T2G: Sciences

Biotechnology - or the set of tools we use to examine biological mechanisms at a molecular scale - underpins much of modern research regardless of organism. Once you've frozen a sample and extracted the DNA, the handling procedures are pretty much all the same! A good understanding of biotechnological processes will therefore equip you to work in a huge range of fields, and you can specialise into the peculiarities of working with individual organisms as you go. 
 
On this course, you'll learn about the range of biotechnologies that have helped us reach our current scientific capability. Some have been superseded by cheaper, faster, more effective equivalents, while some are so efficient that they're still in use today. Each will have its good points and bad points, often incorporating an element of ethical thinking. 

Elective tutor: Dr Scott Ramsay 

Scott is Deputy Head of SLD, managing the team of Effective Learning Advisers and PhD Tutors who work with students in the Colleges of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, Science & Engineering, and who provide Maths and Stats support to all UG and PGT students at the University of Glasgow. Scott's PhD is in the molecular biology of heat tolerance, so he has broad experience working with various techniques in the modern lab. Scott has taught for many years in subjects across medical and biological sciences, and also worked on secondment as the University’s Good Practice Adviser for several years. 

Scott has co-authored two scientific textbooks: Writing for Science Students, and Writing a Science PhD (both with Dr Jennifer Boyle).

Introduction to R Studio will introduce students to one of the most widely used open-source statistical environments.  We will learn how to create various objects in this environment such as vectors, matrices, data frames, and statistical models.  We will also cover the various graphing capabilities offered by various packages.  I trust students will be impressed when they see how much information can be drawn from a bit of data.

Elective tutor: Dr George Vazanellis

George is the Statistics Adviser for SLD with degrees in physics, mathematics, and statistics.

Prime numbers are the building blocks of our number system and have fascinated mathematicians since the time of the Ancient Greeks. For centuries they were considered simply a curiosity, until the arrival of computers made them fundamental to our online security. 

This course will use prime numbers to introduce students to some of the many interesting facets of mathematics which often aren’t covered in the school curriculum. These include proof writing, clock arithmetic and its applications, the blurred line between pure and applied mathematics and a discussion of some mathematical mysteries still yet to be solved. 

Elective tutor: Dr Jenny August

Jenny is the Maths Adviser working in SLD, which involves providing maths support to all UG and PGT students at the University of Glasgow. She has a PhD in mathematics centred on the relationship between algebra and geometry and until recently, was working abroad in Denmark and Germany as a mathematical researcher.  

Have you ever had an imaginary argument with your Nemesis in the shower or come up with the perfect response to a point after the debate has finished? This elective will teach you some of the ways in which we build up effective, powerful arguments. We’ll do this by looking at Classical and modern models of rhetoric, and then applying these models to various important texts through time.  

You’ll get the opportunity to learn about topics ranging from the American Declaration of Independence and the Indians of All Tribes Proclamation at Alcatraz in San Francisco to one of the most important books on gender/sex relations and how modern politicians frame arguments to win/lose points (think: Donald Trump and Boris Johnson). 

Argumentation is all around us and is an art form. This elective will allow you to learn from the best – and go on to debate and argue with the best!  

Elective tutor: Dr Mona O'Brien

Mona O’Brien is one of the Effective Learning Advisers for International Students, working in SLD. She works with students in all four colleges, supporting them in transitioning to study at the University of Glasgow, understanding the academic context and expectations, and building key skills for academic success. Mona has a PhD in History, and her research investigates the relationships between the medical, social, and legal responses to illness and disease in Germany from the late Middle Ages until the eve of the Enlightenment.

This course will introduce you to a variety of topics across mathematics and statistics, presenting new ideas as well as building on concepts you will have already encountered in secondary education. You will learn strategies on how to approach and conceptualise mathematical problems, how to write and present mathematics, and how to utilise mathematical texts.

In each session we will discuss a small selection of mathematical problems and ideas, emphasising exploration, discovery and discussion. Before each session there will be an online lecture and notes for you to work through, which will inform the live discussion in the session. Some of the content of the course will be challenging, but fundamentally only requires basic numeracy to access.

Elective tutor: Dr James Rowe

James is the Effective Learning Adviser for the College of Science and Engineering, working within Student Learning Development (SLD). He has a PhD from the University of Glasgow, specialising in Category Theory and Algebraic Geometry.

The world is increasingly facing various environmental challenges: plastic pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, among others. How do we make sense of such challenges? In turn, how are various solutions constructed and for whose benefit?

At the centre of such challenges are cities or the development of urban areas. In this elective course, you will be introduced to the geographies of urban environments. After taking this course, you will begin to critically approach urban environmental challenges and suggested solutions and be aware of power, space and time dynamics influencing environmental management. 

Elective tutor: Josephine Zimba

Josephine is a PhD researcher in urban environmental geography. Her PhD research unravels the governance of urban resilience and flood risk management in Malawi’s cities bringing to the fore how various actors advance specific strategies to managing flood risks for their benefit. However, overall, her research interests are mainly around climate change science and its politics, environmental and natural resources justice and sustainability. 

Humans have long used the colours extracted from natural resources and produced in laboratories to create artwork. To understand the colours used by artists, past and present, the chemistries of these colours must be understood. Chemistry is responsible for the hues of artworks and their degradation and fading. Understanding these properties can provide useful information about the objects in museum collections: their conservation requirements, their history, and their value.

This course will first introduce you to the historical use of colour: the coloured compounds derived from the natural world up to those synthesised in the laboratory. The course will then discuss the chemical analysis of historical colours from museum collections - discussing what information can be obtained and why this information is important.

The course will combine lecture-style teaching and problem-solving group work to understand historical objects. Learning will be assessed by a short essay-style assignment at the end of the course in which students will use chemical information to solve the "mystery" of an objects' history.

Elective tutor: Katie McClure

Katie is a Graduate Teaching Assistant for SLD and is also a PhD researcher in History of Art. Her PhD research looks at using chemical methods to identify historical textile dyes in museum collections. Before starting her PhD, Katie undertook a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry at the University of Glasgow and an Erasmus Mundus MSc in Archaeological Materials Science.

In order to survive, animals need air, food, water, and shelter; they also need to avoid becoming another animal’s food. The selective pressure of predation has resulted in the evolution of an incredibly diverse range of antipredator adaptations across the animal kingdom. The phenomenon of predation and the portfolio of defences prey species utilise to evade it are of great ecological and evolutionary significance. The aim of this course is to introduce students to the field of behavioural ecology, the predation sequence framework, and a range of fascinating antipredator behaviours observable in prey species. By focussing on behavioural defences specifically, the course will explore how use of defences can be context-sensitive, varying depending on factors relating to the predator, the prey, and/or the environmental conditions.

Through focused exploration of antipredator behaviours, and the trade-offs involved in their use, you will be provided with the opportunity to exercise your intellectual curiosity and develop essential scientific skills such as: defining key terms, literature research, critical engagement, collaboration, and presenting.

Elective tutor: Dr Rosalind McKenna

Rosalind is the Effective Learning Adviser for the College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences (MVLS). Rosalind’s PhD investigated predator-prey behavioural interactions on plants, with a focus on aphid dropping defence and ladybird search strategies. She has published review and original research papers on a variety of behavioural ecology topics. Rosalind has also co-authored the book Presenting Scientific Data in R, aimed primarily at undergraduate bioscience students.

Theorising the Ludic Century explores how video games and video gaming have shaped contemporary literary and social life, and if the 21st century may be considered ‘the ludic century’ (that is, a century of spontaneous playfulness). The course studies fiction deploying video games as metaphors alongside critical perspectives to understand how video gaming influences today’s contemporary conflicts, as well as how video gaming has transformed concepts key to interpreting contemporary culture like escapism, work, addiction and play.

After taking this course, you will be able to engage thoughtfully with the social and cultural life of video games and gaming, as well as how new media interacts and influences older ones. This course is for anyone who wants to think more deeply about video games, gaming and their impact on our modern life.

Elective tutor: Francis Butterworth-Parr

Francis Butterworth-Parr is a PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow. He researches how writers use video games as metaphors in contemporary literary culture. His favourite video game is either The Outer Wilds or Disco Elysium, and he is very bad at Call of Duty: Warzone. 

“Yes, it is still an issue... People see one woman get a CEO role or voted in as Prime Minister and they think it's job done. It's not.” (Gill Whitty-Collins, British writer, speaker and consultant) 
 
Being aware of existing inequalities is the first step towards gender equity. Therefore, this elective will introduce the current state of gender equality and diversity and the debate surrounding inequalities within broader organisational contexts. You will learn about the different approaches to combat inequalities and their effectiveness. The course will draw on a variety of key materials, including academic journal and magazine articles, book chapters, videos, and podcasts. 

Elective tutor: Lina Seidlitz 

Lina is a third year PhD in Management (Organisational Behaviour) at the university, researching the effectiveness of gender diversity policies in Higher Education. With a multidisciplinary background, Lina holds degrees in Psychology, Global Health and Policy, and Human Resource Management. Lina is a dog mom and avid bread baker (my sourdough starter is older than both her pups). In her spare time, Lina enjoys wild hiking and fishing.  

This interdisciplinary course explores research in the field of human-robot interaction. During the course you will gain an understanding of how research from computing science, psychology and philosophy can be leveraged to build socially intelligent agents that interact with humans. You will learn how computational methods can be leveraged to build artificially intelligent robots that understand and interact with humans. Furthermore, you will explore how research into social cognition provides insights into how humans perceive and interact with robots. Finally, you will discuss ethical concerns that arise when interacting and implementing social robots in a real-life context.  

Elective tutor: Jacqueline Borgstedt 

Jacqueline is a PhD student passionate about all things tech and mental health. As an interdisciplinary researcher, Jacqueline bridges knowledge from computing science and psychology in order to investigate how we can built social robots for mental health support.  

Rehabilitation is an important area of health in this era. The World Health Organization has highlighted how an increase in ageing populations and several health problems make it an important health concern in the 21st century.

In this course, you will learn more about generic rehabilitation, gain a bit more knowledge in the sub-field of neurorehabilitation, and have a go at proposing solutions to some of the challenges in this area. You might be surprised to find out you can ideate out-of-the-box solutions for some of these!

Elective tutor: Lydia Jilantikiri

Lydia is a PhD researcher in Biomedical Engineering. Her research is about developing a system that uses virtual reality for arm rehabilitation. She has some years’ experience working in academia, and enjoys teaching and mentoring. 

How does the language we use hold the power to change the way we see the world? Does talking about cancer as a ‘battle’ impact our experience of the disease? How can a scientific article manifest as click-bait in the media? What has Ancient Greece got to do with how world leaders respond to the pandemic? Does it matter if a Jaffa Cake is a cake or a biscuit? These are just some of the important questions we will be tackling during this course. We will be considering the power of language across five key areas – Science, Health, Politics, News Media, and Law – and in each class we will consider a different aspect of English Language & Linguistics in these spheres, for example, examining the impact of metaphors on discussions of ‘Health’. After taking this course, you will begin to think twice about the language you encounter daily and become more aware of the influence that even a single word can have. While it can be difficult to resist the pervasive pull of language, this course will enable you to encounter language from a deeper perspective and interrogate how, why, and where we use the power of language.  

Course tutor: Amber Hinde

Amber is one of the Effective Learning Advisers for International Students within SLD, and a PhD researcher in English Language & Linguistics, exploring the rhetoric of health and wellness in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain. Amber spend lots of her time in archives getting excited about old bread advertisements and menus for vegetarian restaurants. When she's not busy researching and teaching, she's usually lost in a good book or on a long walk with her Japanese Shiba Inu puppy, who is aptly named Meeko after the cheeky raccoon in Pocahontas!

This practical course will introduce you to popular methods of corpus analysis (text analysis on a large scale), which you will use to identify features of academic writing that are common in your subject area. You will learn how to use practical tools and methods of text analysis, and build a ‘style guide’ for writing in your discipline. 

Elective tutor: Dr Elina Koristashevskaya

Elina is Deputy Head of SLD, managing the team of Effective Learning Advisers and PhD Tutors who work with students in the Colleges of Arts, Social Sciences, and all UG and PGT International students at the University of Glasgow. Her teaching expertise is in academic writing, assessment and feedback practice, and technology enhanced learning. Her academic background is in English Language and Linguistics, and her research interests include experimental methods in the Humanities, computer-assisted analysis of texts, and corpus stylistics. 

Science is often thought of as an objective search for the measurable truths of our world, but do we all agree on how those truths should (or could) be measured?

This course looks briefly at a variety of the beliefs that underpin the modern scientific method. We'll discover what rationalism and empiricism are, the difference between induction and deduction, and why scientists are so hung up on the core ideas of replication and falsification

Elective tutor: Dr Scott Ramsay 

Scott is Deputy Head of SLD, managing the team of Effective Learning Advisers and PhD Tutors who work with students in the Colleges of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, Science & Engineering, and who provide Maths and Stats support to all UG and PGT students at the University of Glasgow. Scott's PhD is in the molecular biology of heat tolerance, so he has broad experience working with various techniques in the modern lab. Scott has taught for many years in subjects across medical and biological sciences, and also worked on secondment as the University’s Good Practice Adviser for several years. 

Scott has co-authored two scientific textbooks: Writing for Science Students, and Writing a Science PhD (both with Dr Jennifer Boyle).

Navigate the complex ethical landscape of scientific disciplines and embark on a transformative journey towards responsible research and innovation. Join us for an enlightening exploration where we unravel the crucial role of ethics in shaping the future of science.

In this thought-provoking course, you'll dive deep into the ethical dimensions of scientific practice. Through captivating lectures, engaging discussions, and real-world case studies, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the ethical challenges and considerations that scientists face.

Our experienced instructor will guide you in navigating topics such as research integrity, data privacy, animal testing, human subjects' protection, and environmental sustainability. You'll develop the skills to critically analyse ethical dilemmas, make informed decisions, and champion responsible scientific conduct.

Elective tutor: Sarune Savickaite