Stories from the University of Edinburgh community Winter 2023
Get involved. Get informed. Get inspired. Get in.
Our Insights Programme helps students who may have faced barriers accessing university develop the confidence, skills and connections to consider a range of careers, through introductions to alumni in a range of sectors locally and globally. Students who are the first in their family to attend university often don’t know anyone in sectors or areas they’re interested in. They often experience imposter syndrome, or lack the confidence to aspire to certain career goals. But you can help. Insights is possible thanks to the generous donations of our global alumni community. With your support, we can help students navigate this increasingly challenging environment and have the confidence to take their first steps towards a successful career. Find out how you can support students through Insights at: www.ed.ac.uk/students/careers/insights/support-insights
3
Contents Editorial A note from the University’s Director of Alumni Relations.
04
On campus News and highlights from around the University.
05-07
Reflections on then and now Kim Graham on her new role at the heart of campus life.
08-09
It doesn’t get cooler than this... An interview with two-time Polar Medal recipient, John Smellie.
10-14
“Would we accept this?” Journalist Jen Stout reflects on the war in Ukraine.
16-18
Opposites attract A lawyer and a doctor share personal stories of discovery.
19-22
On a mission This year’s alumni award winner, Henry Anumudu.
24-25
Standing up for the ocean In conversation with ocean advocate, Cal Major.
26-29
When art meets the world Showcasing the 2023 Edinburgh College of Art Graduate Show.
30-33
Reimagining travel HYPED’s revolutionary path for the way we traverse the world.
35-37
Artificial Intelligence: a ghost story How AI will haunt us with ghosts of our own injustice and cruelty.
38-41
60 years of reunions! Five vet alumni share why they’ve been reuniting since 1963.
42-44
A life-changing gift in the running Why Neil decided to support the University with his legacy.
45-46
4 It is with immense pride and pleasure that I welcome you to the first edition of Enlightened. As the Director of Alumni Relations, I am delighted that we are able to keep in touch with so many of our graduates, and be inspired by your remarkable achievements and unwavering commitment to making a positive impact on the world.
Editorial Dr Rebecca Jones is Director of Alumni Relations.
This magazine stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of the University of Edinburgh. Within its pages, you will discover stories that illuminate the incredible journeys our graduates have embarked upon since their time with us. From groundbreaking research that pushes the boundaries of knowledge to entrepreneurial ventures that redefine industries, the accomplishments of our student and alumni community serve as a testament to the transformative power of an Edinburgh education. As we delve into these stories, you’ll be reminded of the rich tapestry of experiences that define our university. The friendships forged, the challenges conquered, the clubs joined and the lessons learned all contribute to the unique spirit of Edinburgh. We also want to open a window to the future. You’ll find insights into the innovative research, pioneering initiatives, and an evolving campus that continues to shape Edinburgh’s identity as a global leader in education and exploration. As alumni, you remain an integral part of this ongoing narrative, and we invite you to engage, connect, and contribute to the vibrant discourse that defines our institution. I encourage you to immerse yourself in these pages, to relish in the successes of your fellow alumni, and to be inspired by the limitless possibilities that lie ahead.
5
On campus News and highlights from around the University.
Students at the Royal Observatory (Photo by Paul Dodds)
A new light on the Universe University astronomers, using the most powerful telescope ever built, have identified a massive, densely packed galaxy 25 billion light years away. The galaxy, known as GS-9209, formed 600 to 800 million years after the Big Bang and is the earliest of its kind found to date. The James Webb Space Telescope has helped the team find that, despite being around ten times smaller than the Milky Way, GS-9209 has a similar number of stars to our own galaxy. These have a combined mass around 40 billion times that of our Sun, and were formed rapidly before star formation in GS-9209 stopped. GS-9209 is the earliest known galaxy no longer forming stars – which is known as a quiescent galaxy. When the team observed it at 1.25 billion years after the Big Bang, no stars had formed there for about half a billion years.
6
Skulls taken as war trophies return to their ancestral home The remains of four tribal warriors killed nearly 150 years ago have been repatriated by the University.
Tom Gillingwater, Professor of Anatomy, in the University’s Skull Room. (Photo by Neil Hanna)
Gavin McLachlan, Vice Principal, Chief Information Officer and Librarian to the University (R), shakes hands with Pan, Chuang-Chih, Township Mayor, Mudan Township Office. (Photo by Neil Hanna)
A commitment to Africa The new Principal’s African Partnership Fund will initially commit a quarter of a million pounds to build collaborations, potentially supporting research, innovation, teaching, and learning and engagement with African colleagues. The announcement was made during a visit to Ghana by the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, in March 2023.
In a first of its kind repatriation of human remains to Taiwan, the University presented the skulls to dignitaries from the Mudan community – also known as the Botan tribe – in a formal handover ceremony at St. Cecilia’s Hall. Before the formal transfer of the remains, University representatives joined the Mayor of the Mudan Township, alongside members of the Taipei Representative Office in UK and Council of Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan, to take part in a traditional Paiwan service designed to honour the spirits of the deceased. Once the skulls have returned directly to Taiwan, they will be temporarily placed in the National Museum of Prehistory, until a permanent resting place is confirmed after consultation with the Mudan communities.
Funding to illuminate research Scientists at Edinburgh will receive £46.3 million from the Medical Research Council (MRC) to support ongoing activity at the MRC Human Genetics Unit. The five-year funding will include advancing research into the socalled ‘dark genome’ – the underexplored 98 per cent of people’s DNA which may provide new insights into complex genetic diseases.
Photo by Angus Blackburn Above: The University is home to ARCHER (Academic Research Computing High End Resource), which provides high performance computing support for research and industry projects in the UK.
Edinburgh to lead new era of supercomputing
GAIL: leading a new era of generative AI
The UK’s first next-generation supercomputer – 50 times faster than any of the country’s existing machines – is to be hosted by the University.
A bold new multi-million pound initiative that will push the forefront of generative AI to benefit society and stimulate economic growth has been launched at the University.
The exascale supercomputer will be able to perform one billion billion calculations each second. Once operational, it will provide highperformance computing capability for key research and industry projects across the UK. Exascale will help researchers model all aspects of the world, test scientific theories and improve products and services in areas such as artificial intelligence, drug discovery, climate change, astrophysics and advanced engineering.
The Generative AI Laboratory (GAIL) will unite our world-leading research and innovation in AI to develop safe solutions and systems for industry and government and bring substantial benefits to those who use them. The major initiative aims to develop techniques for generative AI - a type of machine learning that can be used to generate various types of content - in key areas such as robotics, drug discovery, medical diagnoses, and tackling climate change.
Reflections on then and now Professor Kim Graham is a 1990 graduate of Biological Sciences. She now holds a Personal Chair of Translational Cognitive Neuroscience and is the first Provost of the University.
9 When I first left Edinburgh at 21 years old, as a graduate in Biological Sciences, I did not expect that one day I would return and become part of the University leadership team. Now, just over a year after taking on the role of the first Provost, I still count myself incredibly fortunate to be back at the University, every day discovering new ways in which it has changed since I was a student. And marvelling at those hidden nooks and crannies that remain the same as they were over 30 years ago! For example, nothing seems to have changed in Teviot, the world’s oldest student union, and where my mother and father first met (not in 1889, to be clear). It will change shortly, however, as we embark on a significant project to create high-quality, accessible social spaces for students, including a new community lounge. The old Royal Infirmary, where I tested diabetic patients after I graduated, also looks identical from the outside, but has been carefully renovated. It’s now home to our new Edinburgh Futures Institute (part of the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Deal), where we aim to tackle complex societal issues via collaboration between students, communities, businesses and industry. A fantastic example of how the University, founded for the city, is still contributing to the city. Not all, however, looks or feels the same. As an undergraduate, my fellow students were mostly from the UK. Now almost half of our students are international, spanning over 160 countries. We collaborate with intent as part of various global University alliances, and are ranked a top 30 worldleading University. Our international impact
is further illustrated by our Mastercard Foundation partnership, which has trained 240 African leaders, from 26 different countries, in climate and sustainability, and is now expanding to doctoral training. Universities were less interested in their economic impact in 1986. Now, Edinburgh Innovations, our commercialisation engine, is driving a significant research impact agenda, helped by alumni who mentor our student and graduate entrepreneurs and provide networking opportunities. Recent economic analyses show that Edinburgh’s activities contributed £7.4 billion to the UK economy in 2021-22 and our entrepreneurs created an impact of £162 million through their successful start-ups and spinouts. Edinburgh has changed a lot over the years, but the warmth and support I experienced as a student remains. I have been impressed by our new sector-leading student support system which provides tailored academic support through cohort leads, complemented by teams providing wellbeing and mental health advice. The University’s support of widening access is also sector-leading, aligned to our commitment to transform opportunities for all. Our Access Edinburgh Scholarships ensure that eligible students with caregiving responsibilities, refugees, or those where household income is a barrier to attending the University are not prevented from becoming an Edinburgh graduate. People remain at the heart of our University, and, as Provost, I wish to ensure that our global community of staff, students and alumni can shape and contribute to the continued evolution of this amazing institution.
10
John looking over the majestic Scott Glacier, a huge outlet glacier draining the East Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Southern Transantarctic Mountains, close to the South Pole. (Photo by Tim Burton)
John is currently Honorary Professor of Volcanology at the University of Leicester after spending most of his career working as Senior Volcanologist for the British Antarctic Survey. He visited Antarctica for the first time at 21 shortly after graduating with his first-class degree in Geology from the University of Edinburgh. Since then, he has successfully completed 27 expeditions to the South Polar region and has three geographical places in Antarctica named after him. The Polar Medal, which John received for the second time this year, is conferred by the UK’s Sovereign on to individuals who have given outstanding achievement and service to the country in the field of polar research.
Q: When did your interest in volcanology start? In a conversation with my mother at age 11, she told me that she thought I’d be interested in geology as a career. After discovering what geology actually was(!), I rapidly became fascinated with the volcanic aspects and was lucky enough to live in a fishing town in Scotland close to some ancient volcanic rocks that I could visit and examine. I also joined the Edinburgh Geological Society (their first child member) and the people in the society kept my interest alive. At my first job interview after graduating, with the British Antarctic Survey, I told them of my interest and they employed me to work in a volcanic region of Antarctica and, later, to create a section at the institute to focus on volcanic rocks. As a result, during my career I visited more volcanoes in Antarctica than
It doesn’t get cooler than this... John Smellie (Geology, 1974) has visited and worked on more volcanoes in the Antarctic than any other person. The twotime Polar Medal recipient tells us about his fascinating field of work and time as a researcher on Earth’s coolest continent.
anybody else, living or dead, a fact that is unlikely ever to be equalled. So my career path has never deviated from its original intent, and I am still as enthused today as I was as a child.
Q: What does your research entail? My current research activities are focused on collaborative studies with geologists of the Italian, American and New Zealand Antarctic programmes aimed mainly at reconstructing critical parameters of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet during the past 20 million years. Using glaciovolcanism (i.e. volcanoes that interact with ice) as an environmental proxy is one of the things I have personally developed over the years and am particularly proud of. It is now the best proxy for deriving critical parameters of past terrestrial ice sheets and it can be applied to ice of any age,
back in time (often many millions of years). It’s not perfect but it can prove whether ice was present, its thickness, age and thermal regime (i.e. how dynamic it was), the only methodology to do so. It works by identifying features in the volcanic rocks that are diagnostic of past ice, for example deposits that indicate a volcanic eruption in water at a locality far above sea level that lacks any topography that might have ponded the water in a lake, hence eruption through ice is the only feasible alternative.
Q: What is it like to work in the Antarctic? Good and bad. A colleague once expressed it well: ‘In Antarctica, you are either working or surviving’. That is a very good assessment. Everything is weatherdependent, and bad weather can last days or even weeks, when you are confined to
12 your tent throughout. I worked mainly in coastal regions, where temperatures are reasonable, mainly minus 10°c to plus 5°c, but inland, where I have also worked, minus 20°c to minus 30°c is more typical – and this is in the Antarctic summer! In those conditions if you expose your face it feels like razor blades are being thrown at it. Most of my work was conducted with just one companion, a field assistant (to keep me alive). The isolation was seldom an issue, but I admit there were a few places that preyed on my mind and I was glad to be uplifted at the end of my work. But on good, sunny days, Antarctica is so breathtakingly beautiful that you can forgive it anything.
Q: Why is Antarctica a good place to study volcanoes? Volcanoes elsewhere in the world are almost always strongly weathered or severely obscured by vegetation whereas rock outcrops in Antarctica are vegetationfree and essentially pristine, so you can see details that are almost impossible to see anywhere else. Also, Antarctica is the world’s largest and longest-lived glaciovolcanic province, where volcanoes interacted with the Antarctic ice sheet. Unsurprisingly, I have specialised in understanding glaciovolcanic rocks, so it is a perfect place for me to work.
Q: What can volcanoes tell us about climate change? Almost every eruption of the volcanoes I work on provides a wonderful snapshot of past ice conditions in Antarctica. Since Antarctica hosts the world’s largest ice
sheet and it dominates global climate, it is important to understand how the ice has varied in times past to predict what it might do in future (sea level rise being the most obvious potential impact). We currently use information gleaned from modelling or from marine sedimentary sequences to reconstruct past ice sheet characteristics. But models are always speculative and most marine sediments were deposited far from the ice itself. By contrast, the volcanic rocks were erupted within the ice and they tell us important information about that ice, from where it was actually sitting at the time. It is not perfect, however, because eruptions are specific to a single location and they occur with long intervening periods of repose. But they are still a most important source of ice sheet information unobtainable any other way.
Q: How has the continent changed over the years? The local climate has certainly warmed up. For example when I first entered Antarctica, at its northern periphery, aged 21 years, the worst wet conditions I experienced were simply a scotch mist (drizzle). Within a decade, there was light rain, and in later years there was heavy rain. As a result, many glaciers have lowered and retreated. However, one benefit is that new areas of rock are constantly being exposed so global change can be quite good for geologists working there and it is not all bad!
Q: What are some of your favourite moments from your expeditions to Antarctica? There were very many wonderful times,
Helicopter taking off after deploying geologists, who are sheltering from the violent spindrift caused by the strong downdraught of the helicopter blades. (Photo by John Smellie)
including watching territorial penguins hilariously squabbling over pebbles in their nests; elephant seals fighting and slashing each other’s necks with their fangs till they were a bloody mess; being chased by fur seals along a cobble beach (not so easy); walking on ground that has never seen a human; and the intensely beautiful pristine scenery of Antarctica when the sun comes out. These are some of the great moments. Plus the people I got to know – all with shared interests and goals.
Q: How about the challenges? There were many experiences, obviously, after so many seasons spent researching in Antarctica, but the most memorable are generally those that involved nearlife-changing incidents. I have been on a ship that ran aground and was temporarily abandoned; on another that went on fire;
and in a helicopter hovering at 1,000 m above a previously unvisited ice-capped volcano when the helicopter went on fire and had to make an emergency descent and landing. I have also been up to my neck (thankfully no further) in too many crevasses to be comfortable with; and I once camped for two weeks un-knowingly on the snow bridge of a huge crevasse, so wide that had the bridge collapsed, our entire camp would have simply disappeared and nobody would ever have found out what happened to us. But these were the bad times and they are balanced by the many wonderful experiences I had too.
Q: Congratulations on receiving your second Polar Medal. What does the award mean to you? It came as a great surprise, but obviously
14
Typical field camp in Antarctica, showing how tents get buried by the blowing snow. Once buried, the tent is extremely safe and unlikely to be carried away by strong winds, but digging out can be a problem. (Photo by Tim Burton)
a nice one. I have been asked how I feel to be associated with memorable recipients, like Shackleton and other great explorers. I always respond that I am not in their mould. They did and experienced things that I hope I never do. I regard the award, and particularly the day at the palace with my wife and two daughters, as a reward to them for putting up with me vanishing most winters for several months at a time, usually with essentially no communication during the entire period (just 200 words a month to me in my tent, and 100 words out, spoken over the radio by a radio operator). But I am also aware that the award will always be attached to me and I am very grateful for the honour. As it was the late Queen Elizabeth who gave me my first polar medal, and I shall receive my second from King Charles, I feel very lucky in getting to meet both monarchs.
Q: What’s next? At my age, I am starting to think it may be time to stop working in Antarctica. But after a lifetime spent mainly working there, it is hard to accept. I currently have a proposal being assessed (you can’t work in Antarctica without government funding and working with one of the national Antarctic operators). If it is funded, the fieldwork shall take place at end-2024, so I don’t have to make up my mind for a year. That season would see me return to northern Victoria Land, where I have worked extensively with Italian colleagues. We shall examine volcanic rocks that we believe hold clues to why the volcanism occurred there, as well as to further map the variations in climate from the information that they hold.
- conversations A brand new podcast A fresh perspective in every episode A deep dive into the inspiring work, ideas and experiences of our global alumni community
Join the conversation Episode one now available on all streaming platforms
“Would we accept this?” Alumna and freelance journalist Jen Stout (Sociology, 2012 and 2015) reflects on the war in Ukraine. Destruction of a church in Kharkiv region, March 2023. (Photo by Jen Stout)
17 Jen Stout is an award-winning journalist, writer, and radio producer from Shetland who frequently reports from Ukraine.
Jen Stout (Photo by Andrew Cawley)
“Throughout 2022 I crossed the country, usually by night train, relying on the kindness of Ukrainian friends for help with stories and sofas and sim cards. I reported from the site of a missile strike on a block of flats in Odesa, interviewing the survivors and then standing with them in silence as rescuers carried out bodies wrapped in thick black plastic. I talked to people – using the Russian I’d been learning, on and off, since high school – sheltering in metro stations and dank basements, people trying to tend vegetable patches on the edge of bomb craters, people on the evacuation trains running east to west. All I met was kindness. The war of course affects people differently, but what everyone has in common is anger. At first there was bewilderment, too. Lives change utterly in desperate situations. I’ve seen women in particular take on roles they never thought they could do, find
new strength and resolve. The volunteer networks in place since the first invasion in 2014 have been vital, extending across Europe to help the flow of millions of refugees and bring supplies – humanitarian and military – into the country. Civic society made resistance possible, to a considerable degree. But the price has been staggering. A year on, tens of thousands of Ukrainians are dead. I have seen and photographed far too many graves: makeshift sticks of wood with an address scrawled on them; carefully tended soldiers’ graves with fresh bouquets in every city. The battle over Bakhmut has claimed tens of thousands of lives and it seems incomprehensible that this can continue, but no one I’ve ever met in Ukraine thinks giving up is an option. Giving up would mean occupation. For many this would mean death: especially for my activist friends, the ardent Ukrainians, the volunteers and writers and musicians who are so crucial to this fight. The horrors uncovered in Bucha and Irpin and Izium and Balakliia and countless other towns are the starkest possible warning of what faces people under Russian rule: rape, torture, execution. Mass graves in quiet pine forests. That is why no one can countenance giving up territory, leaving people behind. Those in the west who insist on asking ‘why Ukrainians can’t just negotiate’ should perhaps think about which part of their country they’d give up to such barbarity. Fife? Galloway? Edinburgh? Though it’s been exhausting, I feel extremely lucky to be doing this job. I describe myself as ‘very freelance’; I decide where I’ll go, follow leads and my own curiosity, avoiding the press tours and
18 scrums. I travel with Ukrainian friends or just drive by myself, so far as it’s safe to. I write in-depth articles and radio essays, trying to make them immersive, trying to bring the audience with me. Writing is how I make sense of the world. There are, of course, things I never wanted to make sense of or be confronted by; heavy things that stay with you like the whistle of artillery and the smell of a dead body and the shape of shrapnel wounds in someone’s skin. But I can write about these things, or at least talk about them with other reporters, which dulls their impact. Almost the worst thing is the normalisation of war, as though it could just drag on without end, and there are signs of this everywhere now: the little pop-up bomb shelters being erected in city centres; the grab-bags ready at each flat door; instructions for nuclear and chemical attack pasted in communal stairs. You cannot live like this, not really, stuck in war limbo.
Kyiv residents dance in the subway underpass at Teatralna, March 2023. (Photo by Jen Stout)
Not just rebuilding but healing is badly needed: for the huge numbers of shellshocked soldiers, all the scared and scarred children, for this mountain of grief and loss. Trauma is already being discussed, and tackled – I’ve been reporting on music therapy for kids in Kharkiv – but while the fighting and missile attacks go on, it can’t be the main focus. I don’t tend to make predictions but I can say with certainty, from everything I’ve seen and heard, that people in this country will not give up. Personally, I hope I’m here in 2024, but reporting on the rebuilding that comes with peace.” Words by Jen Stout. Night Train to Odesa, Jen Stout’s debut non-fiction book of stories from the war in Ukraine, is coming out with Polygon on 2nd May 2024. It will be available in major bookshops and online.
19
Opposites attract A lawyer and a doctor share their personal stories of transformation and discovery through online learning. I don’t think I realised my direction until I was doing my undergrad at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. I did a joint degree in Law and Health Administration and also worked for the Autism Society in Cape Breton, working in group homes. My brother had been in foster care then. But he aged out of the children’s aid programme and ended up going into this institution. He was cared for, but it just wasn’t the way we would have wanted. Karla Associate Lawyer Medical Law and Ethics, 2018
I have a lot of family history of medical complications. My brother, who died two years ago, was cognitively and physically disabled in many ways. My whole life I had helped to take care of him, and I had always been very interested in his care. I really wanted to figure out a way to make the world the best I could for my brother, but how could I do that if I didn’t want to be a doctor, nurse or occupational therapist?
So, my parents and I got him into a small group home, very similar to the homes I was working in with the Autism Society. At the meetings we had, I stepped in and asked a lot of questions. I kind of knew the right things to say, what was going on, what we needed to fix. That experience really pushed me to learn a lot more and figure out how I could be a good advocate for my brother. Over the next few years, I really strove to master that world of health law, ethics, and medical law. The Edinburgh programme seemed like a very natural progression for me to build on the things I had already learned but it was more of an intense “deep dive”. It was the perfect fit for me, combining my previous
20 degrees and my own personal experience and interests into one programme. I actually had my first son near the end of the programme too, so it was really nice to be able to find pockets of time to log into forums and contribute, but not feel pressured to be there at a certain time.
“The programme really gave me that confidence boost I needed to think ‘I can pursue my dreams.’” The whole experience gave me a muchneeded confidence boost. I’d had so many things in life that had crushed me. I didn’t have the self-confidence. I really wasn’t sure where it would lead me, but I doing the programme really gave me that confidence boost I needed to think, “Yes, I can do this. I can pursue my dreams.” The programme also affirmed my values. I think I’ve always had a really strong sense of the importance of inclusion for people with different ability levels, but also the acknowledgement that not everyone can be included in the same way. My brother died before he was 30 but had he reached an older age, he could have had dementia coupled with a cognitive impairment. And how do you marry those things, really focusing on that individual? How can our society set up appropriate institutions and programmes?
Illustrations by Philomena Marmion
I bring that focus on the individual from the programme to my practice; I try not to treat two clients the same, because everybody’s experience is so unique.
21 adviser with the Medical Protection Society. In my clinical work, one of the things that interested me a lot was the intersectionality between the frontline and those supporting and making decisions from behind the scenes. Medical legal issues like consent, negligence or public health inequities, got into my psyche quite a bit over the years.
Erin Patient Safety and Risk Advisor Medical Law and Ethics, 2018
I always wanted to help people since I was about four years old and at some point, I announced to my parents, “I’m going to be a doctor and a scientist!” That was basically how it started. I kind of ran with it and always tied that to who I am. I’m originally from the Bahamas, but I went to medical school in China. China was my Everest. I was like, “If I can get my medical degree and finish it in Mandarin, there’s nothing I can’t do if I put my mind to it.” Whilst doing medical training in Singapore, I went to a medical legal forum. I met people who worked at the Medical Protection Society, including a couple of doctors with law degrees. Discussing the shift from informed consent to shared decision-making that got me thinking. How many aspects of the law don’t we see? How many intersect with medicine? Since then, the dream was to become a medicolegal
“I always wanted to help people, since about four years old. At some point, I announced to my parents ‘I’m going to be a doctor and a scientist!’” I was also very keen to look into legislation and regulations around international medical graduates. As an international medical graduate myself, I have had a very long torturous road getting into practice. I’d always wondered what the implications are from a legal standpoint. Is it a perceived legal implication, or is there a real legal implication? It plays into human rights, public health law, and health equity; I actually did my dissertation on that. I was looking for a programme that could cater to my interests and be appreciative of the fact that I wasn’t just a student. I was also working, and I’d need to split my time. I started the Edinburgh programme in Singapore. There were a lot of days where I had to figure out my work schedule, because I worked full time. I did feel part of Edinburgh, even from so far away. I enjoyed the interactions virtually with my cohort, as
22 me use a different part of my brain. It got me out of my comfort zone. I’m now able to look at aspects of both sides of the argument and come to a conclusion.
“I did feel part of Edinburgh, even from so far away.” Currently I’m a Patient Safety and Risk Advisor for an agency in Ontario, looking at risk management and patient safety, with a little bit of medical law and ethical decision-making in there as well. Hopefully in the next 5 to 10 years, I will be licenced in Canada as a medical doctor, and working as a physician advisor with the Canadian Medical Protection Association (similar to the Medical Protection Society in the UK).
well as the advisors and the coordinators. I guess it’s different for different people, though. The experience has a lot to do with what’s going on in your life. While on the Edinburgh programme, I had chosen to relocate to Canada, and that had a time crunch on it. I was also dealing with my dissertation and I had some family issues going on at that time. It was intense but I felt supported, even though I only had that virtual connection with the University. The most enjoyable part was the discussions. I’m not the most confrontational person but I enjoyed arguing! Having to come up with arguments during the discussions helped
Keeping an open mind about different things, or different cultures, has always been there, but the degree actually pushed me further. Whenever I might be becoming a little more narrow in my thought process, I think, “Okay, what am I not seeing here?” It’s helped me to galvanise the vision that I have for myself, as someone who feels that their purpose is to help people. The programme has kind of underlined that. In my job, I’m now looking at things that I do on a daily basis and go, “Okay, is this correct? Is the right way to go?” I can see things as a doctor, as a lawyer and from a client’s perspective. Karla and Erin completed the Medical Law and Ethics (Online Learning) LLM, and graduated in 2018.
Keep learning. Anytime, anywhere.
23
Haste ye back!
Learn online with the University of Edinburgh Whether you graduated in 1972 or 2022, you can continue your Edinburgh learning journey with an online masters or free short online course. Acquire a new skill, start a new hobby, or fuel your professional growth with a short online course on Coursera, edX or FutureLearn. Looking for a bigger challenge? Our transformative online postgraduate degrees have been designed to develop your intellectual skills, complement your work and broaden your career prospects. Choose from 80+ online masters programmes. 10% alumni tuition fee scholarship for masters*
Find out more
@uoe_online @edinburghuniversityonline
www.ed.ac.uk/online-learning
University of Edinburgh Online Learning *Exceptions apply
On a mission Henry Anumudu (Africa and International Development, 2022) tells Enlightened about his work in improving access to education for children around the word, and how it feels to be the winner of this year’s alumni award.
25 Henry is a former Mastercard Foundation scholar. He established the not-forprofit organisation Sharing Life Africa, supporting thousands of young people to get the most out of their education.
“I felt truly honoured when I heard I had won the Being Edinburgh alumni award. I stand on the shoulders of communities without which I would not be here. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program funded my studies in Edinburgh and provided me with the opportunity to immerse myself in my research, unencumbered by financial constraints. I’ve been fortunate to have had the chance to pursue a singular vision regarding life and work. Right after my undergraduate degree in 2014, I started working for a startup company in Abuja, Nigeria. I loved my job but I wanted more - I wanted to give back. So, I volunteered a few hours a week, facilitating leadership sessions for pupils in a secondary school close to my office. It was in the classroom that I first found my life’s mission: to contribute to building a world where every young person has access to the education, skills, and opportunities they need to thrive. Since then, I’ve worked as a teacher, founded and led a grassroots non-profit in Nigeria, and have worked across global organisations rooted in this mission. The problems we face as the human race are complex, and as we inherit an unstable future of climate disasters and widening inequalities, we must, above all, continue
to deepen our investment in people. I’m currently working at Teach for All, an organisation that promotes equal access to education for children. One of my current projects focuses on using storytelling to amplify the diverse voices of young people from around the world – from Nigeria to Austria, Mexico to the Philippines and many more. This allows me to collaborate with inspiring students who are striving to learn and shape their futures within unique contexts. They want to confront the overwhelming obstacles they face by speaking out against social injustices. It’s crucial that we listen to these students and consider their perspectives. They deserve representation at decision-making tables where policies affecting their future are being devised. What does not further my purpose does not come first. Through my journey, I’ve experienced events that have threatened my commitment to work but I’ve found that having a clear sense of purpose built my resilience and helped me to persevere. And the presence of optimism fills me with hope. There is so much going wrong at every level of our society. Yet, maintaining optimism despite it all is an act of courage. We must believe in good and consciously cultivate our own happiness.” The Being Edinburgh award will open for nominations in early 2024: www.ed.ac.uk/ alumni/beingedinburgh-award
Standing up for the ocean Cal Major (Veterinary Medicine, 2012) is a vet surgeon turned ocean advocate and world record holding stand up paddleboarder. She talks to Enlightened about her new TV series Scotland: Ocean Nation and her mission to re-connect people with the blue spaces. Photo by James Appleton
27 When we meet on Zoom, Cal is the midst of moving house. I ask where she’s off to and the Warrington-born adventurer instantly lights up with excitement. “I’m moving to Scotland to start a new chapter on the shore of Loch Broom with my partner James. We’ve been spending more and more time in Ullapool over the last few years and are now moving up.” I’m curious to know what prompted her change of heart and made her part with South West England where she’s been based for the past few years. “Scotland is my absolute favourite country in the world. There’s something about it that feels like home. I think it’s a mixture of unbelievably beautiful scenery, the world class wildlife and the wonderful people I have the great privilege to call friends whom I met during my university years and through exploring the country afterwards.” Given how our conversation has kicked off I assume Cal’s passion for the ocean started in Scotland but it turns out it was a trip to Australia that set her on her current path. “Before I went to Edinburgh to do my degree in 2007, I took a year out. I went to Australia and I learned to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef. I knew then that I wanted to dedicate my life to ocean protection. I did scuba diving quite a bit in the following years. When I graduated in 2012, I spent a couple of months in the Philippines to train to be a divemaster, and all these experiences of immersing myself into the water, and seeing for myself what’s there, have influenced my need to stand up for the ocean.”
At that point ‘standing up’ didn’t carry the literal meaning it does for Cal today. “In 2014 I moved down to the south-west for a job as a small animal vet. I was injured at the time and stand up paddleboarding (SUP) was one of the water sports I was able to do. When I wasn’t working, I was on the water and my paddleboard became my escape into nature. SUP is also the closest thing we have to walking on water!” Fast-forward three years, she became the first woman to circumnavigate the Isle of Skye in a solo, unsupported SUP expedition. A year later in 2018, she set off on a 1000-mile adventure and travelled the length of the UK, from Land’s End to John O’Groats. The route has been completed on almost every mode of transport imaginable but never on a stand up paddleboard, earning Cal a Guinness World Record. But the titles weren’t the key drive behind Cal’s SUP expeditions. “When paddleboarding along the southwest coast, I was starting to notice the sheer amount of plastic on beaches. I was going to really remote places and coves that you couldn’t get to by land that were just covered in plastic. I just wanted to talk to people about it. I got into stand up paddleboarding in a big way and decided to use adventure as an engaging vehicle to deliver my message and to help people see what they could do to change things.” In 2021, Cal set off on what she calls ‘the biggest adventure to date’, an 800-mile SUP expedition around Scotland. I was curious to know what it was about this journey that topped her previous experiences.
28 “Firstly, there was a really important set of messages that I wanted to get across and it felt very urgent. Secondly, it’s the seas around Scotland, especially the more remote parts of the Highlands and the north coast that are technically incredibly challenging. I was paddling around places like Cape Wrath with sheer cliffs that you can’t get out from. Then it’s the man-eating midges as well; there are so many reasons why the conditions in Scotland were more extreme than anywhere else I paddled before. There was also a massive amount of learning for me on the expedition and not just from the technical paddleboarding point of view but in terms of what I was learning about Scotland’s seas and its coastal communities.”
wildlife and ecosystems and I was intrigued to know what encounters got ingrained in her mind.
Her 10-week journey around the Scottish coastline was documented in Scotland: Ocean Nation, a new three-part STV series. This incredibly emotional yet inspiring adventure offers a unique perspective on Scotland’s coast, the wildlife and ecosystem within in and what people can do to safeguard it.
But during the expedition, Cal was also confronted with a heart-breaking experience.
“My partner James and I are filmmakers. We wanted to make a series for broadcast, rather than a YouTube video, to reach the audience outside of our existing networks. The series delves into our human connection to the sea, into how individually and as communities we’re all connected to the ocean, and the important role that the ocean plays in all of our lives. One of the main things I wanted to get across with the series was to show to people what’s out of sight, out of mind in our ocean; what’s happening to it that we don’t see.” Along the way, Cal experienced spectacular
“One of the best experiences was snorkeling in some of the most amazing biodiverse hotspots around the Scottish coast. It was wonderful to see just how much life is underwater, the same amount and diversity of life as somewhere like the Great Barrier Reef, which sparked this passion in me so long ago. It all looks a bit different, the water a bit colder but it’s still so beautiful and mesmerising. From seeing the really tiny intricate reefs to being joined by a pod of orca, these wildlife experiences made me feel even more passionately about protecting our seas.”
“I came across a dead baby humpback whale, which was entangled in ropes and creel pots. Despite having known all the stats about marine mammal entanglement, and talking about it for several years in my advocacy work, actually seeing it for myself was a very different experience, and it really hit home.” Seeing the good and bad first-hand helped Cal better understand why ocean conservation topics are so hard for people to grasp. “On land, we can see destruction, we can see degrading activities, and we can see biodiversity loss much more readily than we can underwater. Marine conservation is therefore very different to terrestrial conservation. For several years now, I’ve
29
Photo by James Appleton
had a passion in connecting people to the sea in this appreciation that people will protect what they love, but they can only love what they know.” To help people build their own relationship with the ocean, she set up a charity called Seaful. “The whole point of the charity is to help people find a connection to the ocean, and I think the best way we can do that is to help them experience it for themselves so they can figure out what the ocean means to them personally. We help people connect to the water both for the mental health benefits, and also so that they might find a connection to the water and understand it a bit more and want to care for it. We also do this through film.” But how we can generate a wave of excitement towards protecting our ocean in landlocked communities, I ask Cal. “If there’s a place in nature, that really means something to you - it doesn’t have to be the sea, it could be a lake, or just somewhere in nature that really sings to you - and there’s someone in your
community that hasn’t ever had the chance to go there, share the experience with them and help them fall in love with it too. Aside from that I think film and media have a really big role to play.” Now the Scotland: Ocean Nation series is out, I wondered what’s next for Cal Major. “I feel like now and going forward my responsibility is to the wildlife and the animals in the ocean, rather than the individual animals that are treated in the clinic. I was recently asked to be an ambassador for the National Trust for Scotland, which is a huge honour. I’d also love to learn to sail and when I mentioned this to a friend I met when paddling around Scotland, he and his wife very kindly donated their sailing boat to my partner James and I. The boat had been on a mooring for a couple of years in Ullapool which is another reason why we’re so excited to be up there. So what’s next is learning to sail and then getting out to further afield places, telling the stories that need to be told from there, and helping other people experience them as well. I’m excited about this new adventure.”
When art meets the world The 2023 Edinburgh College of Art Graduate Show
31 Each summer, Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) welcomes the public into its heart for the Graduate Show, where diverse creative disciplines come together, encouraging collaboration and experimentation. It’s a time when, after months of hard work and meticulous preparation, students from Art, Design, Music, Architecture and Landscape Architecture present their creations to the public. This year over 15,000 people visited the shows across the duration of the event. Here’s just a snapshot of what this year had to offer. Visit this website to discover a display of over 6000 images across 22 programmes: www.graduateshow.eca.ed.ac.uk
© Edinburgh College of Art, 2023
Left: ‘Orinico’ by Biz Sutton, BA (Hons) Performance Costume. Right: ‘Lorem Ipsum: Unveiling the Hyperreal Symulacra’ by Grace Perrone, BA (Hons) Fashion.
32
Above left: An installation by Jackie Bell, BA (Hons) Sculpture. Above right: ‘Óstöðvandi Orku’ by Angeni Perez-Jamieson, BA (Hons) Sculpture. Below: A display from the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.
Above: ‘Big heads! Get bigger’ by Niamh Layson, BA (Hons) Intermedia. Below left: An installation from students of The Reid School of Music. Below right: A chance to buy the artwork of our talented illustration students.
Platform One Platform One is the University’s unique online space for getting careers advice, informal mentoring and professional connections from your fellow graduates. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for help with your next steps, join today and connect with people who can help you on your career journey.
Find out more and join at: www.platform-one.ed.ac.uk
35
Reimagining travel Buckle up for a journey into the exciting realm of travel innovation, as Edinburgh’s student society, HYPED, takes centre stage in designing a revolutionary path for the way we traverse the world. HYPED’s President, Juraj Pavlovic, gives us an exclusive peek into the thrilling possibilities of high-speed transport systems, leadership growth, and audacious dreams.
Juraj, a third year Electronics and Electrical Engineering student, envisions a future where travel is redefined. His vision involves interlinking airports through a cutting-edge high-speed transport system named Hyperloop - a concept that could dramatically shrink travel times between cities, potentially mitigating the environmental footprint left by domestic flights. But why connect airports that are already linked? Juraj responds with passion, “We’re talking about elevating departure frequencies to unprecedented levels. Some Hyperloop companies are aiming for departures every 30 seconds within a mere two-minute interval. This surpasses flight frequencies between airports. Imagine creating a colossal UK mega-airport, transforming the nation into a travel hub. This boost in connectivity would bridge the gap between distant cities, redistributing
flight traffic across airports. This could make projects like Heathrow expansions unnecessary and render less eco-friendly domestic flights obsolete.” Enter Hyperloop - an innovative mode of transport that rocketed to fame after entrepreneur Elon Musk introduced it in his groundbreaking 2013 research paper, Hyperloop Alpha. This concept shatters
36 traditional travel norms, propelling pods at speeds surpassing 1000 km/h through elevated tubes, promising lightning-fast journeys. While numerous global corporations delve into Hyperloop technology, a vibrant student community also fuels innovation in this arena. Juraj’s voyage into Hyperloop began serendipitously when he stumbled upon HYPED during the University’s societies fair. As he recalls, “I chanced upon HYPED and was encouraged to talk to these intriguing people. So, I did. Attending their welcome event, I found a trove of captivating concepts to explore.” Taking an active role, Juraj engaged with the propulsion team as a manufacturing project manager, gaining valuable handson lab experience along the way. Before long, he embraced leadership, first as Head of Propulsion and now ascending to the presidency, overseeing 150 driven members.
“Imagine a day when we all embark on a Hyperloop adventure together - that’s the thrilling prospect that fuels us.” Since its 2015 inception, HYPED has earned a stellar reputation as one of the UK’s premier student Hyperloop teams. Honours from SpaceX, Virgin Hyperloop, and the Institution of Civil Engineers adorn their journey. Past members have interned at
renowned organisations like NASA, SpaceX, and Google. Furthermore, numerous alumni of HYPED have showcased their entrepreneurial spirit by founding their own companies after university. The HYPED journey advances along through the work of five key teams: the technical squad engineers Hyperloop pod prototypes, showcased at global competitions like the European Hyperloop Week. The research unit pioneers groundwork for innovation, crafting proposals that span from connecting airports to the award-winning 55-minute London-to-Edinburgh link. A third ensemble focuses on outreach, harnessing Hyperloop’s allure to spark STEM passion in young minds. Meanwhile, the business team identifies sponsorship opportunities and looks after marketing, and a group of logistical experts are tasked with organising the society’s involvement in the annual Hyperloop Week, which this year took place in Edinburgh.
37 For Juraj, this endeavour thrums with excitement, “We stand on the precipice of innovation, contributing to meaningful progress.” “One of the core principles of Hyperloop technology is the pursuit of nearfrictionless, energy-efficient travel. The traditional wheeled transportation systems we’ve grown accustomed to are inevitably hindered by the friction between the wheels and the surface, which not only limits speed but also increases energy consumption and maintenance needs. HYPED is taking on this challenge by aiming to develop its first levitating pod. This is a revolutionary step in how we conceptualise transportation.” Last year’s pod prototype laid the groundwork by incorporating a single sided linear induction motor as a contactless propulsion system and an active suspension system which allowed the team to extend or retract the pod’s wheels based on the travel conditions. This was a big step
for HYPED, but still just the precursor to what they are setting out to achieve: a fullfledged levitation system. “The Technical Team’s ambitious goal is to completely eliminate the wheels,” says Juraj, “thereby entirely eradicating ground friction. By implementing magnetic levitation we will be able to achieve speeds and efficiencies previously thought unattainable. This levitating system will not only allow us to reach unprecedented speeds but will also significantly reduce operational costs and energy consumption, making the system more sustainable.” And reflecting on his journey, Juraj shares, “In each role at HYPED, I’ve imbibed fresh insights. From working with hand tools in the lab to managing a sizeable 150-member team, I’ve honed time management and decision-making skills. Flexibility in leadership has been key, acknowledging diverse approaches. These skills will prove invaluable wherever life takes me.”
Learn about HYPED: www.hyp-ed.com
38
Artificial Intelligence: a ghost story Until we finally reckon with ourselves and our institutions, writes Professor Shannon Vallor, AI will haunt us with ghosts of our own injustice and cruelty - reanimated in software. Sylverarts via Getty Images
39 Many wonder how the emergence of artificially intelligent machines will impact humanity over the next century – are humans on the verge of being replaced by machine intelligence, or rendered irrelevant, as some have speculated? Are we witnessing in machine agency the birth of a new, alien form of life that we cannot hope to understand? Are we fated to compete with machines for dominance, or to merge with them, as Elon Musk stated? These are natural questions to ask for beings that, like most animals, have deep evolutionary reasons to pay attention to anything new in our environment that might be an agent. Agents change things – they take action for purposes that appear to be their own. Typically we look for agency in living things, but not always. We may struggle to see the agency of a mushroom or oak tree, but it can take effort for humans not to see agency in a simmering and unpredictable volcano or a rapacious wildfire. Or a problem-solving machine. AI includes a broad range of new computing technologies, many components of which have no apparent agency at all. But because AI can be a powerful tool for creating artificial machine agents – from ChatGPT to Alexa and Siri, to social robots that greet us in hotels, to Internet bots that pose as aggrieved or enthusiastic voters, to generative language models that write stories for us – it’s natural to begin think of AI as a new kind of agency that might radically challenge or overtake our own. The reality, however, is far more prosaic yet no less challenging for humanity to
confront. The challenge is not a new form of life entering our world; AI is not an alien consciousness that asks us to meet and understand and negotiate with it. The challenge is of a wholly different kind, that of living in a world that we have begun to populate with an ever expanding and replicating army of digital ghosts – ghosts of ourselves.
“[We are] living in a world that we have begun to populate with an ever expanding and replicating army of digital ghosts – ghosts of ourselves.” AI agency is, and will remain for the foreseeable future, our agency – only externalised, altered, extended, embedded and embodied in a multitude of new and sometimes surprising forms, virtual
40 and physical. AI systems today – driven by techniques known as machine learning – work by being fed mountains of human-generated data: records of human movements, observations, measurements, utterances, categories, choices and preferences. The data is fed into highly complex mathematical matrices designed (by humans) to extract patterns and correlations that we can turn into new insights and predictions – or in the case of artificial agents, to generate a range of actions that we find useful or interesting. Notice that even these new forms of agency – the purposeful actions that AI generates – are still ours, as they are constituted from our human ways of seeing, sorting, labelling, and moving in the world. Even when an AI system process generates a surprising new behaviour that serves our aims, it is humans who classify this as an achievement to be enabled, rather than an error to be ignored or suppressed. We define the line between an intelligent signal and meaningless statistical noise. Many would rather see in AI today what science fiction has always imagined – machine minds that allow us to view the world through new eyes, the material satisfaction of our desire to encounter alien forms of intelligent life that might show us purposes beyond our own. While this desire can perhaps be fulfilled by more properly recognising other forms of intelligent life on Earth, it would be a profound error to think of AI in the way we rightly think of whales, crows, cephalopods, apes and elephants. It is far better to think of AI as ghosts. Ghosts, as traditionally imagined, do not point us to alien or inhuman possibilities. Rather, ghosts in art and literature
represent our need to more fully reckon with ourselves, our relationships to one another, and the unresolved legacies of our past. From Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved to Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, ghosts represent injustices unacknowledged, wounds unhealed, secrets untold, crimes unforgiven, loves unfulfilled, promises unkept.
“Ghosts in art and literature represent our need to reckon with ourselves... and the unresolved legacies of our past.” When AI systems replicate and expose, as they so often do, the powerful patterns of human exclusion, discrimination and cruelty embedded in our own data, we are not seeing a machine spontaneously form racist or sexist or ableist intentions. We are seeing digital ghosts of our own injustice and cruelty, reanimated in software. When AI facial recognition systems refuse to see black faces, when commercial computer vision AI systems can’t be trusted to fairly apply gender labels, and when natural language-processing chatbots spout sexist or genocidal sentiments, we need to understand what is happening. We are not being oppressed by a new, inhuman mechanical evil. We are being haunted by our own ghosts. Fortunately, ghost stories aren’t always stuck in the past, and neither are we. In works such as the film Beetlejuice, ghosts
41 also represent an expansion of possibilities. Ghosts explore the new things we might do with access to virtual bodies and spaces. They reveal the harms we could confront, rectify and repudiate in a new phase of our existence. They suggest the richer aesthetic, moral and spiritual values we might find in a liminal dimension that allows us to see just a bit further than our own. The future of AI could, if we choose, be this kind of ghost story. It could be the story of humans that unwittingly create, in the liminal space of software, a relentless army of angry ghosts that keep haunting us with magnified visions of our past cruelties and unkept promises – until we finally reckon more fully with ourselves and our institutions, with what we have been, with what we have failed to be, and with what we can finally be free to become. That’s the kind of ghost story I like to read. Maybe it’s one AI can help us write together. This article was first published by The New Real in 2021 and is featured in The New Real Magazine, Edition One at: www.newreal.cc/magazine
Professor Shannon Vallor Professor Shannon Vallor is the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Edinburgh Futures Institute at the University of Edinburgh, where she is also appointed in Philosophy. She is a Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute, Oversight Board Member at the Ada Lovelace Institute, and a standing member of Stanford’s AI100 longitudinal expert study of AI.
Celebrating 60 years of AI research at Edinburgh 2023 marks 60 years of researching Computer Science and AI at the University of Edinburgh. Discover our history of AI and Computer Science and take a look to the future: edin.ac/60-years-computer-science-ai
42
60 years of reunions! As the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies celebrates its bicentenary, five vet alumni reveal why they have been reuniting every year since they graduated in 1963.
R
t ober
rk! t wo
a
Robert - gra duation day, 1963
Robert Brechin
a vet and s determined to be By the age of 12 I wa tober at Summerhall in Oc took up my studies be t, fore we were all shy bu 1958. That first day ily with ed like one big fam long, we were bond e. the same aim in lif of my ntact with several Although I’d had co I was a bit r 1963 graduation, classmates since ou ed. But I first reunion I attend diffident about the r been ve ed - it was like I’d ne needn’t have worri unity m m into a close-knit co d away. I was drawn an s , sharing in the hope and of like-minded folk es rri wo uld face our inner w aspirations. We co ho ar , share ideas, and he concerns together ofession. challenges in our pr others were facing
43 Liana Mid
dleton
at the 2023 class
Liana reunion
William Dick founded the Vet School in 1823
In 2023, o ur c last reunio lass decided to hold n in May. It o was a mem ur occasion, made eve o rable n more sp warm welc ecial by th ome from e the now locate d at ‘The B Dick Vet, which is ush’. The reunio ns were org a of us in tu rn and too nised by each k place at our respec or n tive home s - meanin ear spanned d g th elightful lo cations all ey’ve world, inc o luding Ind onesia, Ba ver the Borneo an li, Sumatr d Canada a, . We had in credible e xperience riding elep s, from ha witnessing nts to planting trees , exotic wild life like Ora navigating ngutans, rapids, an d getting d under Nia renched gara Falls.
Alan Wilson As a student at the Dick Vet, I forged many lifelong friendships, and upon graduation, I felt well-prepared to take on the world. Edinburgh bestowed upon me not only a quality education but also my beloved wife and a strong spiritual foundation that would guide the rest of my life. I’ve cherished attending 12 of the 60 class reunions that have taken place. They’ve not only served as a means of staying connected with the vet profession in the UK, but have also lead to significant contributions such as the establishment of a Dick 63 Mahogany tree forest in Sumatra and the donation of the Dick 63 women’s cricket cup, which is contested annually.
Alan Wilso
n
44
John Trethewey On a cold October morning in 1958, fifty two anxious students gathered on the steps of the Dick Vet at Summerhall Square. Little did we know that five years later only half of us would graduate!
John Trethewey
I remember in second year, during rag week, a few of us set off for Aberdeen and pretended to present their Charity Queen with flowers. She loved it and was a great sport. Our annual reunions were started by me in Oxford. Having met my wife to-be, we invited a number of our class to our engagement party. It was decided to meet again the following year and we have just held our 60th Reunion. I have managed to attend them all!
David Carnegie
ith ohn wen J d n Alan a arity Que or h the C oger Winds R and
Daavvid D id CCaarrn n egie
At aged just 16, I joined 52 students at the Dick Vet. I lived in ‘digs’ near Tollcross, where my landlady prepared meals for £2 and fifteen shillings per week, though shoe-cleaning requests were met with a humorous “No - this is not the Ritz!” My subsequent career has included being a partner in my father’s practice in Cumbria; opening my own practice; and working with DEFRA during the foot and mouth epidemic. I cherish my life as a vet, and our reunions have played an important role. Our visit to Easter Bush in May highlighted the progress with modern technology - William Dick’s legacy lives on.
Read more from our 1963 vets in digital Enlightened: www.ed.ac.uk/c/ enlightened-issue-06
45
A life-changing gift in the running In 2022, Mathematics graduate and avid runner Neil pledged a legacy to the University in his Will. Here, he tells us how he came to join our Carlyle Circle of pledgers at just 43 years old. “I feel fortunate to have avoided financial worries during my time at Edinburgh, as I received an Open Bursary which covered my tuition fees. That’s really what gave me the mental space to focus on my degree, and time to get involved in university sport. As part of the Hare & Hounds (cross country running club), I went from struggling round the Meadows in October of my first year to running a half-marathon the following summer. I also occasionally trained with the Orienteering club and served as Honorary Treasurer of the Sports Union. Through these clubs, I made many longlasting friendships and great memories on and off the field. I distinctly remember the Hare & Hounds’ training weekends in the Easter holidays, when 12 to 15 of us would go away for a bit of running somewhere remote. In my second year, we went to Arran and experienced a beautiful morning running in Glen Rosa, before climbing Goat Fell in the afternoon. I always looked forward to advanced circuits at the Pleasance Centre too.
Admittedly, Alan Chainey and Jim Aitken shouting “they’re not press-ups, they’re modern art” is maybe not a fond memory, but certainly a vivid one! To this day, their sessions are the most intense I’ve ever experienced.
46 Even after graduating, my involvement in sports continued to impact my life quite profoundly. I applied for a lot of graduate jobs in financial services – and faced a lot of rejections. In the one interview I was offered, pretty much every answer I gave related back to my work on the Hare & Hounds and Sports Union committees; twenty years later, I’m still working here at UBS. When I later moved to Hong Kong, I wanted to continue running competitively as I had at university. So I joined a local club – which is where I met my wife!
“The best clubs I’ve been involved with have always been those that encouraged participation at all levels of ability.” The best clubs I’ve been involved with have been those that welcomed anyone and encouraged participation at all levels of ability. In the Hare & Hounds we had the Scottish under-20’s cross-country champion, but also folk who were happy doing slow laps of the Meadows on a Monday night. With a lot of sports, you do need to “know what you’re doing” to unlock the enjoyment. Good, patient coaching does this; being able to see your performance levels improve and hit your goals is hugely rewarding. Not having children of my own, I’ve maybe turned my thoughts to a legacy a bit earlier than others. By supporting the Access Edinburgh Scholarships, I hope to help keep university financially accessible irrespective of background.
Volunteering for the Insights programme over the past few years has opened my eyes to the risks of tomorrow’s potential students facing barriers to entry. Capable, qualified students should never be priced out of an education. I also worry that public discourse focused on churning out employable STEM graduates, coupled with the burden of debt many face, nudges young people towards academic choices based on perceived “usefulness” rather than what truly excites them. I hope the availability of financial support will allow students to instead focus on a subject they have a true passion for. In the same vein, by supporting the Sports Union I hope that extracurricular activities - central to so many graduates’ formative years - continue to be a major part of the student experience. For me these are invaluable, not just a bit of fun on the side. I firmly believe students who embrace both academic and extracurricular opportunities get the most out of their university years. I have a great deal of faith in Edinburgh as an institution and confidence a legacy left to the university will be used responsibly and impactfully. For those considering the same, I’d emphasise the countless ways supporting the university can have impact, with a vast range of vital research and programmes tacking the world’s most urgent issues. Besides, ‘Welcome to the Carlyle Circle’ does have a rather nice ring to it!” This article was originally published in Your Impact, a bi-annual mailing for our generous community of supporters.
Leave a gift in your Will
47
If you are considering leaving a legacy to the University, please email the Head of Legacies Morag.Murison@ed.ac.uk to discuss your options, or call +44 (0) 131 650 2240. Alternatively, complete the below form and post to: Freepost UNIVERSITY REPLY Development and Alumni, Charles Stewart House 9-16 Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1HT
(Please note, ‘UNIVERSITY REPLY’ needs to be in capitals)
I wish to help Edinburgh continue its pioneering work. Name Address Postcode Tel No.
Please tick one of the following: I have already included a gift to the University in my Will
I would like to discuss a possible gift with the Head of Legacies
I am considering a gift to the University in my Will
Privacy statement: All personal information is held securely by the University and in accordance with Data Protection Law. We use information about you because we have a legal obligation to do so, you have provided consent, or we believe it is in our legitimate interest. The data we hold will be used by the University, or other parties acting under the instructions of the University, for a range of activities. These include sending publications and information, offering benefits and services, organising events, membership administration and in our fundraising and volunteering programmes. We do not and will not sell any of your personal information to third parties. We conduct due diligence and research into the philanthropic interests and means of a limited number of individuals to help decide whether and on what basis to approach them, and to ensure that our fundraising activity is directed in the most appropriate and effective way. If you’d like to find out more, you can view our full privacy notice at www.ed.ac.uk/ development-alumni/privacy or visit our web site. If you wish to update your details or how we contact you, email yourdata@ed.ac.uk or write to Development and Alumni, University of Edinburgh, Charles Stewart House, 9-16 Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1HT or call us on +44 (0) 131 650 2240. Alternatively, if you are part of the University alumni community, you can update your details using our alumni portal: www.ed.ac.uk/alumni/services/portal
@edalumni @edinburghalumni @edalumni
Created by: Development and Alumni Charles Stewart House 9-16 Chambers Street Edinburgh, EH1 1HT enlightened@ed.ac.uk Editorial team: Kristina Benova Brian Campbell Sam Corcoran
All opinions expressed are those of individuals and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Edinburgh. This document has been printed on 100% recycled FSC accredited material in line with the University Social Responsibility and Sustainability policies. The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336, VAT Registration Number GB 592 9507 00, and is acknowledged by the UK authorities as a “Recognised body” which has been granted degree awarding powers. The University of Edinburgh Development Trust is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC004307.