The meeting time is approximately 10:00 - 17:00, however this may change slightly as we finalize the schedule.
The Scottish Universities Summer School in Physics, SUSSP, was established in 1960 by four ancient Scottish Universities (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St. Andrews) to contribute to the dissemination of advanced knowledge in Physics and the formation of contacts among scientists from different countries through the setting up of a series of annual summer schools of the highest international standard.
The subject area of each school would be such as to reflect the research interests of one or more of these Universities. The number of Scottish Universities supporting SUSSP has increased to include Dundee, Heriot-Watt, West of Scotland and Strathclyde. In the early years, one School was held annually but with the recent increase in the number of Scottish Universities, it has been possible in some years to hold two and sometimes three Schools.
SUSSP 77 - Group Photo. From Stardust to Extrasolar Planets: Dynamics of Exoplanetary and Solar System Bodies, Inverness and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Isle of Skye, Scotland, 15 - 27 August 2022
Theme Leaders: Nic Labrosse, Glasgow and Anna Wood, Edinburgh Physics Education Research (PER) in Scottish universities focuses on understanding and enhancing how students learn physics and related subjects (e.g. astronomy).
Physics educators face a multitude of challenges that can impact the quality and effectiveness of teaching. For example, lecturers must have a deep understanding of how to help students to learn the content most effectively. The rapid evolution of technology provides both challenges and opportunities for effective teaching, requiring teachers to continuously re-evaluate their teaching approaches. Additionally, educators often grapple with engaging students who may have diverse learning needs and varying degrees of knowledge and background in physics.
The wide and demanding curriculum can make it difficult to address individual student needs and to implement innovative teaching strategies within time constraints. PER provides an evidence base to help teachers to make the best decision for them, their course and their students. For example, it offers opportunities to help those involved in teaching to transition from traditional methods to evidence-based approaches.
Theme Leaders: Sonja Franke-Arnold, Glasgow and John Jeffers, Strathclyde
We understand that there are a handful of SUPA courses that take place in-person, and SUPA can pay for travel to this type of course and event. However, we also have a requirement to use our limited funds effectively. The SUPA Travel Policy outlines what we can fund. If you would like SUPA to pay for your travel, you MUST request the funding a minimum of two weeks before the travel takes place. Expenses claimed without authorisation may not be paid.
Distinguished Visitor, May 2025
SUPA invites all members of the community to submit an application to bring a distinguished visitor to Scotland. The visit can last from 1 week to 3 months. Funding of £3500 is available. Only 1 visitor will be selected. The visitor will be asked to present the keynote talk at the SUPA Annual Gathering. Therefore, the visitor must be present in Scotland and is expected to attend the Annual Gathering in the last week of May 2025. The visitor is encouraged to offer seminars, workshops or lectures for graduate students and these should be described in the application. These lectures should complement current SUPA courses. Applications should also describe the potential for collaborative research during the visit and in the future. A one-page report on the visit must be submitted within one month of the end of the visit. This report should assess the impact of the visit and include a brief breakdown of the financial claim which will be made to SUPA. Applications will be available soon. Applications will close at the end of January 2025 and a decision will be announced within 2 weeks.
The Scottish Universities Summer School in Physics 78 (SUSSP 78) will be held at the Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions (CSEC- https://www.csec.ed.ac.uk/), an institute within the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh. The summer school will take place from the 18th – 23rd July, immediately prior to the Joint AIRAPT and EHPRG International Conference on High Pressure Science and Technology (https://iop.eventsair.com/airapt2023/).