Latest Episode
Digital communications during the pandemic
Professor Chris van der Kuyl FRSE, Chairman and Co-founder of 4J Studios, brings together experts and young people from a variety of youth organisations and schools across Scotland to discuss topics like mental health in young people during lockdown, the potential positives and pitfalls of digital connectivity, the accuracy of data and ‘fake news’ in social media spaces, and virtual togetherness as a safe alternative for young people to connect.
Recorded as part of one of the RSE’s Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission’s four Working Groups work examining the role of Data, Evidence and Science and the lessons that can be learned in the wake of the pandemic.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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Launching the third series of the RSE’s Tea and Talk Podcast, RSE Chief Executive Rebekah Widdowfield chats with RSE Fellows, Talat Yaqoob and Louise Macdonald OBE. They look at how the public has been informed and engaged during the Covid-19 pandemic and how we can build on this experience to improve both public debate and participation in decision-making.
Talat is a Scottish campaigner and writer focused on women’s equality, race equality and intersectional analysis of policy. Louise is National Director of the Institute of Directors in Scotland, former Chief Executive of Young Scot and among many other roles is Co-Chair of the National Advisory Council of Women and Girls.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
As an end-of-year special we thought we would share this illuminating and entertaining conversation between award-winning actor and comedian Janey Godley and Kirsty Wark FRSE. This interview investigates some of the ways in which communication has become important during the pandemic and was initially recorded as part of the Public Debate and Participation work strand in December 2020 at The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow.
You can watch the full interview with visuals (and captions) here.
Read a full transcript of the conversation here.
Continue the conversation by joining the dedicated Facebook group here.
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Welcome back for another series of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s ‘Tea & Talk’ Podcast; a series of conversations with some of Scotland’s leading authorities on the impact of Covid-19, featuring Fellows of the RSE and members of their Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.
In Episode 5, RSE Chief Executive Dr Rebekah Widdowfield chats with Professor Niamh Nic Daéid FRSE about using the learning from the Covid-19 pandemic to enhance Scotland’s ability to effectively utilise data, evidence, and science in preparing for and responding to future challenges.
Professor Nic Daéid is director at the award-winning Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee and an authorised forensic chemist working on areas as diverse as fire investigation, clandestine drug chemistry, and explosives. A member of RSE’s Post-Covid Futures Commission, Niamh chairs its working group on Data, Evidence and Science.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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Welcome back for another series of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s ‘Tea & Talk’ Podcast; a series of conversations with some of Scotland’s leading authorities on the impact of Covid-19, featuring Fellows of the RSE and members of their Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.
In Episode 4, RSE Chief Executive, Dr Rebekah Widdowfield chats with Caroline Gardner FRSE about using the learning from the Covid-19 pandemic to support inclusive public services and innovative thinking.
Caroline was the auditor general for Scotland between 2012 and 2020 during a period of significant growth in Scotland’s financial powers; and has the passion for evidence led change to deliver better outcomes. Caroline is a member of the RSE’s Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission and chairs its working group on Inclusive Public Service. She also sits on the expert panel supporting the independent review of adult social care by Scottish Government.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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Welcome back for another series of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s ‘Tea & Talk’ Podcast; a series of conversations with some of Scotland’s leading authorities on the impact of Covid-19, featuring Fellows of the RSE and members of their Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.
In Episode 3, RSE Chief Executive Rebekah Widdowfield chats with Professor Sir Ian Boyd FRSE about using the learning from Covid-19 to enhance Scotland’s resilience to deal with large-scale disruptions and challenges of the future.
Sir Ian is currently a Professor in Biology at the University of St Andrews and from 2012 to 2019 he was Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He is also a member of the RSE’s Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission chairing the Building National Resilience Working Group. Who better to speak to us on this important issue?
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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Welcome back for another series of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s ‘Tea & Talk’ Podcast; a series of conversations with some of Scotland’s leading authorities on the impact of Covid-19, featuring Fellows of the RSE and members of their Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.
In Episode 2, Dr Rebekah Widdowfield talks to Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak about launching the Lighthouse Labs, the UK’s capacity for testing at such scale, and the need for collaboration between science and industry.
Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak is Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Glasgow; Honorary Consultant Physician, Endocrinologist and Non-Executive Member of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board; and Health Innovation Champion for the Medical Research Council. In 2016, she was awarded a DBE for services to cardiovascular and medical science.
Professor Dominiczak is currently seconded to the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK Government as Director of Laboratories for the Covid-19 National Testing Programme. In March 2020, she successfully led the establishment of the Lighthouse Laboratory in Glasgow (LLiG), part of what will be the biggest network of diagnostic testing facilities in British history, alongside other Lighthouse Lab sites in Milton Keynes and Alderley Park. The Lighthouse Lab project is funded by the UK Government, and has been established to dramatically increase the number of coronavirus tests that can take place each day to support the national effort.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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Welcome back for another series of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s ‘Tea & Talk’ Podcast; a series of conversations with some of Scotland’s leading authorities on the impact of Covid-19, featuring Fellows of the RSE and members of their Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.
Launching a new series of Tea and Talk, Episode 1 features Dame Seona Reid FRSE —Chair of The National Theatre of Scotland, and a Commissioner of the Inclusive Public Service Working Group. Dr Rebekah Widdowfield talks to Dame Seona Reid about the impact of Covid-19 on culture and the creative arts.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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Wrapping up this series of Tea and Talk, Episode 7 features Talat Yaqoob — Independent consultant and researcher, and a member of the RSE Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission. We discuss how Covid-19 has highlighted inequalities across various sectors across the country, including the economy, employment, healthcare and childcare. What steps can we take to ensure society is fairer for all in the future?
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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Episode 6 of ‘Tea and Talk’ features Fergus Linehan, Festival Director and CEO of Edinburgh International Festival. Fergus chats to us about the impact Covid-19 has had on arts and culture, how the way we have consumed the arts has changed, and what roads to recovery for venues and festivals are possible.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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In Episode 5 of ‘Tea and Talk’ we talk to Nasar Meer, Professor of Race, Identity and Citizenship in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Nasar discusses the impact of Covid-19 on black and ethnic minority groups across Scotland and the UK.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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‘Tea and Talk’ returns for Episode 4: with Dr. Stella Chan of the University of Edinburgh, and an alumni member of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland. This time we discuss how lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic have affected people’s mental health, how mental health services may be impacted post-lockdown, and coping strategies for difficult times like the present.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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Episode 3: of our ‘Tea and Talk’ podcast dives into the social science and analysis of public behaviours during the Covid-19 pandemic, as Dr. Rebekah Widdowfield chats with Professor Stephen Reicher of the University of St Andrews. How have people reacted to lockdown measures? How did experts expect them to react? Why is a collective mentality so important during crises?
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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In Episode 2 of our ‘Tea and Talk’ podcast, Dr. Rebekah Widdowfield chats with the CEO of Novabiotics, Dr. Deborah O’Neil about the efficacy of creating drugs, how the vaccine development process works, current efforts being made to produce treatments for Covid-19, and how the current pandemic has affected our approach to global production and collaboration.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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In the first episode of the Royal Society of Edinburgh‘s ‘Tea and Talk’ podcast, RSE Chief Executive, Dr. Rebekah Widdowfield chats with RSE President, Professor Dame Anne Glover about the importance of using science and scientific evidence to inform government policy, how these have been used in the UK during the current Covid-19 crisis, and the launch of the RSE’s Post-Covid-19 Futures Commission.
A full transcript of this conversation is available here.
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