rse @ lochaber 2012-13 · by newspaper reporters and the rse christmas lecture, held at lochaber...

RSE @ Lochaber 2012-13

Summary Report

1. Overview

The RSE @ Lochaber project was delivered across the region, from Mallaig in the

north, to Kilchoan and Kinlochleven in the South and the Small Isles in the west,

between September 2012 and October 2013. The programme included talks, lectures,

exhibitions and workshops involving school children aged 6 to 18 years, college

students and members of the wider public. The activities tapped into the knowledge and

expertise of the RSE Fellowship and other relevant experts and those aimed at school

children also had strong links to the curriculum. Many events involved a wide range of

partners, including primary and secondary schools, the local college and local agencies

/ groups from within the area.

The initiative aimed to enhance and improve the understanding and appreciation that

people, particularly school aged children, have for their local community, by

encouraging a sense of belonging to an area rich in cultural, natural and human

resources. From the excellent feedback received, this was achieved and to enable

wider dissemination, reports of public events were made available on the RSE web site

and these are still available to download.

2. Outcomes of Project

The RSE @ Lochaber project was a success and the number of events planned, were

achieved.

Events took place throughout the region with a good geographic spread.

The attendance at individual events was often better than anticipated with 2,737 people

attending overall. Comments from the local community indicated that attendance was

similar to or higher than like events taking place in the region.

The feedback from events was excellent and of the feedback received, 94% indicated

that their learning and understanding of the subject had improved.

Comments made by event attendees showed a lack of previous knowledge about the

Royal Society of Edinburgh and little previous understanding of its remit and goals. As

such, the presence of the RSE in Lochaber helped raise awareness of the Society’s

activities.

Postcode data showed attendees at events came from a wide area and, besides a

couple of exceptions where individuals had travelled over 70 miles, it also showed that

people rarely travelled too far from their immediate vicinity to attend events.

Media coverage of events was good and improved from a previous RSE @ project in

Dumfries and Galloway. Details of events and press releases were sent to local media,

resulting in both editorial coverage and event listings. Some events were also attended

by newspaper reporters and the RSE Christmas Lecture, held at Lochaber High School,

was webcast live by BBC Scotland. In addition, a ‘Case review of the Appin murder’

event was covered by local and national media including BBC Radio Scotland, BBC

Radio 5 Live and BBC Alba. We hope to build on this experience in the future.

The initial impression of Lochaber being an area rich in cultural, natural and human

resources was proven correct. Indeed, narrowing down the options for topics for public

and school talk was challenging, with many equally valuable and deserving of inclusion.

The programme was developed to reflect multi-disciplinarity and, in terms of schools

events, to reflect the needs of the school curriculum.

Written reports of the public events were made available on the RSE website, enabling

those that could not attend to have access. These reports will remain on the RSE

website to enable wider dissemination.

Initially there was some difficulty in engaging local primary schools in the programme.

This was addressed through meetings with the local Education Officer who helped to

promote the RSE @ Lochaber programme to these schools. Many of the primary

schools in the region had concerns because they were very small and had composite

classes of mixed age groups. They were assured that the RSE @ Lochaber programme

was interested in working with them, despite their small size, and workshops were

specifically tailored to cater for them.

Willingness amongst the RSE Fellowship and local and national organisations to be

involved with the project was extremely high and we were encouraged by this. Indeed,

the project could not have been possible without the support of project supporters- The

Dulverton Trust, The James Weir Foundation, Beltane Public Engagement Network,

RSE Sillitto Fund, RSE Heggie Fund RSE Fleck Fund, The Mackintosh Foundation, G

M Morrison Charitable Trust and Scottish Book Trust – Live Literature Fund and the

participation of all those who gave their time and energy in making it a success.

Feedback showed the RSE @ project was a welcome presence in Lochaber:

The Large Hadron Collider, the Higgs Boson and Other Questions about

the Universe by Professor Peter Clarke FRSE, 20 September 2013, Ardnamurchan

High School and West Highland College, Kilchoan

“Professor Clarke explained the Large Hadron Collider in a way which was stimulating to pupils and teachers. The event was excellently managed…We hope that there will be further opportunities for guest speakers to come to AHS”

Exploring the Dark Side of the Universe by Professor Martin Hendry, 2 November

2012, Ardnamurchan High School

“… the students are STILL talking about the biscuit demo!” “MORE MORE MORE of the same!”

The Journey to Gold – RSE Christmas Lecture by Katherine Grainger MBE, 11

December 2012, Lochaber High School

“Katherine Grainger’s Christmas lecture, delivered in association with the Royal Society of Edinburgh, was a memorable event. The presence of the BBC added to the sense of occasion and our pupils found Katherine engaging, humorous and inspiring. After the lecture, the young people had the opportunity to meet Katherine; get her autograph; take photographs and handle the gold medal”! Jim Sutherland, Head Teacher, Lochaber High School What will you do with the knowledge you have gained as a result of attending this event? My 9 year old daughter said :"to keep trying and never give up". My 11 year old son said : "to never think I know everything and to be able to take advice" “I will use Katherine's account in my teaching of pupils in my school, through my role as a teacher”. “I will go for my own wee goals. I've always wanted to run a sub 2.40 in the Ben Race and in 2013 I will”. “I used, and will continue to use, Katherine's story and example to inspire others in my work in Personal Development., and I would definitely attend another event”.

Some general feedback

“Events like this in a large, rural region with a scattered population are very special. As a programme of events sustained over a year, this was so precious and highly valued.” “Educational and enjoyable, without having to travel to a city”.

“We really appreciated the expertise of the speakers who were all leaders in their field. All the lectures were thought provoking and it is always good to exercise the grey cells. We attended quite a few of the lectures and as time went on we enjoyed the social aspect of them as well”. “Quality of speakers was excellent. They gave local people the chance to attend events they would not normally have access to”. “…Every lecture was a new topic and a different perspective, supplied by some of the best brains in the land! This in itself was enormously stimulating and enlightening, particularly as the focus was on the Lochaber region”. “Congratulations for a superb programme. I had no prior knowledge of the RSE and you are to be commended for the outreach activities”. “Further RSE events in Lochaber would be hugely welcome".

3. The Legacy

An increase in learning and understanding

Post event evaluations confirmed that the learning and understanding of the majority of

people who attended events was increased. There were many positive and supportive

comments from attendees for both individual events and indeed the overall concept and

programme. It was also evident that an RSE presence via future events in the region

would be welcomed (see below – The Reaction).

Key features contributing to the success of the project included the choice of topics

being of relevance and interest (following local research and consultation); enthusiastic

participation of RSE fellows; a co-ordinator with local knowledge of the region and

invaluable financial support from project sponsors enabling events to be free of charge

to the public.

It is hoped that there will be many legacies from the RSE @ Lochaber project, some of

which are already evident:

Tapestries depicting Lochaber’s culture and heritage have been displayed at the

West Highland Museum. These were created by pupils at Upper Achintore and Fort

William primary schools, inspired by the RSE @ Lochaber primary workshop

activity focused on creating heritage trails for the area.

The Pitch Perfect enterprise event at Lochaber High School has become the

springboard for a new local event - Dragon's Glen. Pupils, along with local

businesses have been invited to prepare a business proposal for the local area.

Once they have done this, the 2nd and 3rd stages involve preparing a business

plan and doing a presentation - the prize for the winner is £1,000.

Local entrepreneurs who took part in the Pitch Perfect event also intimated that

they are willing to repeat the experience at other schools.

The majority of those who attended the Public Talks stated that their knowledge

of the subjects covered had increased thus leading to enhanced knowledge

within the region of a variety of topics.

The RSE @ Lochaber programme has been instrumental in raising

awareness within the region of The Royal Society of Edinburgh and its remit

and objectives.

Lochaber schools have been made aware of the RSE Young People’s

programme and it is hoped that the RSE may be able to deliver future

School’s Talks and Workshops in the region.

There is scope to develop future Public Talks in the region, particularly

through partnership with existing groups e.g. Lochaber Local History Society

and West Highland College UHI – Kilchoan.

Many of those who delivered School and Public Talks and workshops have

stated that they would be willing to repeat the experience.

The experience gained, coupled with that from the previous RSE programme

in Arbroath and Dumfries and Galloway, has paved the way for future RSE @

initiatives:

Irvine Bay Regeneration Company approached the RSE requesting a

programme of educational activities and lectures for schools and the public in

the Irvine Bay area (Ayrshire) during 2014/15. The focus of this proposed

programme would be science (particularly life sciences), engineering, ICT and

manufacturing.

A scoping exercise is being undertaken to consider possible locations for the

next community based RSE @ project.

The Reaction

The Weathermen of Ben Nevis, Lochaber High School

“As a Scottish Tourist Guide (STGA) I will pass some of it on to visitors to Scotland but they'll be told where it came from. I always like to give credit to the people who did the research and presented the information”.

The Appin Murder – Historical Context and Case Review, Ben Nevis Hotel, Fort

William

“I am producing a package for Oban FM about the Appin Murder and letting the listener hear what the experts had to say”. “Re-read my books on the subject and carry out further research with a view to incorporating references in my proposed visitor centre for Castle Stalker”. “I am a tour guide for (mostly German) groups so I will share some of the knowledge with them”. “Pass on my knowledge to younger members of the community”. “It will give me a greater knowledge in my role as a volunteer in the West Highland Museum”. “I will pass it on to my family and friends, I'll reread Kidnapped and, living as I do in Nether Lochaber, I shall regard the pertinent local places in a new light!”

Gaelic Culture of Lochaber, The Sunart Centre, Strontian

“(I will use the knowledge I have gained)…to improve the library local collection and the knowledge of library staff as well…in the subject”. “The purpose of attending the event was to give pupils an understanding the importance of Gaelic culture within their own locale and inspire them to further research the subject”.

Women in Science: Antarctic Experience, Kinlochleven High School, Lochaber

High School & Ben Nevis Hotel, Fort William

“My daughter has recently made her choices for 3rd year and I’m sure both talks will have a lasting impact on her studies and what she will do in the future.”

Your Language, Your Landscape, Your History, Duror Primary, Glencoe

Primary, Ballachulish Primary, Kilchoan Primary

“Professor Smith was very entertaining and connected quickly with staff and children. The children enjoyed the fun phonics and different pronunciations, learning the meanings of place names and the link with the Gaelic language..”

English and Scots: Using the Past to Explain the Present, Ben Nevis Hotel,

Fort William and Kilchoan Learning Centre, Kilchoan

“(I will) Share (what I learned) with my pupils where appropriate. Pass the web address on to interested friends and family so they can read the text”.

Author Visit - Lari Don, Kinlochleven Primary, Duror Primary, Glencoe Primary,

St Brides Primary

“The fact that the pupils got to meet a real live author and that we were able to buy books for the school so that the pupils can enjoy her writings. It certainly inspired some of the pupils to write especially the pupils who are writing the Walking routes around Kinlochleven book”.

“Please keep the visits coming! The pupils love it and it inspires them to think about people they have met and the jobs that they do”.

Scotland Rocks!, Lochaber High School and Ben Nevis Hotel, Fort William

“It will help me to tell others what a wonderful resource we have in Lochaber. The fact that it is under resourced (Geopark) and under utilised as another selling point for tourism” “Make even more effort to observe the geology in our local area and Scotland in general and perhaps try to support the Lochaber Geopark by attending any other events and spreading the word”. “Maybe volunteer with Geopark business - definitely want to study more in my retirement”. “It has rekindled an interest in Geology. I will do further reading”

Author Visit - Allan Burnett, Fort William Library

“Going to get Allan Burnett’s books out of the library to brush up on my Scottish history, the inventions book looked good too”. “Use it for high school and just general knowledge”. “Yes, I learned a lot about history that I didn't know before. I learned lots about MacBeth and Columba, both I knew nothing about before”.

Scottish History in Question: An Evening with Professor Tom Devine, Nevis Range, Fort William

“I have instigated discussion at work and I will probably read more about particular aspects of Scottish history”. “Continue to extend my knowledge about the subject. Research some of the issues touched on that I was unaware of”.

Enhancements in Disability Sport, Discussion Forum, Lochaber High School

“It was helpful to be put into groups that we may not usually choose to work in, and to be given points we had to argue, even if the points contradicted our personal views, as this encouraged us to broaden our minds”. “It was interesting to hear the arguments of all the other groups and to have questions and discussions, as this enabled us all to share what we had learned, giving us an insight into other aspects of Paralympic and disabled sports”. “I found the day very interesting and learned a lot about something I had never given much thought to”.

The Journey to Gold by Katherine Grainger, Olympian – RSE Christmas Lecture, Lochaber High School

“Very inspiring. Made me see that I’m not too late to get involved and possibly succeed in doing something I enjoy.” “If possible it would be good if more RSE lectures were made accessible through Webcast or a recorded facility as there have been a number of seminars in the past which would have been interesting to attend but unfortunately was unable to travel”. – The RSE is exploring options for this for future events. My 9 year old daughter said :"to keep trying and never give up". My 11 year old son said : "to never think I know everything and to be able to take advice" “I will use Katherine's account in my teaching of pupils in my school, through my role as a teacher”. “I will go for my own wee goals. I've always wanted to run a sub 2.40 in the Ben Race and in 2013 I will”. “I used, and will continue to use, Katherine's story and example to inspire others in my work in Personal Development., and I would definitely attend another event”. “…I got to hold a gold medal and I have booked into my first fitness class after having my baby a few months ago”.

CTR Wilson, Ben Nevis and The Higgs Boson, Kinlochleven High School

“I did have previous knowledge of CTR Wilson and his cloud chamber, having been a science teacher and having studied some physics at university, a long, long time ago. My knowledge of particle physics was very out-of -date and the talk definitely advanced that, plus explaining a bit more about the LHC and Higgs. Just keeps me a bit more in tune with science developments today”.

Pitch Perfect, Lochaber High School All the businesses involved in the events expressed that they felt it extremely worthwhile to take part and would be interested in doing so again in the future.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the day and hope that more students in Lochaber area can take part in future” Angus Kelly, Rural Surveyor, Bidwells

We thoroughly enjoyed the activity given to us by RSE and we enjoyed having you in our school. Thank you for coming along. The experience is something that will stay with the pupils for a very long time. The pupils gained such a good insight into setting up in business and it has become the springboard for a local event now - Dragon's Glen. Pupils, along with local businesses have been invited to prepare a business proposal for the local area. Once they have done this, the 2nd and 3rd stages involve preparing a business plan and doing a presentation - the prize for the winner is £1,000. The feedback given by the RSE judges will enable the pupils to work hard on tightening up their business plans and presentations and to have a stronger proposal to put forward. It was great to get such a large amount of verbal feedback and really get the pupils thinking about their ideas in a more informed way. I will share the written feedback with them”. Marie Meldrum, Principal Teacher, Lochaber High School

“It’s always great to get involved in projects across the local and wider community – these folk are our future employees … and customers so the opportunity to get involved and give a little back is always welcome” Heather Negus, Marketing Manager, Nevis Range

23

The Royal Society of Edinburgh @ Lochaber Final Project Report – November 2013

Appendix 1 - RSE @ Lochaber 2012 / 13 – List of Activities Delivered

Date Event Type Title Speaker Location Comments

17 September 2012

Public Talk and Prize Lecture

Scottish History in Question

Professor Tom Devine

Nevis Range, Fort William

This was the Launch Event for the RSE @ Lochaber programme

17 September 2012

Primary School Workshop

Bacteria Live in Communities

Dr Nicola Stanley-Wall

Upper Achintore Primary, Fort William

20 September 2012

Secondary School Talk

The Large Hadron Collider, The Higgs Boson and Other Questions about the Universe

Professor Peter Clarke

Ardnamurchan High School, Strontian

20 September 2012

Public Talk

The Large Hadron Collider, The Higgs Boson and Other Questions about the Universe

Professor Peter Clarke

West Highland College, Kilchoan

28 September 2012


Location Location – Film Locations in Lochaber

Dr Jonathan Murray

Kinlochleven High School

28 September 2012

Public Talk

Location Location – Film Locations in Lochaber

Dr Jonathan Murray


24



30 October 2012


Patrick McGill and how Ireland modernised Scotland

Mr Owen Dudley Edwards

Mallaig High School

30 October 2012

Public Talk

The Navvy, the Priest and the King

Mr Owen Dudley Edwards

Mallaig High School

2 November 2012


Exploring the Dark Side of the Universe

Prof. Martin Hendry

Ardnamurchan High School, Strontian

2 November 2012

Public Talk

Exploring the Dark Side of the Universe

Prof. Martin Hendry

West Highland College - Kilchoan

7 November 2012

School Discussion Forum

Enhancements in Disability Sport

Jane Egan and Prof. Roger Scrutton

Lochaber High School, Fort William

11 December 2012


The Journey to Gold – RSE Christmas Lecture

Katherine Grainger


11 December 2012

Public Talk


Katherine Grainger


11 December 2012

Public Webcast


Katherine Grainger


25



4 February 2013


Aluminiumville

Dr Andrew Perchard


4 February 2013

Public Talk

Aluminiumville

Dr Andrew Perchard


27 February 2013


The Weathermen of Ben Nevis

Marjory Roy


27 February 2013

Public Talk

The Weathermen of Ben Nevis

Marjory Roy


12 March 2013


A Lochaber McDonald in the Camp of Sitting Bull

Prof. Jim Hunter

Mallaig High School

12 March 2013

Public Talk

A Lochaber McDonald in the Camp of Sitting Bull

Prof. Jim Hunter

Mallaig High School

14 March 2013


CTR Wilson, Ben Nevis and The Higgs Boson

Prof. Alan Watson


14 March 2013

Public Talk

CTR Wilson, Ben Nevis and The Higgs Boson

Prof. Alan Watson


26



7 May 2013

Public Talk

Gaelic Culture of Lochaber

Prof. Hugh Cheape and Prof. Donald Meek

Sunart Centre, Strontian

8 – 10 May 2013

Primary School Workshops x 5

Legendary Landscapes

Rachel Steele

Ardgour Primary, Upper Achintore Primary, Isle of Eigg Primary, Caol Primary

10 May 2013

Secondary School Talk x 2

Author Visit

Cathy MacPhail

Lochaber High School and Kinlochleven High School

Partly funded by the Live Literature Fund

14 - 15 May 2013

Secondary School Talk x 2

Women in Science – Antarctica

Alison McLure

Kinlochleven High School and Lochaber High School

In conjunction with the Institute of Physics Lab in a Lorry

15 May 2013

Public Talk

Women in Science – Antarctica

Alison McLure

Ben Nevis Hotel, Fort William

21 May 2013

Public Talk

Lochaber – Bandit Country or Jacobite Stronghold?

Prof. Allan Macinnes

Sunart Centre, Strontian

27



23 - 24 May 2013

Primary School Talk x 4

Your Language, Your Landscape, Your History

Prof. Jeremy Smith

Duror, Glencoe, Ballachulish & Kilchoan Primaries

23 – 24 May 2013

Public Talk x 2

English & Scots

Prof. Jeremy Smith

Fort William & Kilchoan

3 - 4 June 2013

Primary Workshop x 3 Secondary Workshop x 2

Sea Bed Mapping

Claire Smalley – SAMS

Kinlochleven Primary, Acharacle Primary, Glencoe Primary, Duror Primary, Lochaber High School, Ardnamurchan High School

In conjunctions with SAMS (Scottish Association of Marine Science)

13 June 2013

Primary School Talk

Author Visit

Lari Don

Kinlochleven, Duror, Glencoe, St Brides Primaries


14 June 2013


Feeding 9 Billion People

Prof. Maggie Gill


14 June 2013

Public Talk

Feeding 9 Billion People

Prof. Maggie Gill

Fort William

28



17 June 2013


Scotland Rocks

Prof. Iain Stewart


17 June 2013

Public Talk

Scotland Rocks

Prof. Iain Stewart

Fort William

18 June 2013

Secondary School Workshop

Illustrator Visit

Kate Leiper

Ardnamurchan High School


27 July 2013

Public Event

Author Visit

Allan Burnett

Fort William Library


2, 5 September and 3 October 2013

Secondary School Workshop x 3

Pitch Perfect

Chaired by Edward Cunningham


2 – 3 September 2013

Public Talk x 2

The Appin Murder

Prof. Jim Hunter and Chaired by Prof. Sue Black

Fort William

29


Appendix 2 – RSE @ Lochaber – Map of Locations

Locations where events have taken place

22-26 George Street Edinburgh

EH2 2PQ

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s

National Academy is Scottish Charity No. SC000470

rse @ lochaber 2012-13 · by newspaper reporters and the rse christmas lecture, held at lochaber...

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