Odin's Eye Blog

Get ready for an exciting adventure this September as Explorathon 2025 is coming our way!

The University of the Highlands and Islands is one of the five universities delivering the annual festival – along with the universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Strathclyde and Glasgow – that celebrates the diversity of research and its impact on everyday life.

Through a packed calendar of events, this festival brings researchers to the forefront, offering young people a unique opportunity to peek behind the curtain and discover what makes research so vital and exciting.

The official Explorathon weekend runs from Friday 26 September to Sunday 28 September. During this time, events will be happening all around Europe as part of the European Researchers’ Night, but in Scotland, the exploration starts early and continues all month long.

Join in and ignite curiosity and spark inspiration with our dynamic mix of events, workshops, and interactive sessions. And do what you can to help us spread the word.

Explorathon isn’t just about events – it’s about connecting with a community of curious minds. Follow @ERNScot on social media to keep up with the latest updates. Share your discoveries, join in on the conversation, and see how others are engaging with the festival. Remember to use #Explorathon25 or tag us!

For the Love of Whales Workshops

During September 2025, UHI Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) is organising the ‘For the Love of Whales’ workshops. In collaboration with Developing the Young Workforce, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, British Divers Marine Life Rescue and Whale and Dolphin Conservation, SAMS is organising cetacean themed events, for the rural High Schools of Tobermory, Isle of Mull, and the Ise of Tiree.

This will provide a holistic perspective of marine mammals on the West coast of Scotland, through many different activities, based on the research of SAMS and HWDT, alongside citizen science contributions.

Key Features of “For the Love of Whales”

1. Sizing up Species
   • Pupils will experience the magnitude of some marine giants. Hope the Humpback inflatable Whale will enable students to get close up and personal to learn more about the anatomy and threats of these species.
2. Watching for Whales
   • With the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, pupils will learn how to conduct a shore watch, to contribute to the extensive citizen science effort on cetaceans around Scotland. With species identification, behaviour recognition, and an introduction to the WhaleTrack app, pupils can engage with how cetacean data is gathered in the field.
3. Whaletalk
   • Research from SAMS will be shared with pupils around the importance of sound for marine mammals. With a hydrophone network developing in local waters, researchers can listen and learn to these species without causing any distress or disturbance.
4. Saving the Stranded
5. Volunteers from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue will be attendance, to introduce pupils to the role of Marine Mammal Medics, who are trained to refloat stranded animals, and free entangled species.

Goals of the Workshop Series

In such marine-reliant communities, this event aims to demonstrate the multi-faceted approach to cetacean research and conservation on the West Coast of Scotland. It will also highlight the importance of the public in collecting data contributing to research and policy. It is vital to showcase aspects of local marine research to the young people in our isolated communities.

Exploring Pedagogies: Arctic Pedagogy

Wednesday 10th September 2025. Organised by Lecturers Mark Lindley-Highfield, UHI Inverness, and Ali Hepburn, UHI Orkney, this seminar for teachers explores how Education in the North is influenced by Arctic Pedagogy, a way of looking at education that comes from a partnership of institutions in the Circumpolar North. 

Discover how there are shared educational concerns between the different countries in the northern hemisphere, and how partner members of the UArctic Thematic Network on Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity in Education have formulated five pillars to assist us in meeting our learners’ needs through considering the context in which learning takes place. See our web event page to book a place.

Explore the event listings, mark your calendar, and get ready for a month full of inspiration and discovery.

2024-2025 has already been busy for UHI and the Explorathon project, with the following activities taking place:

• Our World from Space (SAMS) workshops engaged with 631 participants and a total of 1110 engagement hours.
• Cetaceans and Climate Change online workshops (SAMS)
• Girls Do Physics involving 120 pupils from 8 schools (SAMS)
• Weaving the Strands online seminar on developing oral histories for teachers (UHI Institute for Northern Studies)
• Bringing Tourism to Life with Digital Technology online event for S4-S6 pupils (UHI School of Adventure Studies)
• Unlocking Key Potential webinar. Research-driven innovations in education (UHI Institute for Northern Studies and University of Malta)
• British Merchants and the Foundation of Colonial Power online seminar (UHI Institute for Northern Studies)
• Among the Layers of the Land online seminar (UHI Institute for Northern Studies)
• Age of Wolf and Wind: The Viking Age Settlement of Iceland online seminar (UHI Institute for Northern Studies)
• The Viking Age Trade Routes of Eastern Europe online seminar (UHI Institute for Northern Studies)

This September, Explorathon 2025 is bringing research to life and showing just how much it impacts our everyday lives. Let’s make research real together!