First woman appointed Scotland’s Astronomer Royal

An astrophysicist from Edinburgh University is the first woman to be named Astronomer Royal for Scotland.

Prof Catherine Heymans was recommended to the Queen for the role by an international panel, convened by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Prof Heymans said she wanted to use the almost 200-year-old title to encourage people to develop passion for science.

She also wants to promote Scotland internationally as a world-leading centre for science, she said. More

Join our BAME Staff Network’s UNITE Week: 24-28 May 2021

From 24 to 28 May 2021, the BAME Staff Network is organising and taking part in a series of events to mark the anniversary of the killing of George Floyd on 25 May 2020. This hurtful and traumatising event has been a catalyst for many to acknowledge the presence of structural racism in our communities and universities. And the BAME Staff Network continues to voice our concerns about racial discrimination and disparity within our institution. However, the racial reckoning is far from being accomplished.

The BAME Staff Network is playing an active role in driving cultural change for inclusion of BAME staff across all spheres of the university.

Join the events and let us make an impact together.

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – May 2021

Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from 18 – 23 May and with this in mind we have chosen Duke McKenzie as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.

Duke McKenzie is a former boxer and three weight world champion and an ambassador for the mental health charity MIND.

In 1995, Duke’s brother, best friend and mentor Dudley McKenzie tragically took his own life. Dudley’s suicide left Duke passionate about mental health, particularly within the sporting world, leading him to actively support Mind for the past nine years.

Duke helped launch Mind’s partnership with Heads Together, giving a taster boxercise class to Prince Harry and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Olympic Park.

He coached boxercise at Mind in Croydon and has recently helped shape Mind’s Mental Health Awareness for Sport and Physical Activity training, which he also helped launch in 2019.

As an ambassador for Mind, Duke helps to champion the benefits that physical exercise can have in managing a mental health problem.

In 2011 Duke was awarded the MBE for his services to boxing.

To find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week see here https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

To find out more about Duke McKenzie see here https://www.dukemckenziembe.co.uk/