Ada Lovelace Day 2015 and the economic imperative for more women in STEM

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Today is Ada Lovelace Day, the international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). At Edinburgh Napier University we’re marking the day with a public lecture to be delivered by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock this evening at our Craiglockhart campus. In her presentation Dr Aderin-Pocock will address the question of why so few girls take up careers in science, technology engineering and maths. She will explain why we need more women in these areas and propose strategies to encourage girls to study the STEM subjects at school so that these career routes are open to them. Continue reading →

Ada Lovelace Day 2015: Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock on the challenge of women in science

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock

We’re marking Ada Lovelace Day 2015 next Tuesday 13th October at Edinburgh Napier University by hosting a public lecture by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE (BBC Sky at Night presenter) on the challenge of women in science.

Although science and technology play a critical role in our lives, a significant proportion of the population is under-represented in this workforce. Maggie will address the question of why so few girls take up careers in science technology engineering and maths (STEM). She will explain why we need more women in these areas, outlining a three-pronged approach to ensure that all are encouraged to study the STEM subjects.

I very much enjoyed hearing Maggie speak in Glasgow last year. Continue reading →

Organisational learning and innovation in Scotland: research student Lyndsey Jenkins begins her study

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Lyndsey Jenkins

Welcome to Lyndsey Jenkins who has just joined us as a new research student within the Centre for Social Informatics at Edinburgh Napier University. I am Lyndsey’s Director of Studies, with Professor Robert Raeside, Director of the Employment Research Institute at Edinburgh Napier University, as second supervisor. Lyndsey’s study is entitled Enhancing the capacity for workplace learning and innovation in Scotland.

This ESRC-funded research will investigate innovation and best practice in skills development in the workplace in Scotland, drawing comparisons with the rest of the UK and other countries. Lyndsey will explore how employee-led workforce learning can be encouraged to deliver innovation that leads to competitive advantage, employment growth, and increased productivity. The aims of the work are to: Continue reading →

Community councils and digital engagement: free workshops around Scotland this autumn

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Earlier this year I wrote about a workshop on digital engagement for community councillors hosted by Peter Cruickshank and Dr Bruce Ryan, both of whom are my colleagues in the Centre for Social Informatics. This first event at Edinburgh Napier University was a great success, as can be seen in the blogged review of the day and the outcomes report.

Following on from this, we are running another four such events in other locations this autumn in: South Ayrshire (9th October); Moray (30th October); Angus (13th November); and the Borders (20th November). Continue reading →

Introducing Dr Laura Muir, Dr Gemma Webster, and Dr Tom Kane

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Welcome to Dr Laura Muir, Dr Gemma Webster, and Dr Tom Kane, who have all recently joined the School of Computing at Edinburgh Napier University. I am looking forward to working with them as members of my research group (the Centre for Social Informatics within the Institute for Informatics and Digital Innovation), and as fellow colleagues within the Information Systems teaching group, which is led by Dr Colin Smith. Continue reading →

A week in Aberdeen at iDocQ and i3 2015 #iDocQ2015 #i3rgu

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Seven weeks of dissemination

When Leo Appleton presents the slides for our joint-authored paper on the value and impact of public library services on citizenship development at the 11th Northumbria International Conference on Performance Measurement in Libraries and Information Services today, this will mark the end of a busy conference season for the staff and research students in the Centre for Social Informatics. Continue reading →

Congratulations Dr Louise Rasmussen and Dr Hannah Rudman

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Dr Hannah Rudman and Dr Louise Rasmussen in their graduation robes

Congratulations to Louise Rasmussen and Hannah Rudman who were awarded their PhDs at the Edinburgh Napier University graduation ceremony at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh today.

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Incorporating a research-minded approach to professional practice: opening keynote at EAHIL 2015 #researchminded

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Hazel Hall

On 10th June 2015 I had the honour of opening the The European Association for Health Information and Libraries (EAHIL) conference, held in Edinburgh in collaboration with the International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists (ICAHIS) and the International Clinical Librarian Conference (ICLC). This event is one of a series of biennial workshops and other related events designed to support healthcare librarians and information professionals in their work.

Continue reading →

Athena SWAN awards ceremony June 2015

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Edinburgh Napier University was granted an Athena SWAN bronze award earlier this year. This was following the assessment of a detailed application document that I submitted on behalf of the University in November 2014.

Athena SWAN is the Equality Challenge Unit’s charter for women in science. The charter recognises the commitment of universities to the advancement of women’s careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). As part of its work the Equality Challenge Unit grants bronze, silver and gold awards to organisations that can demonstrate increasing levels of good practice in recruiting, retaining and promoting women in STEMM in higher education.

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The future of library and information science education and research: a view from Barcelona #liser2015

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Hazel Hall

I spent Thursday 4th and Friday 5th June 2015 in Spain as a guest of the Faculty of Library and Information Science at the University of Barcelona. Here I was one of many academics from across the world invited to join the Faculty in the celebrations of its one hundredth anniversary. These were organised around an event billed as the Third International Seminar on Library and Information Science (LIS) Education and Research (LIS-ER).

Blaise Cronin keynote speaker

The main theme of the meeting was education and research in library and information science. The opening keynote presentation was delivered by Dr Blaise Cronin, Emeritus Professor at Indiana University, and Visiting Professor at the Centre for Social Informatics at Edinburgh Napier University. There then followed a series of sessions on: LIS education in Europe; LIS education in America; LIS research in general; LIS academic journals; and research data. There was also an opportunity for those who contributed to a poster display to introduce their work in plenary. In this session the speakers invited delegates to visit an exhibition that displayed work on themes that ranged from open science to beach libraries for summer tourists.
Continue reading →

Hazel Hall

Emeritus Professor, Edinburgh Napier University

Tag Archives: Edinburgh Napier University

Ada Lovelace Day 2015 and the economic imperative for more women in STEM

Ada Lovelace Day 2015: Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock on the challenge of women in science

Athena SWAN awards ceremony June 2015