Scottish mosquitoes, the future of democracy and a mystery involving stained glass at Dunfermline Abbey will be among the topics discussed at a festival in September.
Elections expert Sir John Curtice and crime writer Louise Welsh will be among those speaking at Curious, the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) free festival of knowledge.
It brings together a range of leading thinkers and invites anyone who is interested to learn about a range of different topics.
Vivienne Kelly, an artist and PhD student at Heriot-Watt University, will host a workshop on the science and conservation of stained glass along with Craig Kennedy, of the same university.
They were among those involved in solving a mystery over stained glass window fragments which were anonymously returned to Dunfermline Abbey in November 2020, around 20 years after they were found beside the abbey and removed.
Experts used a combination of science, history and visual analysis to establish the fragments and shards were originally part of the Margaret Window.
Ms Kelly and Dr Kennedy will do a live demonstration of X-ray fluorescence, a technique used to analyse how glass is given its colour, and will explain the challenges involved in the conservation of stained glass.
She said: “It’s important that people have the opportunity to engage with stained glass heritage, and the mystery of the Dunfermline Abbey fragments gives us the chance to unravel their secrets together.
“The event will be a unique look not only at the stained glass, but at the research techniques used by academics and practitioners, and how individuals and communities can interact with heritage through a new lens.”
Another talk at the festival will examine the issue of mosquitoes in Scotland, as climate change increases the risk of mosquito-borne diseases in northern Europe.
Professor Heather Ferguson will host the event which will highlight findings from the Mosquito Scotland project, described as the first to comprehensively investigate the distribution, ecology and potential risk of disease transmission.
The festival will also feature a workshop led by Dr Amer Syed of the University of Edinburgh that will give people a new perspective on lithium-ion batteries.
He said: “These batteries are becoming increasingly common, and while we hear a lot about them as they are used in a wide range of places from your Bluetooth earphones to electric vehicles, it is important that people understand what goes into their design and manufacture.
“This event will give people a great opportunity to get to grips with the global supply chain, all the elements that are used in making these batteries and packs for electric vehicles, their environmental impact, and to understand the state-of-the-art of these systems that are an important part of our renewable energy landscape.”
The programme also includes an event with Professor Sir John Curtice, Professor Ailsa Henderson and Professor Chris Carman who will assess the future of Scottish democracy in the wake of the 2026 Holyrood election.
Writer Louise Welsh and architect Jude Barber will give a talk about their ongoing citizen investigation podcast Who Owns the Clyde?.
Professor Dee Heddon, fellow of the RSE and member of its public engagement committee, said: “I am proud to reveal the programme for this year’s Curious festival.
“Each year the team pull out all the stops to get a whole range of experts to join us and engage with the public, and this year is superb. The sheer breadth of knowledge they can share could fill entire libraries.
“For anyone curious to learn about something new, or a passion they have held for years, you can learn – free – with the people who know their subjects best, through this series of workshops, talks, film screenings and creative walking tours.
“It is such a privilege to be able to offer this free festival to the people of Scotland. The only question now is: what are you curious about?”
The festival runs from September 5 to 13 and features 34 free events and three exhibitions.
Tickets are available to book from Thursday July 23 at rse.org.uk/curious/.
