What’s on
The RSE inspires innovative thinking through a yearly programme of public engagement activity.
Bringing together the expertise of our Fellowship, we deliver creative, thought-provoking and high-quality public engagement activities to audiences throughout Scotland and beyond.
Upcoming events
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In-personRead More(Exhibit) Healing histories
Perceptions of what is considered knowledge and whose contributions are recognised have long been shaped by power.
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In-personRead More
(Exhibition) Building community: Archives from Mexico City
An exhibition on how photography and writing can reclaim agency over the mind and body.
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In-personRead More
(Guided tour) Between languages, between homes: Visual stories of language and belonging in Edinburgh
Get a guided tour of this Curious exhibition by the research behind the project on reflections on language, home and belonging in Edinburgh
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In-personRead More
(Exhibition) Between languages, between homes: Visual stories of language and belonging in Edinburgh
An exhibition featuring reflections on language, home and belonging in Edinburgh.
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In-personRead More
(Exhibition) Candour and Communities
An exhibition exploring 100 years of scandals, failings and cover ups in the UK.
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In-personRead More
Gaelic workshop: History, language, and culture
Explore the beautiful Gaelic language through the rich history, culture and also through learning a few Gaelic phrases.
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HybridRead More
Dyslexia as a mental health story
Exploring the relationship between dyslexia, dyscalculia and mental health.
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In-personRead More
(Talk) Candour and Communities
Hear more about the impact of 100 years of scandals, failings and cover ups in the UK.
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In-personRead More
Gaelic workshop: Learn Gaelic songs
Explore the beautiful Gaelic language by learning some songs in Gaelic.
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HybridRead More
Scotland’s 2026 election explained
What does the recent Scottish election tell us about the future of Scottish democracy?
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In-personRead More
(Workshop) Building community: Merging past and present
An interactive session on how photography and writing can reclaim agency over the mind and body.
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In-personRead More
Interpreting the invisible: The digital evidence challenge
Understand how digital evidence goes from a crime scene to court by participating in our investigation.
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In-personRead More
(Workshop) Can a zoo change how we feel about nature?
Join the team at the Edinburgh Zoo as you explore the role zoos and animal play in how we connect with nature.
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In-personRead More
Expressing the Earth: Film screening
Join us for a special two-part event featuring an award-winning documentary exploring geopoetics.
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In-personRead More
Philosophical beasts and where to find them
From thought-provoking theories to questions about reality, consciousness and knowledge, hear how philosophy helps us rethink the world around us.
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In-personRead More
Expressing the Earth: A haiku poetry workshop
Explore the heart of Edinburgh through a guided poetry workshop exploring geopoetics.
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HybridRead More
Who owns the Clyde?
An investigation into the ownership and future of Scotland’s most famous river.
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In-personRead More
AI in healthcare: How much can we trust it?
Artificial intelligence is becoming a big part of modern healthcare. But how much responsibility should we trust AI with?
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In-personRead More
Edinburgh’s own gorge: the story of the Hermitage of Braid
Join us for this walking tour of the beautiful Hermitage of Braid to discover its history and biodiversity.
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Hybrid In-personRead More
(Talk) Can a zoo change how we feel about nature?
Connecting with nature is something that comes naturally for us, right? Explore the science behind the benefits of feeling closer to nature.
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In-personRead More
Scotland’s unpaid carers: Stories of care
A workshop recognising, thanking and celebrating Scotland’s unpaid carers.
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In-personRead More
Making the ‘Orkney Sequence’ – How collaboration works in the arts
In celebration of Orkney’s summer and winter solstices, artist Victoria Crowe and composer Gemma McGregor collaborated on the Orkney Sequence.
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In-personRead More
Policy pitch: Vote for a better future!
PhD students pitch research-informed policy to tackle social challenges, and they want to hear from you!
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In-personRead More
Through the stained-glass window: The science, history and conservation of stained glass
What history and technology tell us about Dunfermline Abbey’s stained-glass windows.
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In-personRead More
In search of lost medieval royal tombs
The history of Scotland’s royal burial site and what new technology is telling us about its past.
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In-personRead More
(Roundtable) Healing histories
A roundtable style workshop on how perceptions of what is considered knowledge and whose contributions are recognised have long been shaped by power.
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HybridRead More
After the storm: Rebuilding cultural identity and local knowledge
How can communities rebuild and preserve identity after disaster?
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In-personRead More
Behind the collections: When fashion meets the body
Going behind the scenes of museum fashion displays at the National Museums Collection Centre.
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In-personRead More
From emotions to memories: Clothing heritage and childhood
Exploring textile and clothing heritage through the lens of childhood experience.
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HybridRead More
The Dynamite Detectives: Inside Forensic Science
How the Glasgow bombings of the 1800s shaped how we investigate terrorism today.
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In-personRead More
What’s art got to do with it? Creativity in Scotland’s prisons
Experiences of imprisonment through Scotland’s longest running prisoner-made magazine.
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HybridRead More
Playing the nation: Identity, culture, and power in video games
How is national identity encoded into video games played all around the world?
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In-personRead More
The great battery bust up: Repair or throw-away
How electric vehicle batteries are built, where their materials come from and what happens when they fail.
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In-personRead More
Sluagh gun ghuth – ‘A people without a voice’: Reconstructing the past in a West Highland community
Discover the story of a West Highland community through the objects they left behind.
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In-personRead More
Murder Mystery: Can you use forensic science to solve the murder?
Use your deduction and analytical skills to solve the crime in this thrilling interactive event.
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In-personRead More
Diagnose this! Think like a doctor
Can you use problem-solving, reflection and team work to figure out a diagnosis like a doctor?
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HybridRead More
Mosquitos in Scotland: Friend and foe?
With mosquito-borne diseases expanding across Europe, what should we know?
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In-personRead More
The slowest storytellers in Scotland: Decoding stalagmite secrets
Hidden within caves on the Inner Hebrides islands of Jura and Islay are beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.
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HybridRead More
100 years on: Is ‘A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle’ still relevant today?
An evening exploring one of Scotland’s most celebrated poems by Hugh MacDiarmid.
Past events
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In-personRead More
Space – what is out there?
A journey through the Universe and the remarkable space objects within it.
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In-personRead More
Festival of Politics: Scotland 2026 – who gets to belong?
With growing polarisation, mistrust, and a sense of being “left behind” for many communities, how can Scotland bring diverse voices together, move from division to empathy, and ensure community voices are at the heart of decision-making?
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In-personRead More
What do we know about Scots?
An exploration of one of Scotland’s official languages. Hear about the past, present and future of Scots.
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In-personRead More
Secrets and spies in Scottish literature
The history of the spy novel in Scotland, and what sets spy fiction apart from detective fiction.
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HybridRead More
High-value rural jobs and Scotland’s future
Reshaping and strengthening the narrative around rural Scotland’s economic potential and workforce development.
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HybridRead More
Thinking like Hutton: Shaping the next 300 years
How can James Hutton’s approach to understanding Earth inform the decisions we make about its future today? Three hundred years on from the birth of James Hutton, how can his approach to understanding Earth inform the decisions we make about its future? Join renowned Professor Iain Stewart FRSE and expert panellists in this evening exploration […]
