Outreach

What we can Offer

We are eager to engage with our local communities and the wider public to communicate our science. Some of the activities and workshops that we can offer:

• Workshops on glaciers and their environments, GIS, remote sensing, machine learning and related topics.
• We can offer assistance with fieldwork in terms of equipment, expertise and guidance.
• We can offer virtual sessions to discuss our science – we are often travelling for research, fieldwork and conferences can can dial in from some far-flung locations such as the Arctic!
• Skills training in topics such as coding, GIS, remote sensing and machine learning.

In 2023 I was departmental lead for outreach and public engagement in geography at the University of Aberdeen. Through this role I developed a range of geographical workshops and engaged with schools to deliver sessions to children of all ages. Below is a showcase of just some of the events I have been involved in.

Media Activities

Will Harcourt interviews for TV, radio and the web when asked to do so. Examples have included interviewing for NBC News in the USA to discuss the implications of climate change for glaciers in Svalbard, see video below (my segment: 2:56-3:35).

Scotlands Landscape: Participant in Panel Session

The Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society held a webinar in the lead up to COP26 called “From Ice Age to A83”, in which the history of Scotland’s unique landscape was discussed. I participated in a panel session in which I engaged with the public on the importance of monitoring Scotland’s landscape due to the risks posed by climate change. You can watch the full event below!

Music and Research Collaboration

As part of a creative collaboration between the University of St Andrews and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS), I participated in a project that aimed to break down the barriers between music and science and fuse them together in a manner which explored their deep connection. I collaborated with Aileen Sweeney, a musician who shared a similar passion for the environment as mine. Aileen drew inspiration from an array of glacier sounds provided by the glaciology community and composed a piece of music befitting of the harsh environments in which glaciers are found. I hope you enjoy listening!

St Leonards Postgraduate Community: Mini-Lecture Series

As part of a new scheme implemented in St Andrews to welcome postgraduate research students to the university, I participated in creating content for a mini-lecture series organised by the St Leonards College. I created a 10 minute lecture on my research under the theme ‘Sustainability and Materials for the Modern World’. You can see the video below: