian ViewDr Lynn Margulis, University of MassachusettsAnimals, plants and other life forms visible to the unaided eye are composites; theyevolved as communities of bacteria that integrated to become individuals.Independence of any “individual” from the rest of the biosphere is equivalent to itsdeath. From the Gaian viewpoint, where the Earth’s reactive atmosphere and surfacesediments are regulated by the activities of over 30 million different life forms, theenvironment is the body. We are entirely dispensable to planet Earth. We are destined,even if we modify our behaviour, to the fate common to other “plague mammals”:extinction. Supported by Scottish Natural Heritage.

NOVEMBER 2005

Monday 17 October at 5.30pm. The Royal Museum, EdinburghWednesday 19 October at 6.15pm. The Bute Hall, University ofGlasgow.CALEDONIAN RESEARCH FOUNDATION PRIZE LECTUREOnce There was a Golden Age. How We Judge Television: Then and NowJoan Bakewell CBE

It is easily said nowadays that “televisionhas dumbed down.” The sentiment is oneof regret and nostalgia for a so-calledgolden age. But how golden was it? JoanBakewell’s career spanned those goldendecades, and she examines whattelevision was really like then, and whyand how our perceptions of television’svalue have shifted. Her message is one ofhope mixed with regret.

Register online for the Edinburgh Event.To register for the Glasgow Lecture (19October) contact Mrs Eileen Reynolds(e.reynolds@admin.gla.ac.uk), Universityof Glasgow. Tel : 0141 330 4994

Image courtesy of Knight Ayton Manage-

ment

9** These Lectures form part of RSE Ordinary Meetings and may be preceded by SocietyBusiness, such as new Fellows signing the Roll, etc.

Monday 6 February at 5.30pm**THE GANNOCHY TRUST INNOVATIONAWARD PRIZE LECTUREMr John Harrison, Development Director,Surfactant Technologies Ltd (STL)John will give an overview into thedevelopment of new materialstechnology in Scotland and its successfulglobal commercialisation. He will outlinethe innovation (MicroEmulsionsTechnology), its unique set ofcapabilities, and the benefits of its use inindustrial cleaning applications. Discoverhow the technology is setting newstandards in both oil and gas, and inksand printing sector applicationsworldwide, and how it could impact jobcreation and global export markets. Johnwill also cover how the Gannochy Awardis helping the certification andmanufacturing of these products inScotland and what this achievementcould mean for the Scottish economy.

Monday 23 January at 6.00pmDISCUSSION FORUMScience Meets ReligionProfessor Simon Conway Morris FRSProfessor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology,Cambridge University and ProfessorWentzel van Huysteen , James I McCordProfessor of Theology and Science,Princeton Theological Seminary, USACan either contemporary science ortheology wholly tell us about our place inthe universe or do we need a more multi-disciplinary approach to the subject ofhuman uniqueness? The recent discoveryof fossils in Indonesia suggesting thepast existence of another species ofhumans adds urgency and interest to thetopic. The RSE is delighted to bring twovery distinguished academics from theUK and USA, who will discuss this topicand invite public discussion on theirpoint of view.

Monday 19 December at 6.00pmEDINBURGH LECTUREInside Surgery from Without: Therapeutic Interventions from ImagesSir Alfred Cuschieri FRSE, Director, Institute of Medical Science and Technology,Universities of Dundee and St Andrews, Professor of Surgery, Scuola Superiore Di StudiUniversitari E Di Perfezionamento S. Anna, Pisa

World-leading pioneer of keyhole surgery,Sir Alfred Cuschieri, will describe a newapproach designed to reduce trauma andconsequently aid convalescence insurgical patients. He will consider theevolution of the technology that enabledeven major operations for cancer to becarried out non-invasively, and willhighlight the problems inherent to thenew minimal access surgery (MAS). SirAlfred will also examine computerenhanced MAS and discuss the prospectsfor minimal access therapy (MAT) - aholistic approach embracing surgery,radiology and flexible endoscopy.

Tickets are available from the Usher Hall with a £3.00 per ticket administrative fee. Tel:0131 228 1155. NB - Venue for lecture is RSE. Refreshments will be provided after thelecture. In association with the Edinburgh Lectures Partnership

DECEMBER 2005Thursday 1 December at6.00pmDISCUSSION FORUMEarth, Wind, Fire and Water:TsunamiThe Boxing Day Tsunami and HurricaneKatrina highlighted the increasingvulnerability of people across the World,to the impact of natural disasters. In theTsunami, more than 50 countries sufferedthe deaths of their nationals, some300,000 in total, with economic lossesmeasured in billions. But much of thescience and technology required tomitigate the impacts already exists. For theDeveloping World (most risk) the solutionlies in the integration of hard science withthe social sciences, relying on NGOexperience to ensure its take-up locally.The forum provides opportunities toexplore the integration process acrossdisaster scenarios.

JANUARY 2006

FEBRUARY 2006

The RSE organises a wide range of events each year including conferences, lecturesand discussion forums. The Society’s independence and the breadth of its Fellowshipcombine to enable us to provide these important neutral forums and engage in well-informed debates on topics concerning the well-being of Scotland and beyond.Whether it is science, the arts, business, law, health or fitness, we want to of fersomething for everyone.

Photographs courtesy of the EdinburghTsunami Taskforce and Shirine Bakhat,Mercy Corps

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Young People Free, fully-organised educational activities for youngpeople throughout Scotland

Summer School

Supported by City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, West Lothian and Midlothian Councils

This year the RSE repeated its successful partnership with Heriot-Watt University, togive S5 and S6 students from the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, West Lothian andMidlothian a taste of university life and the careers and courses open to them in thefuture.

During two week-long non-residential Summer Schools, students took part in Science,Engineering and Technology (SET) workshops introducing a variety of disciplinesincluding Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry and Economics. This wascomplemented by a series of activities designed to introduce and improve core skillsand provide information on university life, from note-taking and student finance tothe student union. Each week also included a social evening for all who took part,comprising a quiz and a ghostly tour of the South Bridge vaults in Edinburgh.

Students commented that the Summer School was “very useful to get an idea of thevarious scientific career paths”, “excellent, enjoyable and educational”, “a great wayto meet new people and find out about university life” and “a good opportunity fordevelopment which is also fun”.

Talk Science School Lectures

This autumn ‘Talk Science’ speakers will be visiting schools throughout Scotland totalk about a variety of topics, including:

13 October Chemistry, Colour and Magic by Dr Greig Chisholm. LochgellyHigh School, Fife.

15 & 16 October From Serpents to Synthesisers: the physics of musicalinstruments, by Professor Murray Campbell. Aberdeenshire, aspart of Techfest 2005.

27 October Throwing Light on the Human Genome, Professor WendyBickmore FRSE. Firrhill High School.

27 October Drugs from Bugs, Dr Andrew Mearns Spragg. DrummondCommunity High School, Edinburgh.

6 December Death, Drugs and Dynamite! by Professor Allan Jamieson.Brechin High School, Angus.

20 & 21 December Who Are You? by Professor Sue Black OBE FRSE and DNAProfiling: its use in famous cases by Dr Adrian Linacre. JamesWatt College, Kilwinning Campus, North Ayrshire andGreenock Campus, Inverclyde.

If you or your colleagues have a lively talk or workshop that would be of interest toschool children, or for further information, please contact the Education Team,education@royalsoced.org.uk.

RSE Roadshow

The RSE Roadshow will be visitingStranraer on 27-28 October for aphysics-themed event as part ofEinstein Year™. Primary and secondarystudents (and the general public) willget to learn more about physics, fromblack holes to low temperature physics,in a selection of talks and hands-onworkshops.

Professor Alan Heavens, of theUniversity of Edinburgh, will beintroducing secondary school studentsto astronomy in his talk The Big Bangand the Little Echo. Meanwhile, a teamled by Dr Mo Taghizadeh of Heriot-WattUniversity will be encouraging localprimary and secondary students to lookat physics in a variety of different lightsand get them working together in CoolPhysics workshops. In a workshopentitled Serpents and Synthesisers: thephysics of musical instruments,Professor Murray Campbell of theUniversity of Edinburgh will explore thephysics of music with local primarystudents.

Professor Campbell will also be runningan evening workshop Science MeetsMusic which will provide a livelyintroduction for the general public tothe science behind many familiarinstruments such as the violin, trumpetand guitar.

For more information please contactthe Education team,education@royalsoced.org.uk.

Supported by The Institute of Physics

EINSTEIN and other marks™ Hebrew

University of Jerusalem, Represented by TheRoger Richman Agency, Inc., www.alber t-

einstein.net.

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Startup Science Masterclasses

Saturday morning science masterclassesfor S1/S2 students. These imaginativeevents enable students to investigate avariety of topics through hands-on, funactivities. For further information,contact education@royalsoced.org.uk

University of Dundee

5 November Welcome to theRainforest and Plants forPeople. Dr NeilPatterson and Dr AlistairHood

19 November Having the Heart to Geta Grip. Dr Sandy Harper

3 December DNA Detectives. DrHilary-Kay Young

10 December Christmas Special.Professor Cheryll Tickle

University of Glasgow

5 November How to be a BridgeBuilder

12 November How to be a RocketScientist

19 November How to be an Astronaut

26 November How to be anAstrophysicist

Heriot-Watt University

29 October Toast in Motion. BobTuttle

5 November Chemical Cluedo. DrJohn Parker

12 November DNA Extraction UsingKitchen Chemistry. DrPeter Morris

19 November The Mystery ofMagnetism. Dr PeterBarker

University of St Andrews

22 October Bagpipes and Electrons.Dr Bruce Sinclair

29 October CSI St Andrews: DNAFingerprinting. Dr LornaSibbett

5 November Chemical Cluedo: AMurder Mystery. DrChris Baddeley

12 November It’s a Wonderful Life:Fossils and their Stories.Stuart Allison

University of Aberdeen

Programme to be confirmed.

Climate Change: the greatest problem facing Scotland and theworld?Supported by the Darwin Trust of Edinburgh and The University of St Andrews

This year’s annual Discussion Forum for young people was held at St AndrewsUniversity. This consensus-style conference gave S5 and S6 students from Fife andDundee the chance to engage in dialogue with climate change experts and developinformed opinions on this complex debate. Experts in the field introduced the issuesand sparked some thoughtful discussions on climate change, its impact uponScotland and the rest of the world, and possible solutions.

After an introduction from Professor Maggie Gill FRSE of the Macaulay Land UseResearch Institute, the students heard from Dr Simon Allen of the University ofEdinburgh, who discussed Climate Change – is it really happening and how will itaffect us? Ms Morag Watson of WWF Scotland then introduced the politics of climatechange in All Talk and No Action: the strange world of climate change politics, andfinally Dr David Reay of the University of Edinburgh highlighted the effect everyindividual has upon climate change in Climate Change Begins At Home .

The Forum was then split into workshops to debate the ethical, political and economicconsiderations which impact upon possible solutions to the problems of climatechange.

At the end of the day a straw poll was held to gather the students’ opinions:

· 100% agreed that climate change is a threat

· 85% felt air travel should be taxed or even limited to reduce its environmentalimpact

· 90% felt that developed countries should accept the biggest share of thereduction in global greenhouse emissions

· 25% felt that a government that introduced policies which made drastic changesto the lifestyles of the public would be voted out of office.

. 65% of students present felt that governments should go ahead with thesechanges anyway

· 100% said they would be willing to make changes to their lifestyle to reduceemissions and reduce the risk for others. However, despite being willing to makelifestyle changes themselves, the students felt that the general public would notwant to make those changes.

Proposals made by the students who took part will be compiled into a report, whichwill be published by the RSE and presented to key decision-makers.

Climate Change – The Young People of Scotland Decide.

This year we will be expanding our successful Discussion Forum event to enable youngpeople from throughout Scotland to contribute to the debate. A CD-Rom, includinginformation and recordings from the event, resources for students and teachers andquestions for debate in the classroom will be sent to schools throughout Scotland.Students will be invited to send a summary of their proposals to the RSE. The resultswill be compiled into a follow-up report which will be widely distributed.

For more information, or to register your interest in receiving the report, pleasecontact the Education team, education@royalsoced.org.uk.

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FRONTIERS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRENearly 2,000 years ago, Scotland stood on the very north-west frontier of the Romanempire. That frontier, the Antonine Wall, is one of only three surviving artificialboundaries to the Roman empire in Europe: the others are Hadrian’s Wall and theGerman limes. Hadrian’s Wall was ascribed as a World Heritage Site in 1987. In July2005 the German frontier was added to the list of World Heritage Sites. RecentlyScottish Ministers announced that they would be nominating the Antonine Wall as aWorld Heritage Site. The intention is to submit the nomination in January 2007: adecision is expected in July 2008.

In the meantime, the European Community, through the Culture 2000 programme,has awarded a grant of 810,000 euros to a consortium of six countries headed byHistoric Scotland to undertake work in relation to the Frontiers of the Roman Empirein Europe.

The project is worth a total of 1.35m euros and encompasses four main activities: thecreation of a web-site and the linking of national archaeological data bases on Romanfrontiers; the mounting of a series of exhibitions; the preparation of guide-lines onthe conservation, management and presentation of Roman military installations; and avariety of smaller projects under the general heading of documentation intended tobring together existing knowledge and undertake research to fill in at least some ofthe gaps.

The first fruit of this new collaboration is the publication of a booklet, Frontiers of theRoman Empire, available free of charge from Professor David Breeze.(david.breeze@scotland.gov.uk).

Written in German, French and Arabic as well as English, it emphases thecosmopolitan nature of our Roman inheritance as well as clearly setting down thechallenges for those involved in the project.

Article contributed by Professor David Breeze, FRSE

Fellows’ Notice BoardWORLD HERITAGE SITESThe concept of World Heritage Sites isat the core of the World HeritageConvention, adopted by UNESCO in1972, to which 178 nations belongand through which UNESCO seeks toencourage the identification, protectionand preservation of the cultural andnatural heritage around the worldconsidered to be of outstanding valueto humanity.

The Convention required theestablishment of the World HeritageList, under the management of an inter-governmental World HeritageCommittee as a means of recognisingthat some places, both natural andcultural, are of sufficient importance tobe the responsibility of theinternational community as a whole. Asa member of the Convention, StatesParties are pledged to care for theirWorld Heritage sites as part ofprotecting their national heritage.

Nominations for inscription on theWorld Heritage List are made by theappropriate States Parties and aresubject to rigorous evaluation by expertadvisers to the World HeritageCommittee, International Council onMonuments and Sites (ICOMOS) forcultural sites and/or the WorldConservation Union (IUCN) for naturalsites. Decisions on the selection of newWorld Heritage Sites are taken by theWorld Heritage Committee at its annualsummer meetings.

Inclusion in the World Heritage List isessentially honorific and leaves theexisting rights and obligations ofowners, occupiers and planningauthorities unaffected. A prerequisitefor World Heritage Site status is,nevertheless, the existence of effectivelegal protection and the establishmentor firm prospect of management plansagreed with site owners to ensure eachsite’s conservation and presentation.

“We have already lost a third of the 37-mile length of the wall to moderndevelopments and that means it is very much more important to save whatis left” Professor David Breeze, FRSE, Historic Scotland

The Antonine Wall at Rough Castle, Bonnybridge. Copyright Historic Scotland

13

The Scottish Railway pioneer, JohnMiller who was a Fellow of the RSE forforty two years has beencommemorated on the bicentenary ofhis birth, July 26 2005. RSE Fellow,Professor Roland Paxton was thedriving force behind a tributerecognising that Miller engineeredmost of Scotland’s early main lines,including the first cross-border one andthe Edinburgh to Glasgow line forwhich Haymarket was the capital’sterminus. A plaque presented by theInstitution of Civil Engineers wasunveiled by Sarah Boyack, MSP atHaymarket Station on the twohundredth anniversary of Miller’s birth.The following day The ScottishParliament congratulated ProfessorPaxton on “his efforts to secure therecognition Miller deserves as one ofthe outstanding British railwayengineers”

SCOTTISH RAILWAY PIONEER COMMEMORATED

Professor Paxton and Sarah Boyack unveil the plaque at Haymarket Station. Photo Chris

Dixon LBIPP

RSE Fellow, Dr Rob Milne died on Mt.Everest on 5th June of a sudden heartattack. Dr Milne was at 8450m en routeto the summit of Everest, which wouldhave been the seventh of the highestpeaks on each of the seven continentsthat he had climbed. While walkinginto base camp and climbing MountEverest, Dr Milne was conducting threeexperiments for other Fellows of theSociety:

I-Ex Technology. Dr Milne wasexperimenting with the I-Extechnologies developed by Prof. AustinTate’s team at the University ofEdinburgh. I-Ex uses the I-X/IM-PACstechnology which is being packaged forproductive use in a project supportedby the Scottish Enterprise Proof ofConcept Fund. He was attempting totest basic communications andreporting functionalities, with web-siteand blogging support provided atEdinburgh, and gain general experienceof the practicalities of using computersupport of this type in extremeenvironments.

Primula Specimen Collection. Whileon his way to Base Camp, Dr Milne washelping to collect material for aresearch project. Prof. David Rankin,from Edinburgh University, and PamEveleigh from Calgary in Canada, areplanning to record microscope andelectron microscope images of seeds of

as many species of Primula as possible.There are more than 400 altogether, sofinding specimens is quite a task.These beautiful plants are widelygrown, but all too often seeds thathave been incorrectly named arecirculated. As many species come fromthe Himalaya, Dr Milne was collectingsamples of seeds that have remainedon the plants over the winter andconfirming their identities byphotographing the flowering plants orcollecting dried specimens.

Metabolic Rate Measurement. ForProf. John Speakman of the Universityof Aberdeen, Dr Milne was trying anexperiment to measure metabolic ratesby drinking an isotope-laced liquid andseeing how quickly it flushed out of hisbody. Elements of these are describedon Dr Milne’s web log, ( http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/project/everest/blog/weblog.pl)

RSE FELLOW DIES ON EVEREST

Image Courtesy of University of Edinburgh

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Fellows’ Notice Board

BIRTHDAY HONOURS LISTOrder of the British EmpireCommander (CBE)Adrian BirdDavid FowlerKenneth Reid

Officer (OBE)David Saxon

APPOINTMENTS, AWARDS, CITATIONS

STAFF NEWSVicki Ingpen, Journals and ArchiveOfficer since 1991, and KevinHammond a former RSE/ScottishExecutive Personal Research Fellowmarried in July 2005.

William Hardie has joined the staff on atemporary basis to assist with theadministration of the Energy Inquiry.

Gary Johnstone, Accounts Assistant leftthe Society during August and hasbeen replaced by Clare Wright.

FELLOWS DECEASEDIt is with much regret that we recordthe deaths of the following Fellows :

Sir Ivor (Ralph Campbell) BATCHELOR

Admiral Sir Lindsay Sutherland BRYSON

Mr William Murray CORMIE

Professor David DAICHES

Professor Charles Arthur FEWSON

Rev Professor William Hugh CliffordFREND

Professor Alexander Norman JEFFARES

Mr George Scott JOHNSTONE

Dr Jack St Clair KILBY

Professor Saunders MacLANE

Professor John Drake MATTHEWS

Dr Robert William MILNE

Dr Bertram Desmond MISSELBROOK

Dr Hubert Lloyd David PUGH

Professor Joseph ROTBLAT

Mr Richard Malcolm SILLITTO

Fellows are asked to contact theFellowship Office, if they could be ofhelp in providing obituary material.

Alan Alexander has been reappointed as Chair of Scottish Water for a three yearperiod from 1 April 2005.

Peter Boyle is the new Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (inLyon).

Philip S. Corbet has been awarded the DSc Degree by the University of Dundee.

John McClelland has been appointed head of the Scottish Further and HigherEducation Funding Council (SFHEFC). Other Fellows joining SFHEFC are: Peter Holmes,Ian Ritchie, and Tariq Durrani.

John Mallard has been awarded the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen. He has alsorecently received the Gold Medal of the Royal College of Radiologists and the 2004Medal of the European Federation of Organisations of Medical Physics (EFOMP).

Professor Lovat Rees has been appointed as a specially engaged Professor for life atthe Liaoning University of Petroleum and Chemical Technology, Fushun, China. He hasalso been appointed to Chair and Organise the R.M. Barrer Memorial Symposium atthe next 15th International Zeolite Meeting in Beijing in 2007.

John Meurig Thomas is to receive the Sir George Stokes Gold Medal of the AnalyticalDivision of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is also to be awarded honorarydoctorates from the University of Sydney, Australia and Clarkson University, New York.

MORNING COFFEE MEETINGSCoffee is available in the Fellows’ Room on Tuesday mornings at 10.30. Once a monthfrom October to March this meeting takes the form of an informal discussion in theEast Wellcome Room. The programme for the discussion meetings in the comingseason is given below. These meetings are open to Fellows.

2005

11 October 2005 A Mathematician Looks at MusicProfessor John M Howie.

1 November 2005 The Delicate Interface between Scientists and PoliticiansDr Tam Dalyell

6 December 2005 Visual Art Provision Scotland; How Best can we Provide the VisualArts in Scotland?Sir Timothy Clifford

2006

10 January 2006 Reflections on Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellowship 1783-2003Dr Charles D Waterston

7 February 2006 Parasitic Wasps: Does Taxonomy Matter and Where Should it beDone?Dr Mark Shaw

7 March 2006 The Royal Society of Edinburgh - Past and Present InternationalConnectionsProfessor Rona MacKie

FELLOWS’ GOLF CHALLENGEThe 2005 Golf Challenge was held on 22 August over the Balcomie Links course atCrail Golf Club, Fife. Scores were close for the top places and the Stewart Cup waswon for the second time by Professor Wilson Sibbett.

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RSE PRIZES TO BE AWARDED IN SESSION 2005-2006Fellows are invited to note the following prizes which are to be awarded in session 05-06, and are encouraged to make nominations.Nomination forms can be downloaded from the RSE website or can be obtained from Anne Fraser, Research Awards Manager(afraser@royalsoced.org.uk). The closing date for Royal Medal nominations is 13th March 2006, and for the CRF Prize Lecture, 18 November 2005. For all others the closing date is 30 November 2005.

The Royal Medals

Awarded annually to individuals whohave achieved distinction and are ofinternational repute in any of thefollowing categories: Life Sciences;Physical and Engineering Sciences;Humanities and Social Sciences;Business and Commerce. Candidatesneed not be RSE Fellows and should,preferably, have a Scottish connectionirrespective of place of domicile.

The Keith Medal

Awarded quadrennially for a paper on ascientific subject presented in the firstinstance to the Royal Society ofEdinburgh, preference being given to apaper containing a discovery. Themedal is awarded alternately, providedthat a paper worthy ofrecommendation has been received, fora paper published in Proceedings A

(Mathematics) or Transactions (Ear thSciences)

The next award is for a paper publishedin Proceedings A.

Makdougall Brisbane Prize

Awarded biennially, with preferencegiven to a person working in Scotland,for particular distinction in thepromotion of scientific research. Thenext award is in the field of EngineeringSciences.

BP Prize Lectureship in theHumanities

Awarded biennially to a personworking in a Scottish Higher EducationInstitution. The next award is in thefield of Philosophy, Theology and Law.

CRF Prize Lectureship

The CRF Prize Lecturers are expected tobe of the highest international repute,

with no restriction on nationality. ThePrize Lecture is normally given at anumber of locations in Scotland. Thenext award is in Arts and Letters andthere is no geographical restriction onthe domicile of this Prize Lecturer.

Henry Duncan Prize Lectureship

Awarded triennially to a scholar of anynationality for work of internationalrepute in Scottish Studies.

James Scott Prize Lectureship

Awarded quadrennially for a lecture onthe fundamental concepts of NaturalPhilosophy.

(Nomination forms are available on theResearch Awards section of the RSEWebsite. Further information can alsobe obtained on pages 49-54 of the RSEDirectory 2005.)

SISTER ACADEMIESThe following fellows were recentlyelected to the Royal Society of London:

Professor Laurence David Barron,Professor Deborah Charlesworth, SirThomas McKillop, Professor PeterSadler, Professor Harold Varmus ,Professor Colin Watts.

The following fellows were recentlyelected to the British Academy:

Professor Robert C Craig, ProfessorDavid McCrone, Professor AprilMcMahon, Professor David Perrett.

FELLOWS’ ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES

An Induction Day for New Fellows washeld for the first time on 2 May 2005.Fellows met Council and ExecutiveBoard Members for lunch where theywere welcomed to the Society by RSEPresident, Lord Sutherland. Chairmanof Trustees of the RSE ScotlandFoundation, Professor Andy Walkerprovided New Fellows with an overviewof the Society’s activities. Prior to theceremony of admission to Fellowship,there was an opportunity to meet theSociety’s Staff and to find out the manyways in which they might make avaluable contribution to the life of theSociety. New Fellows offered positivefeedback following the event and theSociety plans to run a similar event forthe new cohort in 2006.

CHARITIES & INVESTMENT(SCOTLAND) ACTThis Act was passed by the ScottishParliament in June 2005 and will comeinto effect in 2006. There will beconsultation by the Office of theScottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)about the public benefit test which allScottish registered charities will have topass, and Fellows will have theopportunity to contribute to the RSE’sresponse.

From 1 November 2005, Fellows’ Annual Subscription rates will rise to £150 full rateand £75 abated and overseas rates.

Notices will be sent to Fellows during October. Fellows who wish to join the RSE’sannual Direct Debit programme should contact the accounts office as soon as possible(accounts@royalsoced.org.uk).

NEW FELLOWS’ INDUCTION DAY

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COPY DATEThe copy date for the next issue is11 November 2005. Please send copy toJennifer Cameron at the Society.newsletter@royalsoced.org.uk

ReSourcE : ISSN No 1473-7841replaces RSE News

ADDRESS22-26 GEORGE STREET

EDINBURGH, SCOTLANDEH2 2PQ

Any opinions expressed in this newsletterare not necessarily those of

all RSE Fellows

INFORMATIONwebsite: www.royalsoced.org.uk

www.rsescotlandfoundation.org.uke-mail: rse@royalsoced.org.uk

Tel: 0131 240 5000

Fax: 0131 240 5024

CLIMATE CHANGEThe RSE’s Independent Inquiry into Energy Issues for Scotland has begun takingevidence around Scotland.

On 27/28 June, Members of the Committee visited Forres, meeting representativesfrom Highland Council, the Findhorn Foundation, Scottish and Southern Energy, theForestry Commission, Wavegen and Talisman. They also undertook a site visit of theTorr Achilty Hydroelectric Power Station near Marybank.

On 18/19 July, evidence was taken in Stornoway, on the island of Lewis, from a rangeof bodies, including the Hebrides Renewable Energy Partnership, Lewis Wind Power,the RSPB, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Western Isles Council. The Inquiryteam also visited proposed wind farm sites and Arnish Point Development, a newlocation for renewable energy supply chain.

On 27/28 July, Members of the Committee met representatives from Aberdeenshireand Aberdeen City Councils; the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute; BP and TOTAL.They visited Peterhead power station to hear about their proposed carbonsequestration project. Orkney and Shetland were the next destinations for theCommittee, 25-27 August where they took evidence from the European MarineEnergy Centres, the Orkney Renewable Energy Forum, the Islands’ Councils and theShetland Renewable Energy Forum. The Inquiry team also visited Burradale Windfarmand the Lerwick Power Station and Waste to Heat Plant .

International evidence was taken when on 1-2 September Members of the Committeetravelled to Finland where the decision to build a new Nuclear power station hadrecently been taken. The RSE’s Inquiry team met officials from the Energy Departmentof Finland’s Ministry of Trade and Industry and visited the Finnish Parliament wherethey had talks with elected Members and officials with responsibility for Energy Policy.Discussions also took place with the Director General of the Ministry of theEnvironment Mr Markku Nurmi and Professor Mikko Kara, Executive Director of VTTProcesses who contributed to the Parliament treatment of Decision in Principle on theacceptability nuclear power as a future energy source for Finland.

The Inquiry has received over 140 written submissions which are now available on theRSE website or in hard copy from the Society, upon request.

ENERGY INQUIRY - TAKING EVIDENCE AROUND SCOTLAND

Future Energy Supplies

Professor Maxwell Irvine, chair of the Energy Inquiry is interviewed on Lewis by Grampian TV.

The Fellows’ Triennial Dinner, heldtowards the end of the President’s 3year term, took place in the magnificentsurroundings of the Playfair Library Hallof Edinburgh University on Friday 24June. Nearly 200 Fellows, their guestsand invited guests of the Societyattended this highlight of the Society’ssocial calendar. The attendance clearlydemonstrated the Society’s standing athome and abroad, with Presidents ofthe Academy of Sciences of the CzechRepublic and the Royal Irish Academy,as well as two former Presidents of theRoyal Society in London.

The principal guest was Lord OxburghKBE FRS, who gave athought-provoking reply to LordSutherland’s Toast to the Guests.

Shortly before demitting office asChairman of Shell, he spoke about thechallenge of balancing the need forlong term security of energy supplywith measures to mitigate climatechange caused by greenhouse gasemissions from fossil fuels.

Bringing greenhouse gases undercontrol was a massive task with noquick or simple answer, but he felt thatdeveloping cleaner-burning coaltechnology, more efficient renewablesources, new enzyme technologies ableto convert low grade agricultural by-products or urban waste into effectivefuels, would all play their part.

He urged that a start be made now ongreenhouse gas control, using thetechnology at our disposal, althoughhe was confident that new approacheswould emerge and play their part overthe next 25 years to deal with this hugescientific, technological, social andeconomic challenge.