Welcome to Edinburgh Diamond! We are the University of Edinburgh's Library Publishing Partner for Diamond Open Access books and journals that are led by our academics, professional staff and students.
This book is a collection of 36 articles written by 75 educators who teach programming across disciplines and contexts. Our stories focus on teaching inclusively, driven by respect and curiosity, and learning with joy, openness, kindness, and community spirit. We are a grassroots teaching-focused community of practice who meet once a year in Edinburgh for a Winter School to discuss our teaching. Our students learn coding superpowers in psychology, music, medicine, business, art, maths, and many more disciplines. We understand coding as a way of thinking, problem solving, and empathising; not just typing words and brackets. But since many of our students did not learn to code previously, together we conquer their own (and society’s) misconceptions of what code is, and who gets to become a great programmer (spoiler: they all do!). This book collects stories, experiences, and insights from our teaching; we hope that these will inspire you and give you new ideas to incorporate into your own practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Brittany Blankinship, Pawel Orzechowski, Charlotte Desvages, Kasia Banas, Umberto Noè, Christopher Aldous Oldnall Serveh Sharifi Far, Clare Llewellyn-MacRae, Beatrice Alex, Ozan Evkaya, and Franziska McManus https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
BridgING is an assemblage of work produced by students from the MA Interior, Architectural & Spatial Design programme at Edinburgh College of Art. This work has been developed through a year-long engagement with Edinburgh’s George IV Bridge, and produced a wide range of creative, critical and imaginative research outcomes and design responses. Through these activities, the student cohort has tested and probed the thresholds and definitions of the interior, to propose original projects that can shape and contribute to the stories of Edinburgh’s rich and vibrant urban context.
Master of Architecture Studio Catalogues, ESALA, Edinburgh College of Art
Copyright (c) 2025 Dave Loder (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Degree Show Catalogue documenting an ESALA MArch (Modular Pathway) studio ‘Moving Water: North Sea Edge’. Studio Leaders: Andrea Faed and Jack Green. 2024-2025.
Copyright (c) 2025 Andrea Faed, Jack Green (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Architecture as Support Structure: How to Construct a Post-Petroleum World, Vol.2
Degree Show Catalogue documenting an ESALA MArch (Modular Pathway) studio ‘Architecture as Support Structure: How to Construct a Post-Petroleum World’. Studio Leaders: Sepideh Karami and Naomi De Barr. 2024-2025.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sepideh Karami, Naomi De Barr (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Degree Show Catalogue documenting an ESALA MArch (Modular Pathway) studio ‘Crossing Tangier’. Studio Leaders: Ana Bonet Miró and Samer Wanan. 2024-2025.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ana Bonet Miró, Samer Wanan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Degree Show Catalogue documenting the second year of a two-year ESALA MArch (Integrated Pathway) studio, ‘Daire’s Airc’. Studio Leaders: Iain Scott and Mark Bingham. 2023-2025.
Copyright (c) 2025 Iain Scott, Mark Bingham (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Degree Show Catalogue documenting an ESALA MArch (Modular Pathway) studio ‘Doing Enough with Less’. Studio Leaders: Kieran Hawkins and Darren Park. 2024-2025.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kieran Hawkins (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Radical Harvest: Earth/Care/Reuse, Vol.2
Degree Show Catalogue documenting the first year of a two-year ESALA MArch (Integrated Pathway) studio, ‘Radical Harvest: Earth/Care/Reuse’. Studio Leaders: Simone Ferracina and Asad Khan. 2024-2026.
Copyright (c) 2025 Simone Ferracina, Asad Khan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
In Our Own Words: Documenting the Queer Everyday in Central Asia
In Our Own Words: Documenting the Queer Everyday in Central Asia is a collective work that is at once research, art, and activism. Rooted in decolonial queer and trans* theories, it emerges from lived realities and centres the voices of queer and trans* Central Asians. Bringing together fifteen contributors, this book offers works in three languages, rooted in the diverse contexts of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Their chapters explore activist lives marked by resistance, solidarity, and burnout; family relationships; coming out and coming of age; intersections of queerness with ethnicity, nationality, migration, and religion; and trans* and gender-diverse experiences across the region. Through multilingual, border-crossing perspectives, these narratives foreground everyday life and embodied experience, offering alternative ways of knowing. While written primarily for queer and trans* people in Central Asia, we hope it resonates with readers beyond the region and across disciplinary boundaries.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mariya Levitanus, Mohira Suyarkulova (Editor) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
RECOUNT: ‘Kashfing’ Accounting with Visuals
This book is born out of a creative dialogue between a group of academics and artists with the visual stories that we have received in our project Recount Photographic Agora (www.recountphotoaward.org). Recount Photographic Agora invites contributions from people from all walks of life to reflect through visual and textual stories about the diverse roles accounting plays in life. Based on such contributions, we have already organized exhibitions in Scotland, Tunisia, and France, and are planning to organize more exhibitions based on new contributions in Spain and Colombia in the near future. This book bridges disciplinary boundaries between artists and academics, but also between text and image, and crucially between academic knowledge and day to day life experiences. This has led to a joyful and stimulating exercise to collectively reflect on the roles of accounting in life and in our unprecedented ecological, social and political crises, beyond the confines of dry rationality and distant theorization.
Copyright (c) 2026 Wafa Khlif, Afshin Mehrpouya, Eleni Chatzivgeri (Editor); Karim Abid (Photographer); Giulia Achilli, Annick Ancelin-Bourguignon (Chapter Author); Li Biletska, Ieva Blazeviciute, Daria Carlucci (Photographer); Ann-Christine Frandsen, Nathalie Clavijo, Stella Frimpong Brown, Camille Gaudy, Sonia Gouveia, Eric Grosso (Chapter Author); Kip Harris (Photographer); Jim Haslam, Camila Hermes, Rania Kamla (Chapter Author); Ypatia Kormarou (Author); Kelly Knox, Jean Guy Lathuilière, Caroline Leppänen, Qi Li (Chapter Author); Jian Luo (Photographer); Elisavet Mantzari, Elton McGoun (Chapter Author); Xuan Tinh Nguyen (Photographer); Lesley Niezynski, Edwige Nortier (Chapter Author); Marie Nortier (Illustrator); Lee Parker, Abhay Patel (Chapter Author); Matteo Rea (Photographer); Judith le Roux (Chapter Author); Favio Ruesta, Diwakar Redhu (Photographer); Marco Silvi, Medusa (Chapter Author); Mona Sartoveh (Photographer); Jana Sopf (Chapter Author); Guldana Tauassar, Harsha Vadlamani, Lise Van De Wynckele, Alexander Vinnik, Xeder (Photographer); Jing Yuan, Yanru Zou (Chapter Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Toolkit for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching (TILT)
This e-book presents the Toolkit for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching (TILT) as a comprehensive and accessible resource designed to support educators, course designers, researchers, and learners engaged in interdisciplinary education. The toolkit brings together multiple strands of thought and practice: conceptual framings of interdisciplinarity, practical case studies of teaching and learning across boundaries, strategies for collaboration, methodological approaches to working between disciplines, assessment practices suited to interdisciplinary activity, and the ethical and reflexive dimensions of interdisciplinary practice. TILT invites users to rethink traditional disciplinary approaches to education by working across and beyond established structures, enabling reflection on how knowledge is constructed, shared, and mobilised in evolving educational contexts. The insights and resources in the toolkit can be embedded across a wide range of institutional settings, from secondary schools to higher-education programmes. Readers will find not only conceptual foundations but also rich pedagogical tools, including design patterns, teaching activities, student perspectives, video prompts, assessment matrices, and examples of interdisciplinary practice. These resources have been developed to be adaptable across diverse disciplines and educational contexts. The toolkit addresses key challenges of interdisciplinary work—such as negotiating vocabularies, coordinating between disciplinary norms, aligning learning outcomes, and assessing integrative student work—while offering practical strategies to navigate them effectively. Ultimately, this publication positions TILT as a bridge between scholarly research into interdisciplinarity and the everyday practice of teaching and learning in dynamic institutional environments. It provides a timely and practical resource for those committed to fostering integrative thinking, boundary-spanning collaboration, and innovative pedagogies that prepare learners to address complex challenges in a rapidly changing world.
Copyright (c) 2026 David Overend, Seongsook Choi, Andrew Cross, Clare Cullen, David Jay, Jenny Scoles, M. Winter (Author); Simon Dures (Film maker); Shuxuan Zhang (Designer) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A Field Guide to Artist-Researcher Collaborations
How can you ensure that collaborations involving academic researchers and creative practitioners are as ethical and effective as possible? This Field Guide is designed to help you navigate the terrain, not as a how-to or step-by-step process, but rather as a tool to aid exploration. Field Guide’s are particularly useful when exploring and engaging with unfamiliar terrain, and this one has been designed to be interactive, so you can annotate and doodle in it as you conduct your own explorations in new realms. A product of collaboration in its own right, the Field Guide is a product of twenty-two artists, creatives, and researchers working together to identify the main challenges they face when seeking to work together, and offering guidance on how to navigate them. These include topics relating to: Fair pay Power structures Navigating one another’s worlds Mutual respect Communication It is designed to be of value to anyone interested in co-creative research practices, whether as a creative, researcher, student, or interested bystander. You can read it cover to cover, or sample only the knowledge you need. We just hope it helps you to navigate these relationships with greater ease, effectiveness, and empathy! This is the first book in The Outwith Field Guide’s book series, which helps to equip researchers and collaborators with tools that can help them along their various participatory research journeys. Contributing Co-Authors: Helen Boden Rhiannon Bull Jenny Capon Catherine Cartwright Federica Cologna Tainá da Rocha Val (Cinna) Susie Rose Dalton Kate Fox John Glenday Robin Grainger Brian Hartley Elsie MacDonald Hector MacInnes Eilidh Manson Moral Masuoka Jean McEwan Susan Morrison Nicola Osborne Rosie Aspinall Priest Bobby Sayers John Scott Josie Tothill Jimmy Turner Lisa Williams
Copyright (c) 2026 Jean McEwan, Susan Morrison, Rhiannon Bull, Jimmy Turner (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
This open e-book is the result of a project funded by a University of Edinburgh Student Experience Grant, Open e-Textbooks for access to music education. The project was a collaboration between Open Educational Resources Service, and staff and student interns from the Reid School of Music. As a proof-of-concept endeavour, the project aimed to explore how effectively we could convert existing course content into convenient and reusable open formats suitable for use by staff and students both within and beyond the University. The resulting e-book presents open licensed educational materials that deal with the building blocks of musical stave (sometimes known as staff) notation, a language designed to communicate about musical ideas which is in use around the world. The resources in this e-book include video lectures and their transcripts, as well as supporting text explanations, examples and illustrations. The materials introduce topics such as the organisation of discrete pitches into scales and intervals, and temporal organisation of musical sounds as duration, in rhythm and metre. These rudiments are presented through an introduction to the elements of five-line stave notation, and through critical discussion of the advantages and limitations served by notational systems in the representation and analysis of musical sounds. This serves as the basis of further explanations, to illustrate musical concepts including key, time signature, harmonisation, cadence and modulation. We anticipate that subsequent versions of this e-book will update and develop the contents and presentation of the materials, following the success of this student-led collaboration.
Copyright (c) 2021 Michael Edwards, John Kitchen, Nikki Moran, Zack Moir, Richard Worth https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The Poems on my Mind toolkit derives from the Poetry and Multiple Sclerosis study, a doctoral project undertaken by Georgi Gill in the Centre for Creative-Relational Inquiry at the University of Edinburgh. That research explored the potential of poetry to offer new forms of creative occupation and communication of health experiences by people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Over 100,000 people in Scotland live with a disabling neurological condition. These individuals can experience greater levels of isolation than the general population and may benefit from targeted social interventions. Accordingly, the scope of this toolkit has been expanded from the original focus of MS to include people living with Parkinson’s Disease, motor neurone disease and also stroke survivors. The Poems on my Mind toolkit comprises: an introduction to the project; advice for running poetry groups; tips for using the resources for solo writing; and four themed session plans for workshops which explore different elements of lived experience of neurological illness. The toolkits will be distributed to organisations supporting people with neurological conditions, enabling these organisations to establish their own online or face-to-face poetry writing groups with the aim of improving service users’ wellbeing and ability to express their illness experience. The toolkit has also been designed to be adaptable for individual use.
Copyright (c) 2025 Georgi Gill, Kitty Coles, Matthew Dickman, Kristiina Ehin, Holly Magill (Author); Rhiannon Bull (Designer) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Towards a Retrofit of Care: Examining energy retrofitting in Scottish households through a care lens
This insights paper sets out to explore a pressing and complex challenge within the field of climate action: how to ensure that energy retrofit efforts are under- taken with sufficient care. Despite retrofit’s pivotal role in addressing domestic greenhouse gas emissions, evidence from Scotland suggests that poorly executed retrofits are causing real harm, manifesting in damp, mould, tenant distress, and even reduction in property values. These failures, though often discussed in technical or economic terms, reveal a deeper systemic issue: a widespread absence of care in energy retrofit planning and delivery. Against this backdrop, our study offers a new perspective by asking: how caring is Scotland’s approach to energy retrofit?
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Iain Cairns, Dr. Arno Verhoeven (Lead Author); Ciara Bolton, Dr. Azlizawati Ibrahim, Emma Miller, Shahrzad Zeinali, Prof. Matthew Hannon, Prof. Kate Carter (Author); D. Scott (Copyeditor); Sam Dunne (Designer) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
This book explains some basic facts about how a type of AI called Generative AI (GenAI) could be used in schools. It uses the metaphor of a jungle to think about what AI can and can’t do and how it could be used in education. AI systems make up a new technological world to explore. We can learn a lot by exploring it, just as we have learned from exploring jungle habitats. This book doesn’t explain how to use GenAI tools in the classroom. Instead, it’s intended to cover basic facts about GenAI, encourage children to think about how they would like to see it used in schools and spark interest in wider discussions about AI in society. Each page has an activity suggestion for research or discussion tasks, which will prompt the children to consider some of the more philosophical aspects of AI. GenAI tools are cool gadgets, some of which are useful for learning. But AI in general has the potential to be a lot more than just another software tool. Children – and adults- need to be AI literate. In addition to knowing how to use AI tools, we need knowledge of how AI works, its strengths and limitations, and the capacity to think critically about how it may help or hinder society.
Copyright (c) 2025 Judy Robertson, Laura Meagher (Author); Elspeth Maxwell (Illustrator) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Exploring the AI Jungle: Teachers' Guide
This guide is an accompaniment to the children’s picture book “Exploring the AI Jungle”. The book is intended to teach children about Generative AI and its wider implications for society, particularly for schools. The children’s picture book doesn’t explain how to use GenAI tools in the classroom. Instead, it’s intended to cover basic facts about GenAI, encourage children to think about how they would like to see it used in schools and spark interest in wider discussions about AI in society. Each page has an activity suggestion for research or discussion tasks, which will prompt the children to consider some of the more philosophical aspects of AI. GenAI tools are cool gadgets, some of which are useful for learning. But AI in general has the potential to be a lot more than just another software tool. Humans must seriously consider the possibility that we will create entities that are at least as intelligent as people– perhaps far more intelligent. Many respected scientists believe we will achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) in the next thirty-five years, while some believe it will only take five years. This is exhilarating and possibly terrifying! As a society, we shouldn’t allow this to happen without thinking it through carefully. Children – and adults- need to be AI literate. In addition to knowing how to use AI tools, we need knowledge of how AI works, its strengths and limitations, and the capacity to think critically about how it may help or hinder society.
Copyright (c) 2025 Judy Robertson (Author); Elspeth Maxwell (Illustrator) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Teach Data Literacy: A Guide for Primary Teachers
Do you wince at the thought of data literacy, or sigh with relief that it is it now recognised as an essential part of all children and young people’s learning? Either way, this handbook is here to help. Data literacy is the set of skills and concepts which people need to understand, interpret and make decisions based on the data they encounter in the world around them. There is no official area of the curriculum, or topic, labelled “data literacy” in the Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland. However it is relevant across the curriculum in outcomes for maths, literacy, technologies, and social studies. This handbook sets out how, building on children and young people’s curiosity about their world, teachers can enhance opportunities for all to build the skills and habits of mind relevant to data problem-solving. Introduces and explains what is meant by ‘data literacy’ and how it relates to the school curriculum, including key terms and concepts Provides a clear framework for thinking about data problem-solving Reviews a wide range of resources for early, first and second level that can be used to support teaching and learning about data literacy
Copyright (c) 2025 Judy Robertson, Holly Linklater, Kate Farrell, Jasmeen Kanwal, Serdar Abaci, Claire Sowton (Author); Elspeth Maxwell (Illustrator) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Edinburgh Historic Walks: A Summary of Hidden Histories
Edinburgh Historic Walks: A Summary of Hidden Histories is the result of months of student-staff collaborative research and community engagement. It summarises the histories explored in the funded project Edinburgh Historic Walks, created to challenge the historical neglect of marginalised communities in Edinburgh. Each chapter in the booklet explores a different topic, containing four to five locations along a 30-minute walking route. Each location is directly related to an aspect of marginalised history, involving women, people of colour, LGBTQ+, and other diverse communities. These self-led walking routes enable the recovery and recognition of lost narratives in Edinburgh’s history, connecting people with the city and joining the dots between untold stories. Included are tales of inequality and injustice, societal change and revolutionary acts – such as the suffragette bombing of the Royal Observatory. Showcasing this heritage is a vital step forward in building a more inclusive historical picture and modern-day society. We hope this book ensures the histories are open, tangible, and accessible to a wide audience, and helps bring some of these pioneering Edinburgh individuals back into the public conscious, and into the history books.
Copyright (c) 2025 Katie Grieve, Katherine Scott (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
poeMS: an anthology provides unique insights into the experiences of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The anthology derives from the Poetry and Multiple Sclerosis study, a doctoral project undertaken by Georgi Gill in the Centre for Creative-Relational Inquiry at the University of Edinburgh. In the study, nine participants, all of whom have MS, attended online poetry workshops with Georgi who also has MS. We read, discussed and wrote poems together exploring different aspects of their lives with the condition. MS can be very difficult to describe to others; some of its symptoms are invisible (fatigue; cognitive disfunction; sensations of numbness, pain or tingling), while motor symptoms and the mobility aids that they may necessitate can be misunderstood, leading to negative social outcomes and discrimination. The workshops and the resulting poems gave us opportunities to be heard and understood and, importantly, to build creative communities together. Readers living with MS may benefit from this sense of shared similarity and community in poeMS: an anthology. The poems reveal participants’ reflections of their embodied experiences of MS; interactions with doctors; how MS affects their social and family connections; and the ways in which their sense of self has been impacted by, and continues to adapt in response to, MS. poeMS: an anthology presents these insights together in conversation with one another. As such it is a valuable tool for doctors and carers treating and supporting people with MS, and also for friends, family and the wider public.
Copyright (c) 2025 Georgi Gill (Editor); Tilly, Saskia, Philippa, Nina, Memphis, Ellen, Eleanor, Claudia, Alex (Author); Professor Anna Williams (Foreward Author); Rhiannon Bull (Designer) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Teach AI Literacy: A (work-in-progress) Guide for Teachers
This handbook is intended for Scottish teachers to use in Broad General Education in upper primary and secondary school settings. The aim is to support teachers in teaching their learners about GenAI and how to use GenAI tools responsibly and effectively to help them learn. It focuses mainly on Generative AI; future editions could consider other AI tools, such as intelligent tutoring systems. Specific senior phase qualifications specialising in AI are outside the scope of this document. It’s not intended to explain how teachers could use GenAI tools to reduce their workload. Judy Robertson developed the curriculum between May 2024 and May 2025, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, particularly the Data Education in Schools team, and with support from representatives from the Scottish Government, Education Scotland, SQA, The Scottish AI Alliance, and The Children’s Parliament. Funding from BRAID/AHRC and RAIUK also supported the work.
A graphic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, ‘The Beach of Falesá’ by British artist, Simon Grennan alongside two poems also inspired by the story by Samoan/Aotearoan poet Selina Tusitala Marsh. The adaptation is the outcome of the AHRC funded research project, Remediating Stevenson: Decolonizing Robert Louis Stevenson’s Pacific fiction through graphic adaptation, arts education and community engagement. The book contains a wordless graphic adaptation; a summary of the story in modern English; ‘Uma’s Sestina’ and ‘Uma’s Vilanelle’, by Selina Tusitala Marsh; an illustrated biography of Stevenson and his relationship to the Pacific by Jack Brougham, as well as an outline of, and link to, teaching resources developed by Scotdec for use in Scottish classrooms at Curriculum for Excellence Level 4.
Copyright (c) 2025 Simon Grennan (Author); Michelle Keown, Shari Sabeti (Editor); Solomon Enos, Selina Tusitala Marsh, Caroline Sinavaiana Gabbard (Author); Jack Brougham (Illustrator) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
A graphic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s short story, ‘The Isle of Voices’ by Hawaiian artist, Solomon Enos alongside a poem inspired by the story by Samoan poet Caroline Sinavaian Gabbard. The adaptation is the outcome of the AHRC funded research project, Remediating Stevenson: Decolonizing Robert Louis Stevenson’s Pacific fiction through graphic adaptation, arts education and community engagement. The book contains a wordless graphic adaptation; a summary of the story in modern English; ‘Echolocation’, a poem by Caroline Sinavaiana Gabbard; an illustrated biography of Stevenson and his relationship to the Pacific by Jack Brougham, as well as an outline of, and link to, teaching resources developed by Scotdec for use in Scottish classrooms at Curriculum for Excellence Level 3.
A graphic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s short story, ‘The Bottle Imp’ by Hawaiian artist, Solomon Enos. The adaptation is the outcome of the AHRC funded research project, Remediating Stevenson: Decolonizing Robert Louis Stevenson’s Pacific fiction through graphic adaptation, arts education and community engagement. The book contains a wordless graphic adaptation, a summary of the story in modern English, an illustrated biography of Stevenson and his relationship to the Pacific by Jack Brougham, as well as an outline of, and link to, teaching resources developed by Scotdec for use in Scottish classrooms at Curriculum for Excellence Level 2.
Mujeres Tz’utujiles: Recetas para la Recuperación en Chuk Muk
This recipe book emerges from the collective work of the "Recipes for Recovery" project (2023-2025), a transformative feminist and decolonial action-research proposal that is part of the "Ixchel" project. As part of "Recipes for Recovery", we committed to documenting the agri-food traditions within the work of Tz'utujil Maya women who make possible the continuation of Maya ways of life in Chuk Muk after a disaster resettlement. Chuk Muk was developed to house people displaced by a landslide that partially buried the community of Panabaj in 2005. In disaster recovery processes, the inclusion of local culture is important to build and rebuild resilience among resettled communities. Rituals, social organisations, and local crops are part of this culture. With this recipe book, we want to share the way women articulate their present and their Tz'utujil culture by reappropriating the knowledge of plants and food from their mothers and grandmothers. Through work in their family gardens and kitchens, Tz'utujil women have planted the seeds of their own recovery process. These recipes have helped women build important connections between their lives before and their lives now, creating a continuity of Tz'utujil ways of life that endures.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ixqii’ Ajtz’utjilaa’, Diego Antonio Reanda Sapalú, Ana Julia Cabrera Pacheco (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
D.T.N. Williamson: Edinburgh’s Pioneer of Hi-Fi Sound Reproduction and Flexible Manufacturing
D.T.N. Williamson was one of the most creative engineers of the second part of the 20th Century. Yet his early life was full of life-threatening illness, failure, and rejection. He overcame all these setbacks. In his 20s, he designed an amplifier that enabled high-fidelity sound to be obtained from gramophones in vogue at that time, of a quality that was far higher than had ever previously been achieved. He devised a “lightweight” pickup for the gramophone needle. Then, he pioneered the use of computers for machining, enabling components to be made to precision, far higher than was available from conventional methods. In parallel, he developed a novel measurement system that was needed for such components. On those foundations, he went on to develop an entirely computer-controlled process for batch manufacture, that became known as “SYSTEM 24”. The Science Research Council appointed Williamson Chairman of its Manufacturing Technology Committee. He fostered the establishment of the “Teaching Company Scheme”, one of the most successful examples of UK industry-university cooperation. He promoted “Grinding Technology” and “Die and Mould” research programmes in which academics in UK universities worked with industrial partners to overcome problems faced by manufacturing industry. Those achievements were recognised by Williamson being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society; and both Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh Universities awarded him honorary degrees of Doctor of Science. This book portrays the fascinating life and work of D.T.N. Williamson.
Copyright (c) 2025 Joe McGeough (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Heritage in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and Beyond
This Blue Paper makes the case for putting Ocean Heritage at the heart of ocean science and sustainable development. Often overlooked in ocean governance, Ocean Heritage—both tangible (like shipwrecks) and intangible (like traditional knowledge)—holds vital insights for shaping effective, inclusive, and climate-resilient marine policy. Produced by the Cultural Heritage Framework Programme (CHFP), the only Ocean Decade programme focused on heritage, the paper shows how cultural perspectives strengthen all 10 Ocean Decade Challenges. Drawing on over 20 global initiatives, it offers practical recommendations to embed heritage in science, planning, and policy. At the Decade’s midpoint, this is a bold call to treat culture not as an accessory—but as a right and a requirement for truly sustainable oceans.
Copyright (c) 2025 Georgia Holly, Jon Henderson, Arturo Rey da Silva, Annie Edwards, Hannah Cocks, Athena Trakadas (Authors) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
This is the booklet that accompanies the Empowered Journeys exhibition, a co-curated display of artworks and text created by Alexandra Perry, Elizabeth Lydiate, Frankie Vale, Katherine Baker, Mary Geraghty, Penny Wright, and Sarah Browne, people with lived expertise of breast cancer surgery. The booklet also contains a foreword by research fellow Jimmy Turner. The exhibition, and therefore the materials contained within this booklet, are the culmination of a year-long curatorial research project as part of a wider doctoral project being undertaken by Frankie Vale at the University of Glasgow. The project uses participatory approaches to respond to a crisis in representation for the post-surgery body; the current state of representation is wrapped up in detached medical imagery, or concepts of heroism and martyrdom. Although these forms of representation have their place, and are inspiring and aspirational for some, for others they do not feel representative, and can have negative effects. Empowered Journeys speaks to the importance of representation to feel seen, heard, and to feel less alone in your experiences. This guide showcases the artworks that were created when the question of representation was put to a group of women who have been through breast cancer surgery and highlights the themes that thread between the works to build a different understanding of representation, one that is rooted in the lived experience of the women who collaborated on the project. The University of Edinburgh has been instrumental in providing moments of collaboration and dissemination for this research project, helping Frankie to refine ideas and concepts that have then translated into Empowered Journeys itself.
Copyright (c) 2025 Frankie Vale, Elizabeth Lydiate, Alexandra Perry, Mary Geraghty, Sarah Browne, Katherine Baker, Penny Wright, Jimmy Turner (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Mujeres dejando huellas: relatos de liderazgo y riesgo alrededor del Volcán de Fuego
Spanish Este libro recopila las historias de vida, las lecciones aprendidas, los logros y las luchas de 14 mujeres líderes que sobrevivieron a la erupción del Volcán de Fuego, Guatemala, el 3 de junio de 2018. Muestra cómo la erupción marcó sus trayectorias de liderazgo y narra estas historias a través de sus propias voces. Es el resultado de un proceso de investigación participativa, mediante el cual las catorce mujeres líderes compartieron sus conocimientos y experiencias. Este libro es uno de los productos del proyecto “Ixchel: hacia una comprensión de los elementos físicos, culturales y socioeconómicos de los factores de riesgo para el fortalecimiento de la resiliencia en la cordillera guatemalteca’ financiado por el Consejo de Investigación del Reino Unido (UKRI GCRF). English This book captures the life stories, lessons learned, achievements, and struggles of 14 women leaders who survived the 3rd of June 2018 eruption of Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. It shows how the eruption marked their trajectories of leadership and tells these stories through their own voices. It is the result of a participatory research process, through which the fourteen women leaders shared their knowledge and experiences. The book is an output of the project ‘Ixchel: building understanding of the physical, cultural and socio-economic drivers of risk in the Guatemalan cordillera’ (2020-2025), funded by the United Kingdom Research Council (UKRI GCRF).
Copyright (c) 2025 Cristina Sala Valdés, Carolina Rabe Godoy, Teresa Armijos Burneo; Lily Argueta, Rebeca Arriola, Carmen Azurdia, Norma Beltrán, Johana Castellanos, María Chávez, Mayra Dubón, Otilia García, Mayra Gómez, Florecita Grajeda, Jessica Melgar, Adela Morales, Janeth de Paz, Saraí Pérez https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Rk'aslimaal K'chilaaj. Conservar las áreas verdes a través de las prácticas milenarias en Panabaj, Santiago Atitlan
Spanish Este libro conmemora la historia y las vivencias de Panabaj, una comunidad indígena Maya Tz'utujil de Guatemala, que sobrevivió a una guerra y un desastre, convirtiendo sus heridas en conocimiento. A pesar de la discriminación y las limitaciones para acceder a servicios básicos, el pueblo de Panabaj ha luchado por sus derechos y su dignidad. Inspirado en las enseñanzas y prácticas de sus ancestros, reconociendo el desastre y la guerra, el libro muestra que Panabaj tiene vida y seguirá siendo el hogar de las generaciones presentes y futuras. Además, explica que es un lugar de vida para quienes buscan conectar con la tierra y preservar su cultura. Este libro es uno de los productos del proyecto “Ixchel: hacia una comprensión de los elementos físicos, culturales y socioeconómicos de los factores de riesgo para el fortalecimiento de la resiliencia en la cordillera guatemalteca’ financiado por el Consejo de Investigación del Reino Unido (UKRI GCRF). English This book commemorates the history and lived experiences of Panabaj, an indigenous Maya Tz’utujil community from Guatemala, that has survived a civil war and a disaster and has turned wounds into knowledge. Despite facing discrimination and limitations in accessing basic services, the people of Panabaj have fought for their rights and their dignity. Inspired by the teachings and practices of their ancestors, while recognising the disaster and war, the book shows that Panabaj has life and will continue to be the home for present and future generations. It shows that it is a place of life for those who seek to connect with the land and preserve their culture. The book is an output of the project ‘Ixchel: building understanding of the physical, cultural and socio-economic drivers of risk in the Guatemalan cordillera’ (2020-2025), funded by the United Kingdom Research and Innovation Councils (UKRI GCRF).
Copyright (c) 2025 Domingo Chiviliu Alvarado, Domingo Abel Chiviliu Quinon, Elías Chiviliu Quinon, Diego Antonio Reanda Sapalú, Alex Bartolomé Petzey Quiejú; Cristina Sala Valdés, Teresa Armijos Burneo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0