In June, the city of Glasgow will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of William Thomson, the pioneering University of Glasgow scientist better known today as Lord Kelvin.
At the same time, the city will also play host to the 18th Glasgow Science Festival, which is unveiling its programme today. This year’s festival will showcase the past, present and future of science and technology, with more than 150 events scheduled between June 6 and 16.
The theme of this year’s festival is "Glasgow’s Transforming". I’ve been director of the festival since its inception, and putting together our programme for this year has given me a lot of opportunity to reflect on our changing city.
When Kelvin began his career in science, which would lead him to breakthrough developments including the first transatlantic telegraph cable and the absolute temperature scale, Glasgow was already a hub for a wide range of industry, from shipbuilding and engineering to textile-making.
It was also a leader in higher education. Kelvin taught more than 7,000 students during his 52 years at the University of Glasgow, helping to create several generations of scientists in the process.
Today, heavy industry has given way to cutting-edge research in life sciences, communications, artificial intelligence, quantum physics and more. As that transformation occurred, the city’s commitment to education has developed in parallel.
The Glasgow Science Festival is part of the University of Glasgow’s long tradition of outreach and public engagement, which has seen its campus used as a public learning space for hundreds of years.
That tradition includes the Hunterian Museum, established in 1807, and continues into today with the Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre, opened in 2022 as part of the University’s £1bn campus development programme. The ARC regularly hosts science-themed public events and exhibitions alongside providing a home for some of the University’s leading researchers, and will be a key hub venue for this year’s festival.
Civic engagement is just as important to the university, which is part of the ongoing wider transformation of the city as a leading partner of the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District (GRID), alongside Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow City Council. GRID is working to strengthen existing partnerships with industry and foster valuable new relationships through projects like the Clinical Innovation Zone at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
University research is also helping the city prepare for the future in other ways. The £10.2m Glasgow as a Living Lab Accelerating Novel Transformation (GALLANT) project, for example, is exploring new ways to create a climate-resilient city capable of adapting to the challenges of global warming.
I think Lord Kelvin would be proud to see how the city where he made his name as a scientist and a businessman has built on the legacy he left behind. And now that the festival itself is old enough to drink, I think Glasgow should raise a glass to Kelvin and take a minute to reflect on the city’s proud history, and the future that researchers at the city’s universities and colleges are helping to create.
Dr Deborah McNeill of the University of Glasgow is the director of the Glasgow Science Festival. The festival programme is available at www.glasgowsciencefestival.org.uk
Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk
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