The choice of Stirling as the location for Scotland’s new university in 1963 reflects the importance of the town, both past and present. Stirling acquired historical prominence from its strategic location: most north-south traffic was forced to pass through the town, which had the only bridge over the river Forth. Highland drovers led their cattle south through Stirling to the tryst in Falkirk, and English invading troops were cut off at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. The town is still dominated by its famous hilltop castle, once the seat of royalty.

Stirling is about an hour’s journey by road or rail from Edinburgh and Glasgow, both of which are excellent shopping centres and renowned for the arts and entertainment. Edinburgh has an International Science Festival which is held each year, and also stages the International Festival every summer, and Glasgow, the European City of Culture in 1990, is the home of the much acclaimed Burrell Art Collection. Stirling itself is one of the principal towns of Scotland’s Central Region, lying at the northern edge of the flat Forth Valley. To the south are the lowlands with their industrial and commercial economies. The hills rise immediately to the north, leading to the less populated Highlands with their agricultural environment and recreational attractions. Improved roads now give rapid access to Aviemore, Glencoe and other centres for skiing, rock climbing, hill walking, canoeing, sailing and many other outdoor pursuits.

The Thistle Centre in the middle of Stirling provides excellent modern shopping facilities. The Smith Art Gallery provides changing exhibitions of art and history, and there are many historic buildings within the town. Nearby places of interest include the 14th century Doune Castle (8 miles), the 15th century Castle Campbell (9 miles), and the 16th century Palace at Culross in the kingdom of Fife (15 miles). Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have international airports, and Stirling is well supplied with train and bus services. The M9 motorway leads to within 2 miles of the University, which is then approached through the old spa town of Bridge of Allan.

University Campus
The outstandingly beautiful campus lies within Airthrey Estate, and covers over 300 acres of parkland. At the centre is Airthrey Castle (designed by Robert Adam) and the loch. The University buildings blend with the contours of the land, and some have won architectural awards. The student residences lie on the loch’s northern bank. Behind them rises a steeply wooded hillside, leading up to the Ochil Hills. In front is an open view over the loch to the main university complex, the Cottrell Building. The Psychology Department is located there, along with many other academic departments. The residences and the Cottrell Building are linked by a bridge spanning the loch at a promontory. On this headland are the Library (offering a computerised catalogue and many services) and the campus social facilities. These include the MacRobert Arts Centre (offering theatre, film, concerts and exhibitions), the Robbins student social centre, a bank and Post Office, and various shops, restaurants and bars serving snacks and drinks. The Pathfoot building, housing more teaching and research departments, is located nearby. There are car parks throughout the campus.

One of our current research areas
An important theme running through much of the department’s research is that of communication - particularly non-verbal communication. A number of researchers work on how humans and non-human primates make use of cues from head and gaze to understand what their companions are interested in or thinking about. Face recognition is another major topic for research in the department. Professor Vicki Bruce and a number of other colleagues based in Stirling and Glasgow are currently engaged in a major project on identification of faces from Closed Circuit TV images, and have made important discoveries about confusions which may arise when identification is based upon CCTV images alone.

Author: University of Stirling

This article first appeared in Studying Abroad magazine