Doctor Austin to retire

  

Doctor Austin
Head of the Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies
1996 - 2014

To all my students,

The time has come for me to retire as Head of the Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies. I want to thank each and every one of you for giving me the honour of teaching you about a subject I care so very passionately about. I have been so fortunate to have such a brilliant career, it has been wonderful. I know that all of you will carry on the study of Zombies and Zombieism, and take it to places I could only dream of. There are further details of my retirement in the official press release below.

I know the Institute is in safe hands, and will continue to deliver you all an excellent dose of Zombie Science.

Stay safe out there,

Doctor Austin

PRESS RELEASE

Issued: 18/08/2014

For Immediate Release

WORLD-RENOWNED THEORETICAL ZOMBIOLOGIST DOCTOR AUSTIN RETIRES

World-renowned Theoretical Zombiologist Doctor Austin is to retire from his post as Head of the Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies, at the University of Glasgow, on Monday the 25th of August 2014. Appointed in 1996, Doctor Austin has been responsible for the development of the Prion Zombieism Theorem as well as the Institute’s public engagement programme. The latter took the form of the spoof lectures and tutorials, Zombie Science 1Z, Worst Case Scenario and Brain of the Dead. Supported by the charity Wellcome Trust, these events have been seen by over 40,000 people since their inception in 2010. Two of these shows are currently taking place at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 

 

Doctor Austin has worked extensively on the subject of Zombiology, spending time researching Kuru in Papua New Guinea during the 1960s and studying variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the 1990s. As Head of the Institute he has taken awareness of Zombieism to an all time high. Of his decision to retire, Doctor Austin has said, ‘I have enjoyed every moment of my time at the Zombie Institute and have been humbled to work alongside a lot of truly wonderful people. I am particularly proud of the public engagement programme through which I met so many interesting and varied individuals. I’ve always believed that science isn’t for a select few, it’s for everyone, and that’s what drove me during my years touring the world.’

The University of Glasgow have yet to announce a successor for the Institute, which first opened on campus in 1803. Doctor Austin has stated that he will remain on as Zombiologist Royal to Her Majesty the Queen, until such time as an appropriate replacement is selected.

Doctor Austin will present his final public lectures at the Edinburgh Fringe, every night until the 25th of August. The sixty minute shows’, Zombie Science: Brain of the Dead and Worst Case Scenario adopt Doctor Austin's unique combination of comedy and science. Worst Case Scenario sees the audience make decisions on dealing with a Zombie outbreak. The choices they make alter the outcome - meaning no two shows are ever the same. Brain of the Dead allows the audience to experience life as a Zombie.

Asked about this, and his future plans, the Doctor said, ‘the Fringe is a brilliant way to end my career, it’s a fascinating place, full of terrifically talented people. I have spent my whole life exploring strange environments, and this is no exception. But after a long time on the move I look forward to spending my retirement with my family and allowing the next generation to push the study of Zombiology to exciting new levels.’

Notes to Editors

About Doctor Austin;

Doctor Austin is a Theoretical Zombiologist at the University of Glasgow and has been Head of the Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies since 1996. His theories on Zombieism have been published worldwide in publications as diverse as The Times, The Guardian (Las Vegas), The Daily Mail, Playboy (Russia), The Zombie Times and The Metro. Doctor Austin has appeared on the BBC, Sirius XM (USA), RTE Television (Ireland) and is the author of Zombie Science 1Z, a guidebook to the science of the undead, first published in 2010.  

Lecture Details;

Zombie Science: Brain of the Dead – Edinburgh Fringe 2014

18th - 25th August at 7.10pm (1hr)

Tickets: £6.50 - £10.50

C Venues, Adam House, Chambers Street, EH1 1HR

Fringe Venue 34

C Venue Box Office: 0845 260 123 / www.cthefestival.com

Fringe Box Office: 0131 226 0026 / www.edfringe.com

Zombie Science: Worst Case Scenario – Edinburgh Fringe 2014

18th - 25th August at 10pm (1hr)

Tickets: £6.50 - £10.50

C Venues, Adam House, Chambers Street, EH1 1HR

Fringe Venue 34

C Venue Box Office: 0845 260 123 / www.cthefestival.com

Fringe Box Office: 0131 226 0026 / www.edfringe.com

Web Links;

www.zombiescience.co.uk

www.facebook.com/zombiescience

@ZombieScience1Z

  

##Ends##

Doctor Austin with Her Majesty the Queen

Book Review: Each New Morn

Good day Zombiology students,

Thank you for stopping by the ZomBlog. Today I’ll be taking a break from science to review Each New Morn a post-apocalyptic thriller from L. G. Thomson. My usual caveat applies, I am a scientist, not a critic, therefore I can only share my personal thoughts of the book. I must also declare a conflict of interest, as I make a special appearance in the story! In fact the book holds a special place in my heart as the author found inspiration from some of our science in the creation of her Zombies - a most humbling honour.

Each New Morn follows survivors of a deadly prion disease named Falling Down Flu. I can hear scientists grinding their teeth, as influenza refers to a virus not a prion, but settle down, this is explained in the book. This isn’t your traditional Zombie story, in fact the word Zombie is rarely used and the disease has many unique factors that set it apart from the standard Romero model. The outbreak begins with patients falling into a sleeping state for a short period. Some wake up fine, some never wake again and others, well, they come back different.

The story begins with Chrissie, a woman alone in her home, where other members of her family haven’t woken up. Anarchy has overwhelmed the streets and she makes the decision to take a car and seek safer pastures. As is often the case, Chrissie discovers that the most dangerous element of the apocalypse is not the infected but other humans.

In the second part we are introduced to Shaw, a man who was trapped on a visit to his home village and like Chrissie, his family doesn’t awaken with him. He does have a lovely dog, Toby, for company. It is here that we have our first encounter with a ‘Zombie’. This doesn’t happen until more than 80 pages in, very unusual for a Zombie tale, however I found the story so gripping, that I hadn’t even noticed. After dispatching the first of many undead monsters, Shaw begins to assemble survivors and they struggle to survive against the conditions of the remote Highland area.

I’m cautious not to reveal too many of the exciting twists and turns in the book, spoilers I believe they are called. But I must discuss the Zombies because I really loved (and was terrified) by them. Those who awaken changed behave in some of ways we expect of a Zombie. They are aggressive, relentless and difficult to kill. In a break from the norm they do not moan – they scream. Nicknamed Screamers they roam the night wailing horribly. This is a nice nod to the banshee, a fixture of Scottish Gaelic mythology. These creatures are also vulnerable to injury in a more human way, meaning it’s not just a headshot that’ll take them down. I liked that because from a scientific perspective the lack of explanation as to how the body functions without blood flowing, or consumed food & drink being transferred to energy, is a bit confusing.

Overall the story is action packed – it covers a long journey and a long period of time. It explores areas many other Zombie stories overlook, such as the rise of feral animals, an explosion in the insect population and the realistic decay of the things we humans leave behind. The approach is different from other Zombies stories, making it a fresh and surprising read – and as an avid fan of all things Zombie this doesn’t happen to me often. It is set in Scotland, and being my home country, I liked that a lot. There’s something exciting about being able to visualize these events happening in your immediate world. My only slight confusion was why American terms were used, such as ‘gas’ and ‘store’, as the characters were not American. Perhaps this helps with international sales.

If you’d like a gripping, fresh take on the Zombie genre, packed with tension and surprises that are equally pleasant and horrible then Each New Morn is for you.       

L. G. Thomson’s Each New Morn is available on Amazon and more information can be found on the official website.

I’m going to the Edinburgh Fringe 2014 with two offerings from Zombie Science, details below;

Zombie Science: Brain of the Dead – Edinburgh Fringe 2014

30th July - 25th August (not 12th) at 7.10pm (1hr)

Tickets: £6.50 - £10.50

C Venues, Adam House, Chambers Street, EH1 1HR

Fringe Venue 34

C Venue Box Office: 0845 260 123 / www.cthefestival.com

Fringe Box Office: 0131 226 0026 / www.edfringe.com

Zombie Science: Worst Case Scenario – Edinburgh Fringe 2014

30th July - 25th August (not 12th) at 10pm (1hr)

Tickets: £6.50 - £10.50

C Venues, Adam House, Chambers Street, EH1 1HR

Fringe Venue 34

C Venue Box Office: 0845 260 123 / www.cthefestival.com

Fringe Box Office: 0131 226 0026 / www.edfringe.com

Stay safe out there,

Doctor Austin   

Doctor Austin ZITS BSz MSz DPep, is a Theoretical Zombiologist and Head of the Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies at the University of Glasgow, Scotland UK.