I am passionate about outreach and have developed and delivered a number of workshops, lesson plans and career talks aimed at describing informatics research to school children. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss an event with me.
Selected events, interviews and articles include:
- "Can computers be creative?" -- Talk and discussion at Café Scientifique Pitlochry-Aberfeldy-Dunkeld (September, 2018)
- "Introduction to Processing" -- Destination Dundee workshop to (June, 2018)
- "Women in STEM: A little more action -- Panel speaker at Napier University (May 2018)
- "Introduction to Robotics" -- Workshop at the Royal Blind School, Edinburgh (April, 2018)
- "What artificial intelligence can teach us about creativity" -- interview on Inspiration 4 Teacher's podcast 93: Season 5 (June 2017)
- "Smart Computing today" -- Workshop delivered to Dysart Elementary Primary School (2017), to around 50 school students
- "Women in Technology: Tackling the Technology Gender Gap Together" -- Panel speaker and interview at the University of Strathclyde (March 2017)
- First Lego League -- I worked with Lamda Jam in staging FLL at the University of Dundee: we hosted a 12 team tournament in December 2016, and an 8 team tournament in Jan 2016
- "Can computers invent and play games?" -- Workshop delivered to Sgoil Lionacleit on Benbecula (2014) and Castlebay Community School on Barra (2014), reaching a total of around 90 school students ranging from 8 - 15 year olds
- "What is Informatics?" - Workshop delivered to Campbeltown Grammar School, Islay High School, Lochgilphead High School, Tiree Primary/High School, Tobermory High School, and Stornoway Primary School (March, 2011); Hebridean Science Festival (March, 2011); Stromness Academy (April, 2009); Portree High School (April, 2009); This used a robot arm which can play Connect 4, built by Paul Crook at the University of Edinburgh, to demonstrate aspects of proprioception, sensing, movement and rational thought. I have delivered this workshop to nearly 1,000 school pupils in 9 schools, and an abridged version to 3 science festivals
- Rise of the Robogeeks, Michael Brooks, New Scientist 2697, March 3rd 2009 -- A New Scientist article in which my work features prominently
- Wikipedia article on Simon Colton's HR software -- which describes my HRL system
- "Where did the maths in your textbooks come from?" -- Workshop delivered to around 500 pupils, as part of my two Researcher in Residence programmes at Stromness Academy (April, 2009); and at Portree High School (April, 2009)
- "Analogical reasoning in science" -- Workshop delivered to around 500 pupils, as part of my two Researcher in Residence programmes at Stromness Academy (April, 2009); and at Portree High School (April, 2009)