‘Dundee and Its Scientific Firsts’ – Saturday Evening Lecture on 1st November

Published On Tue 28 Oct 2014 by Grant Hill

More than 150 years of scientific enquiry in the City of Discovery will be celebrated in a public lecture at the University of Dundee this weekend.

Eddie Small, an author and tutor at the University, will begin the story of Dundee’s scientific firsts in 1867 when the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) took the controversial decision to hold its annual meeting in the city.

His talk at the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill from 6pm on Saturday, 1st November takes place as part of a partnership between Dundee Science Festival and the University’s flagship Saturday Evening Lecture Series.

“The University and Dundee itself is recognised as a centre of excellence for scientific research but less well known is the passion for scientific enquiry that has existed in the city for generations,” said Eddie.

“The decision by the British Association for the Advancement of Science to hold its annual meeting in Dundee was met with dismay from some members. There was a view that Dundee was not an appropriate place to hold such a hugely prestigious event, with many questioning the wisdom of taking it to a non-University, Scottish city for the first time.

“However, it was an unqualified success and the association returned many times in the years that followed. The visit of BAAS in 1867 changed the cityscape, enhanced civic pride in Dundee, and paved the way for the creation of University College.

“In my talk, I will be covering everything from the first electric lamp in Scotland and the first demo of the electric light bulb in Scotland, as well as the first house in Scotland to be fully lit by electricity, the first telegraph signal in the world, the first air-conditioned building in Scotland, as well as many inventions like the first reverse gear for marine engines, and many more.

“Of course, in more modern times, we can point to keyhole surgery, betablockers, flatscreen televisions and ATM machines, all developed, along with much more, in the city.”

SELS is Scotland's oldest continuous free public lecture series and attracts thousands of people each year eager to hear from prestigious, world-class speakers. The talk is one of the extension events that help celebrate the 90th anniversary of SELS as well as marking the start of this year’s Dundee Science Festival.

‘Dundee and Its Scientific Firsts’ with Eddie Small takes place at the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill from 6pm on Saturday, 1st November.

Free tickets are available from Tower Reception, 01382 385108, online at www.dundee.ac.uk/tickets, or by emailing events@dundee.ac.uk.  

Notes to editors:

Dundee Science Festival, which will run from Saturday 1st until Sunday 16th November 2014, is a two-week city-wide celebration of science, providing fun, entertainment, inspiration and curiosity for all ages. With a new ‘personality’, the festival will host a staggering 112 events this year, twice as many as last year.

Audiences will have the chance to explore everything from the world of forensic science and dementia to the role of optimism in sporting success and the wonders of the night sky. Meanwhile, families can try their hand at making bat boxes in Dundee’s Baxter Park, building brush robots in the Wellgate Shopping Centre and getting fully immersed in science fun at free family days at Dundee Science Centre. The festival will also fuse science with food, music and art, with an opportunity to enjoy wine-tasting and dine out in a completely darkened restaurant, or enjoy some ‘Brainsex’, with an irreverent combination of comedy, video, songs, game shows and experiments.

An array of exhibitions have also been lined up, exploring everything from dinosaurs and animations to brains and beauty, available to view at venues across the city from Centrespace, Visual Research Centre and the University of Dundee to Roseangle Arts Café Gallery

As well as taking place in over 20 different venues throughout Dundee, festival events will branch out well beyond the city centre, with the science behind the perfect brew being held in the stunning Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, with ‘Around the world in 80 teas’.

Dundee Science Festival is supported by the Scottish Government, Dundee City Council, University of Dundee, Homecoming Scotland and EventScotland. Other supporters include Skills Development Scotland, The Gannochy Trust and Royal Society of Chemistry.

For more information on Dundee Science Festival, and to book events, email dundeesciencefestival@dundeesciencecentre.org.uk or telephone  01382 228800.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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