ARC Life
Welcome to the May 2024 edition ARC Life!
This is your monthly guide looking ahead to what is happening in the ARC to keep you informed and provide opportunities to engage with events, workshops, and conferences.
New ARC-XR video
Fedra Trujillano’s research involves using remote sensing and AI to stop the spread of mosquito breeding sites, halting the spread of malaria. Filmed and produced by Charlotte Reid, Digital Content Creator for Research.
Watch the video
ARC Introducing
We're starting off a brand new monthly feature for ARC Life, ARC Introducing. We'll be highlighting a different ARC resident each month, sharing information about their work and career to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange. To kick things off, computing scientist Julie Williamson explains her work in immersive realities.
"My research focuses on understanding how we experience immersive realities together, and how we can use that knowledge to design experiences that are more productive, enjoyable,
and meaningful. I recently moved to the ARC, and this feels like
such a natural home for my interdisciplinary research."
- Dr Julie Williamson, Senior Lecturer in Human Computer Interaction
Would you like share the work you do with other ARC residents?
Complete the ARC Introducing questionnaire
Connect & Collaborate
Events and workshops which provide a chance to connect with colleagues from across the University,
Building a new maker community – invitation to get involved
As part HACK the ARC, a vibrant new Maker’s Community is being established and you are invited to get involved. If you are into making, crafting, coding or tinkering please complete the short survey.
You can find out more about the Hacker’s ARC project here or get in touch with project lead Hessam Mehr with any questions.
Research Staff Assembly x Research Culture, 14th May, 10:00 - 11:00, ARC Researcher Development Suite
The Research Staff Assembly is a community-based platform and a MS Teams space. The April hybrid hour is on Tuesday 16th April, 10.00-11.00 in ARC Studio 2 or online, sign up here. Dr Rachel Lyon will introduce colleagues who are part of Write of Spring, a festival of academic writing across two weeks. If you write, then Write of Spring is for you. The programme brings together colleagues and researchers from across the university to engage in conversation around academic writing through a series of sessions.
Beyond the Price Tag: The Hidden Politics of What You Buy, 20th May, 12.00 - 13.30, ARC 237B, free, ticketed
Ever wonder how your morning coffee connects to global politics? Why the price of your t-shirt seems to fluctuate wildly? And why prices have gone up rapidly in the past few months? Join this interactive lunchtime roundtable exploring the fascinating world of the International Political Economy of Everyday Life (IPEEL).
Register for Beyond The Price Tag
Upcoming events, visits and workshops
Stitching Memory: Exploring Collective Memory and Solidarity through Arpilleras - Exhibition, 20th - 31st May, Exhibition Space
Arpilleras are a traditional Chilean textile craft, which has been used as a form of artivism. These colourful patchworks, crafted from burlap, weave together personal narratives and historical events, forming visually compelling stories. This exhibition is about collective memory, solidarity, and migration, all through the lens of exploring arpilleras.
Viral Communication: Workshop and Exhibition, 30th April - 3rd May, Exhibition Space
A one-day workshop and complementary contemporary art exhibition that will explore the influence of infection across visual culture, social dynamics, and medicine. Bringing together researchers from sectors including art history, virology, medical visualisation, the history of medicine, and visual art, the workshop will facilitate interdisciplinary knowledge exchange surrounding notions of the Covid-19 virus and others. This project is supported by Thinking Culture funding 2023-24, awarded to PhD student Christiana Myers.
Viral Communication Exhibition
Nourishing Resilience: An Artistic Perspective on Food Sovereignty, 28th May - 2nd June, Exhibition Space
An art exhibition featuring six artists from Scotland, England, Ireland, Ecuador and Mexico working across various mediums such as sculpture, audio and video recordings, and multimedia installation.
The Devine Economy with Paul Seabright, 28th May, free, ticketed
Professor Paul Seabright from the Toulouse School of Economics, presents his latest book, "The Divine Economy". Delving into the intricate interplay between religion and economics in the modern era, Professor Seabright offers profound insights into the resilience and adaptability of religious movements worldwide.
If you would like to host an event or develop an engagement activity, please contact the ARC’s Event & Engagement Team ARCEngage@glasgow.ac.uk to discuss your ideas.
Sign up to hear about future ARC events by subscribing to our ‘What’s on at the ARC’ newsletter.
Research news
Robotic Dog at Spring Fling 2024
At the recent Spring Fling event held in the ARC, Social AI CDT student, Harry Dafas, and PhD student Abdul Alshememry showcased Spot the robotic dog. Members of the public were enamoured with Spot and enjoyed integrating with him, playing games and even playing fetch. Demonstrating Spot showcased the intriguing possibilities of robotics, such as assisting individuals with impaired mobility.
PGRs and Doctoral Researchers - work with community groups and develop skills
A limited number of places for PGRs and Doctoral Researchers are available on an exciting new career development and community engagement programme called Solutions for Change. Working in an interdisciplinary research team and with community partners you’ll gain a variety of skills and experiences to explore a real community challenge, working collaboratively to explore solutions. Community partners are third sector, non-profit or community organisations and the challenges will be social or environmental in nature. Solutions For Change will run from June to August 2024, with five in-person training days. You can find more information and links to apply here. Applications close on Friday 10th May.
Knowledge exchange and training visits from African countries
The ARC recently welcomed visiting students from Uganda as part of DIDIDA EU-funded projects. The students are receiving training around our work in point-of-care diagnostics of infectious diseases in Africa. We will also host students from Senegal, Reunion Island and Kenya later in the year. The aim of the visits is to provide these students with skills to develop their own version of nucleic-acid based tests (akin to PCR but on a lateral flow platform), whilst fostering knowledge exchange on local constraints for deployment, which impacts our work designing these devices. If anyone wants to have a chat with the students, please feel free to get in touch with Julien.Reboud@glasgow.ac.uk
Quantum Science & Technology School
The QuantIC team were proud to support the recent UofG Quantum Science & Technology that took place in the ARC between 8-12 April. QuantIC Business Development Manager, Chris Payne-Dwyer, gave a workshop on quantum-industry engagement.
The ARC hosts Cabinet Office Policy School on AI
In March the Centre for Public Policy partnered with the University’s Government Relations team to host a week-long UK Government Cabinet Office Policy School, focused on data and artificial intelligence. Over the week, colleagues from across the University came to the ARC to share their insights and research with civil servants on AI, its associated risks, and opportunities for public policy. The team worked closely with Prof Ana Basiri, Director of the Centre for Data Science and AI, to curate these insights. You can read a summary of the school here.
Keep up-to-date – follow us on social media
Follow the ARC on X/Twitter and ARC LinkedIn to keep up to date with news, events etc. Tag us in posts and photos/videos.
ARC web pages
Visit our newly updated ARC webpages which feature information for staff and research students related to the ARC.
Best wishes,
The ARC Communications Team