Diabetes is a life-threatening disease caused by either a lack of insulin production (Type-1 diabetes) or a resistance to insulin action (Type-2 diabetes). Treatment of diabetes is projected to cost the NHS £39 billion per year by 2035, presenting a major social and economic problem. The precise mechanisms underlying diabetes remain unknown, in part because the molecules that regulate insulin secretion are very small and the events in cells that lead up to secretion happen very fast. Until recently, techniques allowing scientists to observe things of this scale in cells has been lacking. IB3 is at the forefront of developing new microscopies with the required resolution, and through its research may ultimately inform the design of new therapies to help alleviate this global threat of diabetes.


The Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Science and Technology officially opened in October 2016 and, when fully resourced, will be home to more than 200 Heriot-Watt and British Geological Survey scientists undertaking cutting- edge research and innovation in land and marine conservation, geology and geoscience. Through collaboration and enterprise, this new research facility will tackle the major issues of natural resource and energy supply and security in a sustainable way.


Work already under way at Lyell is considering challenges from protecting coastal ecosystems to understanding how our inland waterways will cope with future needs, from tackling the effects of climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa to finding deep-sea mining solutions that work within today’s environment. With Heriot-Watt being the first university in the UK to make a


financial investment in tackling energy issues of this nature, our pioneering research is an important pledge to confront the global challenges that are integral to our future.


Excellence in research is key to solving the challenges of the 21st century – putting it at the forefront of Heriot-Watt’s core strategic goals. From discovery to application, our research activity in fields as diverse as climate change, bioengineering and homelessness – delivers real-world results with far-reaching impact.


11


John Swinney, Deputy First Minister, learns about the research underway at the newly opened Lyell Centre with Dr. Kathy Dunlop.


Brewing up a storm (and sunny intervals, scattered showers, high winds...)


Peter Lennox had a somewhat unlikely start for someone who is now the CEO of New Zealand’s equivalent of the Met Office, the MetService New Zealand and MetraWeather. But while the Heriot-Watt University Master’s degree in Biological Sciences – Brewing and Distilling that he gained in 1983 logically led him down the path of a career in the whisky industry, it also equipped him with skills he uses in his current career.


As he explains: “My six years in the whisky industry exposed me to international marketing and branding as well as large project management programmes.” As a result, what followed was thirteen years in various director roles at Scottish Enterprise, before he took the plunge to cross the globe to New Zealand and his current role.


Peter describes the MetService of New Zealand as occupying a unique global position among weather service providers, one which calls on his management and enterprise experience: “As a state-owned enterprise, its shares are wholly owned by the government but the organisation operates


as a commercial entity with a private sector board and is responsible for delivering an appropriate return on investment to its shareholders.”


But there are challenges that are unique to the nature of the business, with the weather forecasting industry currently undergoing a climate change. As Peter explains: “There’s been an explosion in weather forecasts freely available as apps or on the web, all of which vary in quality. We work in a sector where even one degree of accuracy can determine whether to take action, like issue a severe weather warning, that can make the difference between life and death.”


However, even with that degree of responsibility, his advice to the graduates of today is to relax... “Try and get things into perspective and learn to deal with stress. Life should be enjoyable!”


And when it comes to his most memorable moment as a Heriot-Watt student himself, the Irishman doesn’t hesitate: “Meeting my wife of 32 years, Grace. And representing Scottish universities at rugby... and beating the Welsh!”


50th Anniversary Celebration


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