The OU is pleased to be hosting a fringe event at this Annual Congress on ‘Workplace learning: Unions taking the lead’ as well as hosting a stand for the duration of the Congress.

The OU will celebrate its official birthday, the day the University was bestowed its Royal Charter in 1969. More information to follow.

Double bill: The Clockwork Universe by Professor Andrew Norton. In his talk, the OU Professor of Astrophysics Education will describe some of his research into variable stars, illustrated with animations to show how observations of the brightest of stars and their spectra, can reveal hierarchical multiple eclipsing stars, pulsating stars, and rapidly rotating white dwarfs and neutron stars. Near-Earth Asteroids by Professor Simon Green. In his talk, the OU Professor of Planetary and Space Science will discuss his research into near-earth asteroids and the challenges for missions to prevent a potential future asteroid impact on the Earth.

The OU is delighted to be hosting a private stakeholder reception to celebrate the OU’s 50th anniversary, at The Scottish Parliament. This event is sponsored by Claire Baker MSP and will be attended by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP.

To help celebrate the role of music in the University, we are hosting a gala public concert and a showcase event for local schools. We are honoured that Dame Evelyn Glennie, DH, CBE, the internationally acclaimed professional percussionist, has agreed to be the soloist in both events. Dame Evelyn is an honorary graduate of the University, and passionately committed to music education for all.

The Open University in Scotland and The Open University in Ireland are collaborating as part of Crossways Festival 2019: The Irish Scottish Cultural and Literary Festival. This event draws on the expertise of OU creative writing tutors from both sides of the North Channel. Come along to hear readings by Maureen Boyle, Chris Powici, Lindsay Macgregor and Eoghan Walls.

The BBC/OU Co-production, Inside the Foreign Office, captured the extraordinary world of the people working in some of the most complex and sensitive jobs in UK Government. The Open University’s Dr Edward Wastnidge and Dr William Brown worked as academic consultants on the series. They’ll present their contribution to this production and talk about the privileged access the series had to the fascinating world of British diplomats. The panel will then take a critical look at foreign policy issues that came out of the BBC series including local, national and international standpoints.

The OU is delighted to be supporting Jules Horne's playwriting workshop at the upcoming DunsPlayFest. Jules Horne is a playwright, radio dramatist and fiction writer. She teaches creative writing as an Associate Lecturer at the OU in Scotland.

The OU in Scotland is delighted to support this event with award-winning journalist Melanie Reid MBE, chaired by OU Honorary Graduate Ruth Wishart. Having broken her neck and back in a riding accident in 2010, Melanie writes her weekly Spinal Column in the Times Magazine and her memoir was published in March 2019.

A black-tie dinner hosted by Baroness Martha Lane Fox to celebrate our achievements and our role in the future of education for our partners, donors and key stakeholders.

Celebrating 50 years with friends, family and students with a reception and dinner at Belfast City Hall. Hosted by the Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor, Councillor Deirdre Hargey.

This lecture by Anna Plassart explores contemporary reactions to the democratic experiment of the French Revolution. For many in France as in Britain, France’s descent into violence illustrated the dangers of democratic and rights-based politics. But for those who continued to uphold democratic ideals in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the Revolution’s failure also provided a set of lessons to reflect upon.

Diversifying Your Talent Pool to Plug Digital Skills Gaps: The OU in Scotland is hosting a special event to help support organisations of all sizes across Scotland benefit from the opportunity Graduate Apprenticeships represent to access, shape and retain digital talent.

The Open University is delighted to support Open the Door 2019, Scotland’s literary festival that puts women to the fore.

Many countries have separate criminal justice systems for young people and adults, but is age the differentiating factor that should be considered? In this lecture, Professor Jo Phoenix, Chair in Criminology, will argue that whilst understandable, the current system locks the debate about youth justice into recurring circular disagreements about justice, welfare and rights. Professor Phoenix will discuss different ways in which social circumstances and cultural context might be better placed to differentiate in both adult and youthful law-breaking.

This unique event marks half a century since the founding of both the OU and Cyrenians, who both exist to support people to realise their full potential and to flourish.

As The Open University celebrates its 50th anniversary, you are invited to join the Open Programme team in celebrating 50 years of multidisciplinary teaching and learning, both at the OU and across the wider higher education sector.

The Hay Festival brings readers and writers together to share stories and ideas. Now worldwide, these festivals inspire, examine and entertain, inviting participants to imagine the world as it is and as it might be.

The OU is delighted to support the opening night event at Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival 2019: Lost at Sea by Morna Young, presented by Perth Theatre at Horsecross Arts.

In tribute to The Open University's 50th anniversary, the Open Theatre Group (which recently celebrated its own 40th anniversary) is presenting a light-hearted miscellany of entertainment in celebration of all things educational, entitled 'Open Doors: Aristotle to Zephaniah'. This will be performed in the OU Hub theatre on Friday 24 May @7.30pm and Saturday 25 May @2.30pm. Tickets, priced at £6/£5 concessions, are obtainable online at https://www.theopentheatregroup.org.uk/or in person (lunchtimes only) from OTG chair, Michael Spours via opentheatregroup@gmail.com. Parents please note that some of the material is not suitable for young children… only one or two items may shock, but they may get bored!

In addition to celebrating our 50th birthday, throughout June we are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. We are proud of our social mission in opening education for all and our role in promoting and driving inclusivity and diversity. The OU is attending Pride events across the four nations alongside PLEXUS the OU Students Association LGBTQ+ group.

In this lecture Professor Theo Papaioannou will discuss why justice needs to provide the normative direction of innovation systems in the 21st century. He will argue that justice as such is a non-ideal standard which is significant for the legitimacy of emerging technologies and related developmental change.

The OU is pleased to be supporting the film screening of 'Be Jennie Lee' performances by seven primary schools from the Cowdenbeath area, inspired by the founder of the OU, Jennie Lee of Lochgelly.

We’re pleased to be partnering with Writers and Artists to bring a day of advice on the writing and publishing process. This full-day conference, held in the heart of Belfast, includes talks on various aspects of the writing journey from best-selling authors, a networking lunch and an informative interactive panel discussion with leading literary agents.

The Open University, together with the University of Glasgow, is delighted to support the Glasgow Science Festival. Join us for a day of exploration, where you can try to build a bridge without using glue or fastenings, and you can become a crime scene investigator for the day!

National Director of The Open University in Ireland, John D’Arcy, will be officially opening the conference this year. Hosting a range of events and seminars around prisons and education, the EPEA conference is taking place from 12-16 June at TU Dublin City Campus.

If an asteroid strikes the Earth – or any other celestial body – ‘something’ happens. The extend of that ‘something’ from a human perspective was explored by Prof. Simon Green in his OpenTalks STEM lecture on 23rd April. The talk by Senior Lecturer Dr. Susanne P. Schwenzer will pick up from there and explore the interaction of the projectile with the surface. She will look at what happens to the rocks in the underground and how an impact changes the landscape. She will talk about the Earth and its impact record, including the infamous, dinosaur-killing (?) Chicxulub impact. But she will also look at Moon and Mars. Using the former she will show how we can use impact craters to find out about the age of a planetary surface from images alone, and the latter to discuss how an impact into the – now – icy world of Mars could change the environmental conditions to create habitable liquid water systems.

Celebrate The Open University’s 50th birthday with an array of readings from Irish writers published the year the university was founded. Since 1969 the OU has been the leading university for flexible, innovative teaching and world-leading research, providing access to education for everyone and helping to transform lives. Join us as we mark the occasion with poetry and polemic, fact and fiction, journalism and journeying, with people reading from the work of Seamus Heaney, Janet McNeill, James Plunkett, Iris Murdoch, James Simmons and many more. Come and celebrate 50 years of education for all.

Come and visit Glasgow’s wonderful Botanic Gardens for a weekend of hands-on science and horticultural experiments, with members of The Open University and the University of Strathclyde.

An event to celebrate 50 years of transforming lives through learning and opening up education for all.

Come along and join us for a celebration of 50 years of OU Psychology in Scotland. Bring yourself, your family, friends and dancing shoes. This public event is open to OU psychology students, their friends and families and anyone with an interest in psychology and/or the OU.

To celebrate International Refugee Day, The Open University invites you to attend an interactive workshop and discussion around “Mending the Gap”. Mend the Gap is an exciting approach, developed by PowerUs, that helps people at the receiving end of statutory, voluntary and third sector social care organisations promote deeper understanding of their needs as refugees and asylum seekers. This workshop will discuss the principles behind the approach and will lead you in discussions as to how it can be applied in your organisation. It will explore new ways of learning that can come from sharing experiences, knowledge and skills within professionals’ education. PowerUs is an international network of teachers and researchers from schools of social work and representatives from different service user organisations. It develops methods of mutual learning in order to change social work practice to be more effective in supporting the empowerment of marginalized and discriminated groups in society. The workshop will be delivered by Helen Casey, Staff Tutor for the Department of Social Work at the OU, who will discuss her gap-mending work with refugees and asylum seekers.

We are extremely proud of our social mission driving inclusivity and diversity and will be attending Pride events across the four nations alongside PLEXUS the OU Students Association LGBTQ+ group.

Mental ill health is a problem that affects thousands of people right across Northern Ireland and touches the lives of so many more. Northern Ireland is also the most underfunded nation across the UK in terms of public health care for mental illness. A great deal of focus has been placed on the role of conflict on public mental health in Northern Ireland and in particular, its impact on society in the aftermath of the Troubles. Following The Open University’s recent co-production with the BBC, Psychosis and Me, shown as part of a series to shine a light on mental health, we are proud to bring you this special talk that will take place as part of a series of events to celebrate the OU’s 50th anniversary in 2019. The OU’s Dr Sarah Vicary and Dr Sharon Mallon will take a different approach, discussing how broad social and policy level factors such as poverty, inequality and public attitudes are also shaping mental health in Northern Ireland today. 

Discussing fundamental problems in the current education system. Professor Peter Twinning explores elements of a system that is more fit for purpose.

Stephen Lewis & Dave Rothery, academics from the new BBC2 series The Planets that launched last night, will be coming to Wales for a live stargazing and space lecture experience in partnership with Dark Sky Wales. We have the benefit of extremely dark skies in Wales so this should be a knock-out event.

We are extremely proud of our social mission driving inclusivity and diversity and will be attending Pride events across the four nations alongside PLEXUS the OU Students Association LGBTQ+ group.

The panel, hosted by honorary graduate Prue Leith and including Andy Haldane, Chief Economist at the Bank of England, and OU Pro-Chancellor Malcolm Sweeting, will focus on the role of open education across the public and private sector, from a skills development, employability and social mobility perspective.

This substantial work for soprano, chorus and orchestra was commissioned by the OU Choir in 1994 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Open University and its premiere was performed by the Choir on 28 April 1994. The work is a setting by local composer John Byron of four poems by Richard Gaskell which trace the cycle of the seasons. The OU Choir has been at the forefront of practical music-making on the Milton Keynes campus for many years and is proud in this concert to mark its own anniversary in 2019 of 40 years presenting concerts at the Open University.

In July the Business and Law Schools are holding a series of activities at the Milton Keynes campus to celebrate The Open University's 50th Year.

Monday 8 July: Learn About Fair for OU colleagues to meet on campus

Tuesday 9 July: Business Network Breakfast Briefing, on the theme of "Why do we work? What does work mean to you?"

Tuesday 9 July: The Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership (CVSL) annual conference on the theme of "Collaboration and leadership: making it happen." Sue Farrington Smith MBE, Chief Executive of Brain Tumour Research, will give the keynote speech

Friday 12 July: Annual Student and Alumni Awards, a celebration of the achievements of students and alumni in the past year.

The phrase ‘Digital Pearl Harbor’ has often been used to describe a crippling computer attack on a country’s infrastructure. On 17th December 2016, the temperature in Kyiv, Ukraine fell to -7 Celsius. At midnight, the electricity supply failed. One year later, in Western Ukraine, it failed again. These weren’t accidents; someone was deliberately interfering with the Ukrainian energy grid.

This talk, by Senior Lecturer Dr Mike Richards will explore the origins of the Ukrainian attack; the vulnerabilities that made; it possible; who was behind the blackouts and what they have done since. It will also ask whether the cold, dark nights of 2016 and 2017 might happen again and if we may be the next victims.

We are extremely proud of our social mission driving inclusivity and diversity and will be attending Pride events across the four nations alongside PLEXUS the OU Students Association LGBTQ+ group.

In this lecture Professor Brandon will describe the polar seas, how they work, and their global importance. He will show how research has fed into polar broadcast and how using the series co-produced by the BBC and The Open University, we can teach science to millions. Components of our television broadcast with real time polar data, can even be utilised by distance learning students to learn basic science and get the best possible understanding of what is happening there right now.

The MA in Translation team at the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics invites you to Between, a storytelling performance of migration and multilingualism. Focusing on migration, identity, multilingualism, empathy, loss and renewal, Between uses storytelling and drama to reveal the difficult and sensitive situations encountered by interpreters working in a multi-ethnic counselling and interpreting service. The performance is based on the work of the Reading-based Mothertongue project, a dedicated Mental Health Interpreting Service that supported people from black and minority ethnic communities.

We are extremely proud of our social mission driving inclusivity and diversity and will be attending Pride events across the four nations alongside PLEXUS the OU Students Association LGBTQ+ group.

We are extremely proud of our social mission driving inclusivity and diversity and will be attending Pride events across the four nations alongside PLEXUS the OU Students Association LGBTQ+ group.

Following on from the greatly acclaimed OU co-production with the BBC, Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure, we are delighted to bring you an exclusive talk with the academics who worked behind the scenes. Dr Geraldine Boyle (Senior Lecturer in the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care) and Dr Terence Curran (Honorary Associate in Music) will reveal what it was like to work on the programme along with the experience and expertise that they contributed.

The event will feature a panel discussion with both academics, a member of the Alzheimer's Society Northern Ireland, Geradine Mulvenna (Creator of This is Me) and someone living with dementia, all of whom will share their views on the value of music.

The OU 50th Anniversary Series at the Edinburgh International Book Festival includes events with: former Prime Minister and former OU tutor Gordon Brown; radical poet and OU honorary graduate Benjamin Zephaniah; celebrated Scottish writer and OU honorary graduate Val McDermid; equal pay campaigner and former BBC China editor Carrie Gracie; prize-winning author and former OU Arts Faculty staff member Daniel Shand; and author and OU creative writing alumnus Catherine Simpson.

We are extremely proud of our social mission driving inclusivity and diversity and will be attending Pride events across the four nations alongside PLEXUS the OU Students Association LGBTQ+ group.

The OU is running a roadshow of events for employers across Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI). The roadshow takes place from 29 August to 5 November and will visit Dundee, Shetland, Orkney, Oban, Dumfries, Inverness, Irvine and Stirling.

Prof David Sharp has made four appearances on BBC Coast and was an academic consultant for the series. In his talk, David will discuss his experiences filming science-related items for the programme, covering features on sound mirrors, foghorns, squeaking sand and Fingal’s cave. The talk includes plenty of video clips from the Coast programmes and covers the science underpinning the features, as well as giving inside info regarding some of the tricks employed when filming for television.

1969 was the year when Neil Armstrong took his small step on the Moon. But the Moon was not the only planetary body to start giving up its secrets that year. Two spacecraft flew closer to Mars than ever before, picturing its cratered surface and one of its polar caps. Two large meteorites fell, in Mexico and Australia. Two astronomers in Kazakhstan discovered a comet that became the target of the European Space Agency’s incredibly successful Rosetta mission. Monica Grady was involved in that mission and has collected meteorites in Antarctica. She has studied meteorites from the asteroid belt, from the Moon and from Mars. In her talk, she will explain what, 50 years later, we have learnt about the Solar System from the events of 1969.

The ninth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF9), co-hosted by The Open University with The Commonwealth of Learning. Focusing on Innovations for Quality Education and Lifelong Learning, with special focus on Education for Girls and Empowering Youth.

Cause-related marketing seeks to enhance a firm’s legitimacy. This is achieved by publicising and capitalising on the company’s corporate social responsibility accomplishments. More specifically, it focuses on designing corporate social responsibility strategies and communication of the associated achievements, to enhance a firm’s reputation with its key stakeholders. This in turn improves long-run profitability and stakeholder relationships. In this lecture, Professor Liu will explore the formats of cause-related marketing campaigns and the specific ways of implementing these strategies. He will argue the opportunities (benefits) that such campaigns can bring to private businesses as well as social enterprises/non-profits. Professor Lui will also discuss the potential threats faced by corporate and social enterprise/non-profit managers when implementing cause-related marketing strategies.

The enormous popularity of Game of Thrones is due largely to the quality of its story-telling and characterisation, and the opportunity it offers to escape into another world. But that world is in many respects a distorted reflection of our own, particularly in terms of how we imagine our own history. This talk will highlight some of the ways in which portrayals of Westeros and Essos draw upon deep-seated assumptions about the European Middle Ages. Modern day notions of medieval chivalry and romanticism, barbarism and superstition, and also attitudes to non-Western societies, are central to that depiction. The event will be delivered by Richard Marsden, a Lecturer in History at The Open University.

Join us for a free event to explore mental health and living with a mental health condition. This free event follows the OU / BBC co-production ‘Psychosis and Me’, which followed actor David Harewood and his journey with psychosis, but will discuss a range of mental health conditions. This event looks to raise awareness of mental health conditions, challenge stigma, and discuss future action that needs to be taken to support people with their mental health.

Did you know people are better at classifying tasks then computers? Can crowdsourcing help us to classify data of the universe? Astronomy and particle physics have begun a new data-rich era of discovery, from finding warps in space and time to new particles in accelerators. But the data avalanche is so fast, so large and so complex that it’s a challenge for computing. Humans are still often much better than AI at classification tasks and this has led to a new way of doing science: crowdsourcing, with the help of citizen science volunteers. Stephen Serjeant, Professor of Astronomy, will show you how you can join in, and review some of the highlights of our citizen science on the leading crowdsourcing platform, the Zooniverse.

Join The Open University in its 50th anniversary year to explore how it has made the impossible possible for people across the world through its innovative culture of learning and by adapting to technological change. The event will be interactive and thought-provoking staring with a short video and then followed by a dynamic panel of speakers including past and present OU staff, current students and alumni. Each has a story to tell about how The Open University has already made and continues to make its mark on the world today. Join us for food, drink and celebrations.

The Open University is delighted to support ‘Crime In The Spotlight’ at Scotland's International Crime Writing Festival, Bloody Scotland 2019. The festival is continuing its drive to support new authors, by letting them share a stage with the biggest names in the business, such as Noelle Holten reading before OU honorary graduate Ian Rankin’s event with the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon.

Prof Angela Gallop is the most sought-after forensic scientist in the UK. When the Dogs Don’t Bark is the remarkable story of a life spent searching for the truth, as Professor Gallop takes us to the scene of a crime. Chaired by Dr Jim Turner, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, The Open University.

The Open University in Scotland's Maths Team is hosting interactive encryption challenges at the National Museum of Scotland, as part of the museum's Science Saturday events during Maths Week Scotland 2019.

Join OU Professor of Polar Oceanography, Mark Brandon, as he dives behind the scenes and explores how science and discovery were the driving forces behind the OU/BBC’s multi-award-winning co-produced documentaries, Frozen Planet and Blue Planet II.

Venus, Earth and Mars all have active and changing atmospheres, important not least in determining whether each planet is suitable for life. Earth today is a vibrant blue planet, teeming with life, while Venus is hot enough to melt lead and has a toxic atmosphere, and Mars is frozen and dry, with no liquid water at the surface. But this has not always been the case: over four billion years ago, Earth was not the most welcoming home for life to begin. In this talk Professor Stephen Lewis will discuss the role played by the weather and climate on each planet, how this is important for spacecraft exploration today and why understanding other planets can tell us more about the Earth. The talk will describe some of the science behind The Planets TV series, first shown on BBC 2 earlier this year.

Meet the OU academic team who worked on the BBC/OU co-production of the award winning Blue Planet II. This fascinating public talk uses video footage from the TV series and covers the science of our oceans, the experience of the production process, and how science and discovery were the driving forces behind Blue Planet II.

As The Open University celebrates its 50th anniversary, Paul Lawrence, Professor of History, will deliver his inaugural lecture how a historical approach to criminal justice contributes to contemporary understandings of crime and justice.

A Science Showcase exhibition with interactive activities for all. Meet academic and student scientists from the OU involved in BBC broadcasts, find out what they do and how they do it. Get involved in our virtual science experiments and a range of hands-on activities.

Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Science at the OU, is most well known for her work on meteorites. Her highly engaging public talk at Dynamic Earth will explore developments in space science in the 50 years since the first human walked on the Moon and since the OU was born.

The creation of a spaceport in the Highlands of Scotland was announced recently by the UK Space Agency. The OU's Benefits of the European Space Agency Exploration Roadmap in Socio-economics research team are holding an event to discuss the benefits of evaluating the socio-economics of space exploration and what that might mean for a spaceport in Scotland.

All OU colleagues are invited to join us on our Walton Hall campus to celebrate the OU’s 50th Anniversary year. There will be a variety of exciting OpenTALKS and activities to get involved with throughout the day. As well as quite a few slices of birthday cake!

About the time the Open University (OU) was starting, and long before she became the OU’s first female Professor of Physics, Jocelyn Bell Burnell was a graduate student working in radio astronomy. Her research revealed a curious pulsing signal. Hear the story of how pulsars (pulsating radio stars) were accidentally discovered, and what we now know (and don’t know) about them.

A free exhibition and networking event connecting charities, healthcare, education, businesses and community organisations all under one roof. Hosted by Mark Lancaster MP and Iain Stewart MP. Open to the public from 12.30pm. For more information contact pauline.mitchelmore@parliament.uk

The Open University is hosting public information stands at venues across Scotland in Autumn 2019. Come along and meet our OU staff to find out what it’s like to study with us, what modules and qualifications we offer, and what funding options are available.

The OU is running a roadshow of events for employers across Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI). The roadshow takes place from 29 August to 5 November and will visit Dundee, Shetland, Orkney, Oban, Dumfries, Inverness, Irvine and Stirling.

An exhibition exploring the life of Jennie Lee, a founder of The Open University: In this exhibition archive materials from the OU Jennie Lee Archive Collection, Glasgow City Archives and ONFife (Fife Cultural Trust) have been brought together for the first time, to tell the fascinating story of Jennie Lee’s life.

The Open University is hosting public information stands at venues across Scotland in Autumn 2019. Come along and meet our OU staff to find out what it’s like to study with us, what modules and qualifications we offer, and what funding options are available.

The OU is running a roadshow of events for employers across Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI). The roadshow takes place from 29 August to 5 November and will visit Dundee, Shetland, Orkney, Oban, Dumfries, Inverness, Irvine and Stirling.

An exhibition exploring the life of Jennie Lee, a founder of The Open University: In this exhibition archive materials from the OU Jennie Lee Archive Collection, Glasgow City Archives and ONFife (Fife Cultural Trust) have been brought together for the first time, to tell the fascinating story of Jennie Lee’s life.

A lively panel discussion featuring three women from the Open University’s STEM Faculty who have recently been promoted to professor. With Professor Josie Fraser in the chair, our panellists, Sally Jordan, Clem Herman and Carol Morris, will talk about their unique and somewhat unconventional career paths. They will discuss all things women and STEM, including top tips for success, how to overcome stereotype threat and imposter syndrome, and their vision of the future for women and STEM at the OU. Our trio of professors will begin by telling their own stories, illustrating how the personal is indeed still political, and how the right support mechanisms can enable women to succeed against the odds.

Join us for a special celebration of 25 years' of KMi's world leading research. The event is taking place at the OU Library, Thursday 14th November, 11:00 - 15:00, where you will have an opportunity to meet the teams behind the creation of our novel AI, data science, smart city and blockchain platforms. Buffet lunch included – spaces are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Discovering new planets:
1. The puzzle of planet Mercury – why go there? David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences. Professor Rothery will present the dramatic and perplexing history of Mercury – the planet three times closer to the Sun than the Earth, rich in volatile elements.
2. Exoplanet discoveries: Our place in the Star Trek Universe. Carole Haswell, Professor of Astrophysics Professor Haswell will explore how exoplanets offer special opportunities to place planet Earth in context.

Come along to the OU Orchestra’s upcoming free concert on 15 November, from 1 – 2pm in the Hub Theatre at the Walton Hall campus. The programme includes performances of Overture to The Wreckers by Ethel Smyth and the second symphony by Alexander Borodin. Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy a lunchtime of musical performance and no tickets are required.

This public study day is open to anyone with an interest in Glasgow's cultural history. Come along and hear about different aspects of Glasgow's cultural history, and learn about the Glasgow City Archives from a variety of users from the Cultural History of Glasgow Research Network.

This public event is free and open to anyone with an interest in understanding autism. Join Dr Ilona Roth, an award-winning OU Honorary Associate, to explore the different characterisations of autism.

2019 is the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, one of the most significant achievements in science. To celebrate this, a group of chemists at the OU reveal their favourite element in the Periodic Table and explain why they like it so much. “What is your favourite element?” may seem an easy question but it is hard to single out only one. Each element has its own distinctive properties and it’s amazing in its own way. This talk will contain some awesome chemistry of metals and non-metals.

How do you lead and manage a fluid organisation? Are management theories still relevant in a fluid modern world? In this lecture for new and returning Business and Law students, Professor Devendra Kodwani, Executive Dean of The Open University Business and Law Schools, will reflect on the challenges and opportunities that the era of liquid modernity presents for individuals. You can attend in person, or watch live via our YouTube channel. There will also be stands from the OU Students Association, Student Recruitment and Support Centre, Careers and Employability Services, and Executive Education to browse ahead of the lecture.

This site-specific and hands-on public workshop will consider the experience of reading, as part of Book Week Scotland 2019. Join Dr Shafquat Towheed and Dr Sally Blackburn-Daniels from the OU’s Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences to find out more about readers in Edinburgh, from the past and the present.

In her book The World I Fell Out Of, award-winning journalist Melanie Reid details, with often mordant wit, her experiences in a spinal unit, and the years beyond as she came to terms with being tetraplegic and travelling in a wheelchair. This event will be chaired by OU honorary graduate Ruth Wishart.

As we celebrate The Open University turning 50, OU Honorary Graduate Prue Leith will share some of the highlights of her career, her reinventions and her thoughts on education and the role of the OU as we look to the next decade (and beyond!).

The OU is running a roadshow of events for employers across Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI). The roadshow takes place from 29 August to 5 November and will visit Dundee, Shetland, Orkney, Oban, Dumfries, Inverness, Irvine and Stirling.

The Open University in Wales is hosting an event following the BBC/OU co-production ‘Our Dementia Choir’ that aired earlier this year. The two-part series, hosted by Vicky McClure, followed a group of individuals who explored the true extent of music’s power in the fight against dementia. The Open University in Wales has partnered up with the Alzheimer’s Society to bring this inspirational documentary to life on your doorstep, with a hint of a festive feel. You will have an opportunity to listen to a range of speakers who will discuss how, and if, music can make a difference to the wellbeing and coping mechanisms for those living with dementia. We will also be joined by a local “Singing for the Brain” choir for a heart-warming sing along session of your favourite Christmas carols. Booking essential.

An exhibition exploring the life of Jennie Lee, a founder of The Open University: In this exhibition archive materials from the OU Jennie Lee Archive Collection, Glasgow City Archives and ONFife (Fife Cultural Trust) have been brought together for the first time, to tell the fascinating story of Jennie Lee’s life.