Edinburgh Diamond | Books

We Have Great Women in STEM

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Welcome to the third edition of the “We Have Great Stuff” colouring book series!

In this edition, we have set out to celebrate and showcase the inspiring women in STEM at the University of Edinburgh. You might recognize their names from University buildings, rooms, and plaques, but now it’s time to put faces to these names. Their lives, work, and legacies are a testament to the remarkable achievements taking place at our University, past and present.

The illustrations in this edition were brought to life through a series of collaborative workshops, where members of the Edinburgh community came together to learn new skills and indulge in creative pursuits. Students, interns, staff members, and professors all joined forces to highlight the extraordinary accomplishments of these women and create these wonderful drawings.

I hope this colouring book will provide you with a mindful and enjoyable break from your busy day and give you a chance to appreciate the brilliant women in STEM here at the University of Edinburgh.

Happy colouring!

Ally McKay (B.A. Illustration Student)

With help from:

Cait MacPhee
Estifa’a Zaid
Frances B low
Hannah Shuttleworth
Holly Bridge
JC Denis
Jenny Gracie
Lothian Health Services Archive
Maria Fanourgiaki
Marialuisa Aliotta
Mylaine Holin
Nisha Grewal
Orianna Ball
Rosa Santomartino
Sally Shaw
Sarah Ressel

Birds of Midlothian

Radina Atanasova, Mayu Ishimoto — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0100

The idea of this booklet is to inform the reader about the food and habitat requirements of the most common bird species in the Midlothian area. Not only does the book help you to identify some common birds, but also it gives you ideas about how those birds live in the area in relation to its wider ecology.

Advancing Racial Equality in Higher Education

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0100

This collection of essays follows on from the 2021 RACE.ED event “Racial Equity Work in the University and Beyond: The Race Equality Charter in Context”, which explored what racial equality means in higher education and was organized following publication of the report of a largescale review of the Race Equality Charter. Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter (REC) is a UK wide programme that began in 2016 aiming to improve the representation, progression and success of Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff and students within higher education. REC is one tool for addressing racial injustice in higher education institutions.

Shame, Stigma and Colorectal Health for Bottoms

Richard Vytniorgu, Jaime Garcia-Iglesias, Azeem Merchant — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This working paper explores the intersections of shame and stigma among GBMSM (gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men) bottoms seeking colorectal healthcare. Situating these experiences in the context of complex gender performances and anxieties, the paper discusses key factors shaping bottoms’ experience of shame and stigma when seeking care for colorectal conditions. The paper highlights the perspectives of community stakeholders interested in identifying and tackling barriers to colorectal healthcare. It also identifies strategic areas for further research and collaboration, including pursuing arts-based approaches to educating healthcare providers in GBMSM sexual wellbeing.

Stories of HIV activists during COVID-19 in the UK

Chase Ledin, Olujoke Fakoya, Jaime Garcia-Iglesias — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Stories of HIV Activists during COVID-19 in the UK examines and interprets the experiences of HIV activists during the COVID-19 pandemic. It relies on qualitative data obtained through a UK-ICN BBSRC funded grant. We draw from these stories to start a conversation about how activism translates from one health crisis (HIV/AIDS) to another (COVID-19). These activist stories tell us about how activist individuals and organisations responded to COVID-19, but they also provide insight for future pandemic contexts. The UK and many other countries across the world face a variety of new pandemic threats, including monkeypox and Ebola, which demand new forms of health intervention and strategies to mobilise individuals and communities. We use these stories to illuminate the resilience of some activists in the face of crisis and to articulate ways in which health activism can be adapted and remobilised to respond to new health crises.

Unlock & Revive

Barbora Skarabela, Ruthanne Baxter, Zuzana Elliott, Stephen Smith — Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

For people living with dementia, life can become increasingly isolating. Yet, being engaged in regular activities that offer a sense of purpose and connection with the world is a key to their wellbeing.

The aim of the Unlock & Revive pilot project was to bring together an online programme for these communities to test whether and how we can use this technology to provide a sense of connection into the world around us through online cultural engagement activities.

We Have Great Stuff

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the World of Edinburgh and Colouring.

This edition of the ‘We have great stuff’ colouring book is centred around the theme of a Treasure Map, in that it explores treasures found around the University of Edinburgh. It combines three things I love: first, the enchanting, beautiful city of Edinburgh, second, walking and exploring the beauty surrounding us, and third, creative pursuits, i.e. colouring. All three have been present in making this book; in finding, photographing and creating the drawings you will hopefully enjoy colouring and exploring.

To walk and explore and being creative to me offer mindful breaks in a busy life, where thoughts and worries are put on hold for a minute, creating a space where I just am. Sometimes taking these breaks and doing something with my hands or my body will lead to solutions for, new ideas or realisations about what occupies my mind.

The aim of this book is to encourage taking mindful breaks from the busy life of a student either in the form of colouring or walking and perhaps experience some of the peace these activities give me. We have therefore included maps at the back that show the locations of the inspiration sources, hence the name Treasure Map.

Images 1-12 and 15-18 are of architectural details found around the University of Edinburgh and are meant to encourage you to explore and appreciate the beauty and possibilities of the University and the city surrounding it. Images 13-14 and 19-25 are based on photos of items found at the Centre for Research Collections housed in the University of Edinburgh’s Main Library, and home to books, art, archives, manuscripts and musical instruments.

I hope you enjoy colouring and exploring.

Written by Marta Bloch Christiansen.

Fundamentals of Music Theory

Michael Edwards, John Kitchen, Nikki Moran, Zack Moir, Richard Worth — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0100

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.

Cooking Without A Cooker

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0100

The recipe book is different to many of the other books that you might find online as it provides recipes based on what cooking appliances the user has available to them. This may be especially helpful for people who are living in a hostel, or temporary accommodation which doesn’t have a wide range of cooking facilities.

The book is intended to be helpful, with straightforward and easy to make recipes that everyone can manage with the equipment they have available. It is split into four sections including a seasonal vegetable guide, kettle recipes, toastie maker recipes and microwave recipes.

Every recipe has a full breakdown of the cost of the ingredients, tells the user how long it will take to make the recipe, and gives an idea of where you can buy the ingredients for the recipe. All recipes have a picture to show what the final product looks like.

We Have Great Stuff

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0100

The University of Edinburgh as well as having great students and staff, has great stuff. Since its very beginnings, the University has collected books, art, archives, manuscripts, musical instruments and objects to inspire its community in learning, teaching and research.

One of the world’s great collections has been built up over hundreds of years and constantly surprises those who come to view and enjoy the items.

The illustrations in this book are inspired by items and images within the collections and were collated by students during the Festival of Creative Learning Week 2019, and by staff in the Information Services Group.

We hope you enjoy and become curious to find out more.

The Carrying Stream Flows On

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The School of Scottish Studies came into being at the University of Edinburgh in 1951 as a research unit dedicated to ‘the study and conservation of the folk culture of Scotland’ when Professor Angus McIntosh was enabled to turn a vision which he and others had long held into reality. In that year Calum Iain Maclean was seconded from the Irish Folklore Commission to continue his collecting in Scotland, while other pioneers such as Hamish Henderson and Alan Lomax were also beginning the monumental task of systematically recording the rich oral culture of Scotland in Scots and Gaelic. The School of Scottish Studies Archives, now located in Celtic and Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University, continue as a dynamic and inspiring resource for all with an interest in Scotland and her cultural heritage, a treasure-house of sound recordings and photographs from Shetland to the Borders, from the Western Isles to Buchan, supported by an outstanding research library and other materials. The contributions brought together in this volume are based on talks given at a conference organised by the Islands Book Trust in association with the University of Edinburgh in August 2011 to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the School.