The University of Aberdeen today (Monday, October 16) announced a stellar line-up to launch its much-anticipated inaugural lecture series.
Breaking New Ground – The 2006 Inaugural Lectures will showcase some of the world’s leading thinkers and pioneers who have been recently appointed by the Institution.
The series will give members of the public a rare insight into the research work of the University by academics who have achieved international distinction in fields as diverse as International Policy to Chaos Theory.
The first lecture in the season will be presented on Monday, October 23 by Professor Anthony Carty - one of the world’s leading specialists in British Policy and International Law and will raise questions about International Law in the light of current events in Iraq and the war on terror.
The 2006 season will showcase five of these new appointments covering the University’s three Colleges: Arts and Social Sciences, Medicine and Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences. They include:
· Professor Celeso Grebogi who will illustrate how chaos theory holds the potential to revolutionise just about everything from coronary disease, ozone depletion and satellite navigation and beyond.
· Professor David Dumville, formerly of the University of Cambridge whose lecture entitled Northern light or civilised darkness? will introduce his specialist areas of History, Palaeography & Celtic.
· Professor Rene Stet, world leading fish biologist, will be examining Genetic Frontiers in the context of the fish farming industry.
· Professor Geoffrey Robinson, Chair of Pure Mathematics, will offer an insight into maths as ‘the language of nature’.
The University, which was ranked among the Top 200 in the world in last week’s Times Higher Educational Supplement, launched a £9 million investment in intellectual capital in 2004. Its ‘Chairs for the Sixth Century’ campaign has seen the appointment of more than 50 Professors - attracting academics from across the world to Aberdeen.
Professor Stephen Logan, Senior Vice-Principal at the University of Aberdeen, said: “We are delighted to produce a series of public lectures showcasing some of the ground-breaking work that is taking place at the University. The Institution seeks to position itself as one of the leading academic institutions in the world, and the 2006 Inaugural Lectures series is testament to this.”
Fiona Christie, Series Producer, said: “The Inaugural Lectures are an established way of universities welcoming and introducing new appointments. Here at the University of Aberdeen we’ve taken this fine tradition and with it created a truly fascinating season of public lectures, allowing the public a real insight into the ground-breaking work that is happening at Aberdeen.”
The lectures will take place at King’s College Centre and the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen and will begin on Monday, October 23. For more information and to book your free place visit www.abdn.ac.uk/inaugurallectures or telephone 01224 273874.