A Robert Gordon University (RGU) academic will bring her doctoral research into paranormal experiences to life at an Aberdeen event.
Rachael Hayward, an Events Management lecturer at RGU’s Aberdeen Business School, will be on the panel at ‘No Boundaries: What is research?’ one of the many events which will take place across the city as part of Explorathon on Friday, September 25.
Explorathon is a one night extravaganza of discovery, debate and entertainment that celebrates European Researchers Night in Aberdeen and across Scotland.
At the event, Rachael will discuss if the paranormal is really worthy of investigation and how evidence is defined.
Professor Anne Douglas of RGU’s Gray’s School of Art, Derek Jennings of the Book of Deer Project, Katy Johnson of Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives and Elizabeth Curtis, Stephan Torre and Susan Marshall from the University of Aberdeen will also speak at the event on a range of other topics.
Rachael, who is currently completing a PhD at the University of York, said: “The event is a fantastic chance to debate what we consider to be research.
“As I am involved in the study of paranormal experiences this is often a topic that comes up, as people quite literally wonder what the point of my research is, and even if should be considered research at all.
“Of course, as I am nearing the end of my doctoral research I would argue that research in this area is very much warranted and valuable, however, it is certainly an interesting and often lively debate to have.
“My research concerns the study of social interaction and paranormal experiences. I am interested in group experiences and the interaction between individuals as a paranormal event takes place. As such, I do not argue for or against the reality of such claims but seek to understand a little more about phenomena which have been part of our social and cultural history for a very long time. At the event I will introduce my research, and also talk about what it can offer and the research communities that it engages with.
“The event is free and open to the public. Whilst I will be speaking about my research, there will also be several other researchers talking about a range of interesting topics.
“The session has been organised to be interactive, and therefore the audience will be invited to take part in the debate. Whilst many of the topics have an academic focus, it is great that an event like this is open to the public as it encourages a much richer and more interesting debate to take place about what research really is to a wide range of communities.”
Hosted by the University of Aberdeen, Explorathon takes place across Aberdeen on Friday 25 September with a huge roster of events focussed on research and public engagement.
‘No Boundaries: What is Research?’ is being held from 7.30pm to 8.30pm at Stratosphere Science Centre.
A list of Explorathon events in Aberdeen can be found at: www.explorathon.co.uk