Café Connect

Café Connect brings you the latest research from the University of Aberdeen. In this podcast series we meet different researchers who will talk about their work and its relevance to our everyday lives. 

Indiscriminate use of antimicrobials affects not just the bugs that cause disease but also our friendly resident microbes and contributes to antimicrobial resistance. How can we develop new therapies for effective treatment of infections without causing resistance? What is stopping new antimicrobial development?

Speakers: Dr Karen Scott (Senior Research Fellow, Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen) and Dr Soumya Palliyil (Head of Scottish Biologics Facility) 

With research suggesting that the average cost of a school uniform for one child at £337 per year, schools and Government are coming under pressure to limit the cost parents face. But why is it that schools in Scotland and wider UK are so tied to having school uniforms?

This discussion with Dr Rachel Shanks from the university’s School of Education will examine the history of school uniforms in Scotland, discuss her research on school uniform policies and her work influencing policy makers and education officials about how this significant cost on parents can be addressed.

A transcript for this episode can be found online, here.

Speakers: Professor Paul McNamee (Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen) and Lucie Giles (Public Health Intelligence Principal, Public Health Scotland)

Alcohol Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) was introduced in Scotland in May 2018 as part of the Scottish Government’s strategy to reduce the health and social harms associated with alcohol misuse. In this conversation we will look at the research trying to understand whether household food spending was reduced following the introduction of MUP and the effect that this has on diet quality. We will also discuss whether these changes to diet quality have consequences for people’s health. 

A conversation with Dr Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager with Professor Keith Bender, SIRE Professor of Economics. In this episode we discuss the role of Sir Thomas Jaffrey in the history of Aberdeen in the early twentieth century.  He was a banker and major philanthropist who helped shape Aberdeen Art Gallery building and collections as we know then today as well as establishing the chair of Political Economy at the University of Aberdeen. 

An transcript for this episode can be found online, here. 
A conversation with Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager with Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Barney Crocket. This conversation looks at the lives of two children who came to Aberdeen, from Nazi Germany, through the Kindertransport of the 1930s. 

A transcript for this episode can be found online here.

Speakers: Professor J. Ignacio Canales (Chair in Strategic Management, University of Aberdeen) and Mauricio Quiroga (Owner and CEO, Gran Vista Management Partners)

In business management, strategy is the way companies compete with one another. The growth of the internet giants is restricting how companies can compete, so is this the end of strategy? Find out how the British fox and the Andean condor can teach us how to face the internet giants. 

Transcript for this episode is available online, here.

Speakers: Dr Kathryn Martin (Lecturer at the Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen) and Marjory D’Arcy (Chair of Grampian 50+ Network).

We discuss the benefits of walking and how walking groups such as Grampian 50+ Network can have a positive impact on the physical and mental health of older people. We will also look at how the social aspect of walking has been affected by Covid-19 lock down rules.

A conversation with Dr Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager and Dr Malcolm Harvey, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations. In this episode the discussion is around events after the recent US Presidential election and the inauguration of Joe Biden as 46th President of the United States of America. The discussion touches on the election process, the events of 6 January, the future of the Republican Party and the second impeachment of Donald Trump. 
Transcript available online here. 

A conversation with Dr Chris Croly, Public Engagement Manager with Dr John McKenzie, Research Fellow, Rowett Institute. In this John discusses his latest research into food insecurity in Scotland and proposed policies for a right to food.
Transcript available online, here.