Tuesday, July 13th
at Cafe-At-Bristol - Dr Freya Harrison
Fitter, happier, more productive - how genes can be selfish
and social
Why do organisms cooperate with one another? Individuals
may suffer a great personal cost in order to benefit others
– from people donating bone marrow, to meerkat ‘helpers’ bringing
up another animal’s pups instead of breeding themselves, to
bacterial cells committing ‘suicide attacks’ in order to kill
competing cells from other species.
Understanding how and why organisms cooperate can help us
understand a lot about animal behaviour and biodiversity and
also about human behaviour. It is key to understanding why
we have problems cooperating over important things like climate
change. At the other end of the biological spectrum it helps
up understand the way many pathogenic bacteria utilise cooperative
behaviours to live inside their hosts.
Join Dr. Freya Harrison, Fellow by Examination in Biology
at Magdelen College, Oxford, to explore ideas of cooperative
behaviour and why we should bother studying it.
Drop by from 7.30 for 8pm start end 10 pm
Directions
Monday, June 28th at the Tobacco Factory - Ann Grand
Whose science is it anyway?
An increasing number of scientists and engineers are choosing
to conduct their research as ‘Open Science’ – making the whole
of their investigation, its data, scientific opinions, questions,
ideas, folk knowledge, workflows and everything else available
on and through the Internet. Science usually comes to us neatly
sound-bited through newspapers, radio or television. How many
of us have been to a scientific conference or read a learned
journal?
Open Science offers the opportunity to directly follow –
and potentially contribute to – live projects. When there
are no boundaries to prevent us from becoming directly involved
with live projects, what happens to the science, to the scientists
and to members of the public?
Ann's research explores that space between open science and
public engagement: what happens when science steps out of
the ivory tower, exposes its shifting, changing and uncertain
nature and opens itself to contribution from – well – any
of us? Science Cafe at Explore:
There will not be a science cafe this May; instead, Explore
are hosting the following production at 8pm each evening from
Tuesday May 4th until Sunday 9th.
The Lesser Spotted Collectors' Club
At-Bristol & Full Beam Visual Theatre present The Lesser
Spotted Collectors' Club, a unique piece of interactive theatre.
You Play. You Win. You Survive. Join The Adventure. The year
is 2050. Mankind awakes from a virtual coma to find the automated
systems that it relied on have devoured the natural world.
Humanity now survives living in small groups and using the
remnants of technology to battle a harsh environment. Some
seek to repair the planet, to rediscover the earth lost to
them. Foraging for information in the forgotten institutions
of vanishing civilizations, intrepid explorers are piecing
together the Earth’s story, reconstructing lost species from
the fragments that remain. The Lesser Spotted Collectors’
Club is on just such a reconstruction mission. Rumour has
it that At-Bristol still stands and preliminary forays indicate
that it became a dumping ground for objects, documents and
media. In particular, there is a wealth of knowledge on birds,
one of the rarest lifeforms now seen.
Join The Lesser Spotted Collectors’ Club on our adventure
into bygone era, hunt for vital data to help us re-introduce
lost species and discover the beauty of a natural world long
vanished. This immersive show is part adventure, part performance,
combining actors, experts and secret twitchers, hard evidence
and flights of fancy.
Full Beam uses a unique fusion of soundscape, film, puppetry
and live action to create a richly evocative experience that
is both a cautionary tale and exploration of the beauty, fragility
and wonder of our natural world. At-Bristol has been chosen
as the venue as it allows for all the movement and visual
effects that Full Beam use to carry out this exciting piece
of theatre, but also reflects on the innovative place that
At-Bristol is. As an evening event, it gives people the chance
to try something completely different, yet still among the
familiar science exhibits – bringing the whole place to life
in a new way…
Tickets £9.50 Suitable for ages 14+
To book call At-Bristol on 0845 4586 498 (Mon-Fri, 9-5) or
call in to our desk 10-5 weekdays, 10-6 weekends and school
holidays Monday, April 26th at the Tobacco Factory - Dr Stuart Shales
GM foods - friend or foe?
GM foods and crops are currently a very contentious issue
in Europe. At the moment 134 million hectares of GM crops
are grown worldwide but very little is cultivated in Europe.
In this meeting we will explore the current traits in GM
crops and find out where they are being grown - and why. Importantly,
we will explore the opportunity for new traits for GM crops
both in food and non-food production.
Join Stuart to find out more and express your views on this
contentious and important issue.
Dr
Stuart Shales is Senior Lecturer in Environmental Biotechnology
at the University of the West of England
Tuesday, April 13th at Cafe-at-Explore - Professor Bruce
Drinkwater
Ultrasound – good for bats – what can it do
for you?
Ultrasound is not only used by bats to locate their dinner,
but it is used to monitor the health of unborn babies, catch
fish and check that the cracks in planes don’t get
too long. Amazingly, these disparate devices are all based
on similar principles.
Ultrasound is a wave that can travel though solids, liquids
and gases – it is a sound (or pressure) wave, at pitches
beyond the audible range of humans. As the ultrasound travels
it bounces of anything that gets in its way. It is these
reflected waves that carry information about the baby, the
fish or the aeroplane wing. And it is these reflections,
along with some electronics, that are used to form ultrasound
images. When used for imaging ultrasound is known to be
harmless. However, if the magnitude of the ultrasound is
increased, this is very much not the case. High power ultrasound
can levitate small objects, boil water and even cook meat.
Join Bruce Drinkwater, Professor of Ultrasonics at the University
of Bristol, to explore how these various things fit together
and debate all things ultrasonic and their many applications.
Information
on the Bristol University Website Monday,
March 29th at the Tobacco Factory - John Bradford
Science City Bristol; When, Where, Why, Who, What?
Bristol - science city; but what does that mean to you? Dr
John Bradford, Manager of Science
City Bristol, will be explaining what is happening in
Bristol and the many organisations involved.
Monday, February 22nd -Tobacco Factory
Knit a Neuron
Pick up your needles and hooks and bring them along to a
different sort of Science Cafe. Meet neuroscientists and discuss
the latest research on the brain, make some brain cells, contribute
to a comunal art work and help raise funds for a charity.
The Knit a Neuron project is a collaborative science, yarn, art
project. We need your help to make hundreds of woolly brain
cells. These will be sewn together to make a display which
will be used to raise funds for the Head Injury Therapy Endowment
Fund. The neurons will be made into an artwork to go on display
in the foyer of the (brand new) brain imaging centre, CRIC
(Clinical Research Imaging Centre) due to open later this
year.
We'll provide the science, the patterns and even the yarn.
You bring your needles or hooks and enthusiasm for knit, crochet
and science (you can get stash diving if you want - bring
along some of those ends of balls of yarn you can't bring
yourself to throw away and put them to good use).
Don't worry if it's been a while since you knitted or crocheted,
or if you've never done it before, there's plenty you can
do, or just come for the chat!
http://knitaneuron.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, February 9th - Cafe-at-Explore
Photons - information's best defence?
As we head into a new decade we realise that our lives are not
only based in reality but stored, manipulated and sent endlessly
through the virtual world in the form of information. Our
phone calls, bank details, emails, passwords and PINs are
constantly being exchanged and reviewed but it is important
we ask the question "Is my information secure?"
A new vision of complete security will be offered at February's
Science Café by Alex Clark from the Centre for Quantum
Photonics at Bristol University. Particles called photons
from the quantum mechanical world can carry information in
an entirely secure fashion, giving new possibilities for technology.
We'll begin the evening with an introduction to quantum
communication from Alex, take part in some demonstrations,
and then discuss the advantages and disadvantages of information
security and this new quantum communication technology. Check
no-one's watching over your shoulder.
Monday, January 25th - Tobacco Factory
Energy harvesting - generating low-cost green energy
Dr Stephen Burrow
Lecturer in Systems, Department of Aerospace Engineering
Here's a link to a recent article about Stephen's work on
the University Website: Pickin’
up good vibrations to produce green electricity Wednesday, January 20th - Cafe-at-Explore
Waste not want not!
Still got a mound of plastic packaging and half a turkey
to get rid of? Whether it's reducing, recycling, burning it
or pouring it into a hole in the ground, waste doesn't decompose
by itself.
This event will be a forum for discussion on the topic of
waste, with a range of professional representatives to share
their experience and viewpoints. Bring an item of rubbish
with you for a warm-up activity to kick off the discussion.
Wednesday,
December 2nd - Pierian Centre
Penguins and Polar Bears: What is happening to the polar
ice?
Dr Jennifer Griggs
In this session, Dr Jennifer Griggs will talk about the current
state of knowledge about how the Antarctic and Greenland ice
sheets are changing and have changed in the recent past. She
will discuss the different ways which these changes have been
measured from satellite and airborne instruments as well as
recent attempts to model the changes seen.
The
relative merits of the different methods will be discussed
as well as the implication of the results for the future.
Dr Jennifer Griggs is a researcher at the Bristol Glaciology
Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol.
Her work is concerned with using satellite remote sensing
to measure the size and change in size of Antarctica and Greenland
mainly through the use of radar and laser altimetry.
More
about Jennifer's work
note - there will be a charge of £3.50
to cover costs
Monday, 30th November - Tobacco Factory
Challenging Myths about Beauty and Appearance
In this interactive session, Professor Nichola Rumsey and Dr
Diana Harcourt will encourage the audience to consider current
societal attitudes towards beauty and appearance.
With reference to work conducted by the Centre for Appearance
Research, they will explore whether current evidence supports
or refutes these beliefs and consider the implications that
this growing area of psychological research has for people
with appearance-related concerns.
Professor Nichola Rumsey is the VTCT Professor of Appearance
and Dr Diana Harcourt is a Reader in Health Psychology. They
are the Co-Directors of the Centre for Appearance Research
(CAR) within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the
University of the West of England, Bristol.
More
about CAR
Tuesday, 10th November - Cafe-at-Bristol
Who's to blame for the amount we eat?
Dr. Jeff Brunstrom
Obesity is now recognised as a serious health concern, affecting
an increasing proportion of the UK population. In response,
we are often advised to select healthy foods and to eat smaller
portions. The underlying logic is that food intake needs to
be consciously controlled, because in the absence of control
we passively consume the foods and portion sizes that form
our modern 'obesogenic environment.'
Join Dr Jeff Brunstrom, Reader in Behavioural Nutrition
at the University of Bristol, and share your thoughts on whether
it is us or our environment that really controls the amount
of food we eat.
More
about Dr Brunstrom's work...
Wednesday, November 4th - Pierian Centre
The declining health of the honey bee
Allen Coates - Bee Keeper
Allen will talk about the various influences on the honey
bee population, from exotic pests and global warming to agro-chemicals
and other stress-causing factors. These all influence each
other, but Allen will build a case against one in particular.
He will then discuss recent improvements in bee husbandry,
and offer suggestions for addressing the various problem areas.
Allen will close with speculations about the possible consequences
of the wide scale demise of the honey bee.
Join us for an intriguing evening and find out more about
a most important topic.
Monday, 26th October - Tobacco Factory
The smell of disease
Norman Ratcliffe, Professor of analytic & sensor science,
UWE
(you have a choice this evening - see entry below...)
Join Norman as he describes his research at the University
of the West of England on the analysis of gases from the human
body for disease diagnosis. Topics will include cancer diagnosis
and simple breath tests for food intolerance.
Norman's
university webpage
Monday, 26th October - Pierian Centre - a special Festival
of Learning science cafe
Mbira Physics and the Songs of Iron
A Science Café with Nhamburo Ziyenge and Fidelis
Mherembi
This
unique collision of African traditional music and cutting-edge
physics sheds light in all directions! Physicist Nhamburo
Ziyenge is joined by mbira master Fidelis Mherembi for an
evening of learning and pleasure – an evening that unites
the worlds of music and science, of tradition and research.
Since the days of Ancient Greece music and science have been
seen as twins. Nhamburo Ziyenge revives this ancient tradition
with an evening that first introduces the subtleties of the
Zimbabwean thumb piano, the mbira – and then uses them
to explore some of of the fundamental laws of physics. With
dazzling performance by mbira master Fidelis Mherembi!
Sponsorship by The Festival of Learning means that this unique
Science Café is FREE! Booking essential on 0117 924
4512 or info@pieriancentre.com. 7.30 for 8pm start. The Pierian
Centre is at 27 Portland Square, Bristol BS2 8SA.
13th October - Cafe-at-Explore
'Is it getting hot in here? Evidence from Earth history
for our climatic future'
Richard Pancost, Reader in Biogeochemistry, Bristol University.
In the past 100 years, human activity has markedly altered
the composition of the atmosphere, and elevated greenhouse
gas concentrations have already resulted in about 0.6C warming
of the Earth. Future changes will likely be larger as we enter
a climate state not seen on Earth for tens of millions of
years.
However, the climatic changes of most relevance to humans,
including rainfall and extreme climate events, are those that
are least understood. To anticipate future changes and test
computer models of climate, earth scientists explore how the
Earth's climate responded to past intervals of global warming.
To do this, we use proxies - physical, chemical or biological
signals in the sedimentary record that reflect key components
of the climate system. Together, they let us describe the
ancient Earth and examine how it responded to past intervals
of global warming.
Join Richard Pancost, reader in biogeochemistry at the University
of Bristol to discuss this climatic evidence and what it means
for our future.
Richard's
research webpage
Wednesday, October 7th- Pierian Centre
The Nuts and Bolts of Aircraft Construction through the
ages
In just over 100 years, air travel has gone from fantasy
to what some would call an everyday mundane reality, but have
you ever wondered how you actually go about building an aircraft?
In 2010, Filton celebrates 100 years of involvement in aircraft
manufacturing, how far have we come and where are we going?"
Adam Williams is Manufacturing Engineer at Airbus Operations
Ltd, Filton, Bristol. 28th September - Tobacco Factory: Professor Jane Memmott
Biodiversity on farms: where is it, what is it and does
it matter?
The intensification of arable agriculture over the last 50
yrs has been associated with substantial losses of biodiversity.
Given that 77% of the land area in Great Britain is under
agricultural production and that most of our biodiversity
is found on farmland, how we farm has considerable implications
for both the maintenance and utilization of biodiversity.
Biodiversity doesn't just look pretty, it also provides
free services for mankind, for example pollination and natural
pest control. Two large-scale projects run at Bristol University
have been studying farms, both organic and conventional. This
talk will be about what these projects did and what they found,
discussing along the way whether we can farm for wildlife
as well as food.
Jane's research interests encompass food web biology, invasion
ecology, biological control, pollination biology, restoration
ecology and habitat fragmentation. [More...
]
Tuesday 15th September, 7pm, Café-At-Bristol
When Engineers were Heroes
This is a special Science Café with a performance of
The Nine Lives of Isambard Kingdom Brunel by Rag Morris
Following on from our July event with Bloodhound
SSC, a project to inspire future engineers through the building
of a supersonic car, we take a historical look at the profile
of engineers, on this, the 150th anniversary of the passing
of Brunel.
Such was once the celebrity status of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
that, with his life imperiled by a gold coin stuck in his
wind-pipe (the result of a conjuring trick that misfired),
the public clamoured for news and The Times reported almost
daily on attempts to dislodge it. Brunel’s bravado during
the construction of the Thames Tunnel had first brought him
to public attention, but it was the 1830s railway ‘mania’
that really propelled to fame the two father-and-son engineering
partnerships, the Brunels and the Stephensons. Railways both
thrilled and terrified the Victorians, awestruck by the engineering
feats of men who tunneled through mountains and bridged impossibly
wide estuaries. People flocked to the machinery hall at the
Great Exhibition, Samuel Smiles’ engineering biographies
flew off the bookstalls, and the engineering professions easily
raised thousands of pounds to commemorate these new heroes
in marble, bronze or stained glass.
Yet Some Who Have Made Bristol Famous, a painting presented
to the City Museum and Art Gallery in 1930, found no place
for Brunel, and the centenary of his death in 1959 was a very
tame affair in comparison to his ‘200th Birthday’
celebrations in 2006.
Wednesday
2nd September, 7.45pm for 8pm at the Pierian Centre: Steve
Simpson
Are the oceans doomed?
This is the first of a new series of Science Cafes to be
held at the Pierian Centre. Steve Simpson will be our speaker;
he facilitated a very successful Cafe at the Tobacco Factory
back in the spring and is an idea speaker for this first event.
Feel free to just turn up as usual, although it would be useful
to know numbers - if you know you're coming, just drop me
at email
- Bob.
Recent headlines predict a bleak future for the oceans, coral
reefs and fisheries:
"Warmer Pacific Ocean threatens to wipe out coral on
Great Barrier Reef within 50 years" , Independent,
23/02/04
"All seafood will run out in 2050, say scientists",
Daily Telegraph, 4/11/06
"Acidic seas may kill 98% of world's reefs by 2050",
Guardian, 14/12/07
"Sharks in peril: ocean's fiercest predators now vulnerable
to extinction", Science Daily, 18/2/08
"Sea level rise could top 1.5m by 2099, experts warn",
Guardian, 16/12/08
Join us for a discussion on the state of the world's oceans
and wildlife. We will explore the science behind the headlines,
find out what is really happening, and consider what, if anything,
we can do about it.
Steve is a marine biologist and fish ecologist, with particular
interests in coral reef fishes, commercial fisheries, climate
change, fish behaviour, and aquaculture.
Click here
for more about Steve's work. 27th July
- Tobacco Factory - Ian Page
Peak Oil - are the rumours true?
In fact, what are the rumours? What will, or could, happen
and who should we believe? This is such an important topic
that we could run a number of science cafes on it and related
issues.
Peak oil is the simplest label for the problem of energy
resource depletion - in particular the peak in global oil
production. Ian Page will describe the story of Peak Oil,
what we know and what we don't. Discuss with him the facts,
the fancies and the future.
Ian Page is a retired R&D manager with
an interest in the future of energy and, ultimately, of civilisation(s).
He is active in the International Futures Forum (IFF), which
is a non-profit organisation established to support a "transformative
response to complex and confounding challenges and to restore
the capacity for effective action in today’s powerful
times."
IFF
website.
June 29th at the Tobacco Factory - Chris Kay
The miracle of turning water into beer.
Three years ago, Chris Thurgeson and Simon Bartlett from
the Beer Factory gave a very informative and entertaining
talk at Science Cafe. This time, the other Chris takes his
turn to describe how water is changed into something remarkable.
The Beer Factory is just across the road from the Tobacco
Factory and they have a recently bought and renovated the
Grain Barge near Hotwells.
See Beer
Factory Website for more information.
June 16th at the Arnolfini Cafe - Ainsley Newson Genetic Futures
Ainsley Newson, senior lecturer in Biomedical Ethics at the
University of Bristol, spends her time unpicking the social
and moral issues of developments in genetic technologies.
With DNA sequencing and genetic testing technologies advancing
all the time, the reality of a 'personal genomic profile'
for any one of us is just around the corner.
But what could receiving your genetic profile mean to you?
Would you change your behaviour or feel trapped by your DNA?
Who else might be interested in your data?
To ask these questions and more come along to this Science
Cafe and find out more about this interesting area of scientific
and ethical dilemma.
Link to the Centre
for Ethics in Medicine at Bristol University
Note: if you come early, between 6pm and 8pm, the cafe
is doing special discounts on selected meals and wine for
science cafe participants. The cafe webpage is here.
June 9th at
Cafe-at-Explore: Carinna Parraman
Does this look right? The science of colour appearance in
Art
Have you considered why the swatch colour you take to the paint
shop appears very different to the final painted wall? Differences
between how a colour is measured and how it appears to the
human eye present challenges for colour scientists, designers
and artists alike.
For many centuries artists and scientists have been observing
and developing ways pigmented colour can be mixed and applied
to canvas to depict natural phenomena. Yet how to accurately
describe and measure colour is a problematic activity. The
experimental work in colour photography undertaken by Edwin
Land in the 1960s and 70s demonstrated the highly sophisticated
nature of our visual system but also highlighted the problems
of devices that emulated our vision system. He proved that,
unlike cameras, humans perceived colours in the context of
all the colours surrounding them. With greater demands and
new opportunities for the rendering of colour that are comparable
with our human vision system - high definition television,
cinema, photography, computer games - scientists have begun
to reach the limits of how to measure and apply colour.
Technicians have begun to seek clues in the world of fine
art - how artists have perceived and transcribed colour. For
contemporary colour science, there is a requirement to accurately
measure and specify a colour. However when looking at art,
at photographs and at real life situations, attempts to define
what we 'see' are more complex.
Carinna Parraman is Senior Research Fellow at The Centre
for Fine Print Research at the University of the West of England. [more about Carinna's work...]
May 18th at the Tobacco Factory - Jack Cohen How to design an Alien
What do real aliens look like?
What is the possibility of life on other planets?
Arguments and evidence about alien life have been based in
school chemistry and naive biological philosophies. We can
do better: evolutionary biology can tell us the likelihoods
of biological innovations on this planet, and we can argue
to other evolutions. Life, and indeed intelligence, is common
- but the peculiarities of our evolutionary history, like
airway-crossing-foodway, and our kind of excretory/reproductive
mix-up, will not be found elsewhere. Knees and elbows are
also "parochial" in (pentadactyl) detail, but joints-in-the-limbs
are "universal"; so are photosynthesis, life on
land, flight and many other multiple inventions here. The
argument to intelligence as a Universal is interesting and
has ethical consequences. Building credible aliens is fun,
too.
The real difficulty in creating aliens is artistic, not
primarily biological; it is to lose the anthropomorphism without
losing communication with the audience.
Jack Cohen has been involved in the invention of many fictional
life forms, such as McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern, Harrison’s
Yilane of West of Eden, and several by Niven and White. He
has authored or co-authored many books, often with notable
authors - in recent years with Ian Stewart (on chaos theory
as well as books of fiction) and Terry Pratchett (the Science
of DiscWorld).
Jack Cohen's website
8pm - free - donations cover expenses - Tobacco
Factory science cafes are often full, so arrive early.
May
12th at Cafe-At-Bristol - Dr Guy Saunders
To teleport or not ... that is the question.
If it were possible to teleport, would you use this as a
means of transport? What do you think would happen if a 'person'
teleported? Would a replica person still be the same person?
As you read this, you might feel you have a unified experience
of some kind, an experience had by you as the subject of that
experience. From this point of view, you as a person have
the experience. But is it like this? An alternative view is
that your life is a bundle of elements made from a series
of experiences collected together by, for example, your memories
of them; that 'Person' is simply a conventional name given
to the set of elements and does not refer to a separate thing.
By thought experiment with follow-up questions and discussion,
Dr Guy Saunders, a senior lecturer in social psychology and
consciousness studies at UWE will introduce the session.
more
about Guy Saunders and here.
April 27th at the Tobacco Factory - Steve Simpson
Are the oceans doomed?
Recent headlines predict a bleak future for the oceans, coral
reefs and fisheries:
"Warmer Pacific Ocean threatens to wipe out coral on
Great Barrier Reef within 50 years" , Independent,
23/02/04
"All seafood will run out in 2050, say scientists",
Daily Telegraph, 4/11/06
"Acidic seas may kill 98% of world's reefs by 2050",
Guardian, 14/12/07
"Sharks in peril: ocean's fiercest predators now vulnerable
to extinction", Science Daily, 18/2/08
"Sea level rise could top 1.5m by 2099, experts warn",
Guardian, 16/12/08
Join us for a discussion on the state of the world's oceans
and wildlife. We will explore the science behind the headlines,
find out what is really happening, and consider what, if anything,
we can do about it.
Steve is a marine biologist and fish ecologist, with particular
interests in coral reef fishes, commercial fisheries, climate
change, fish behaviour, and aquaculture. Click here
for more about Steve's work.
April 14th at Explore-At-Bristol
- Dr Katy Lancaster
Shadows of the Big Bang: The Cosmic Microwave Background
Radiation
When observed with a radio telescope, the night sky is not
dark. It 'glows' with residual heat from the Big Bang, the
explosion widely regarded to mark the beginning of the Universe.
This 'Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation' is present in
all directions, and displays hot and cold spots which are
imprints of early formation of the astronomical objects we
observe today.
These faint anisotropies contain much information about the
nature of the Universe as a whole, and provide clues about
its ultimate fate.
Decode the history of the Universe with Dr. Katy Lancaster,
research associate in Astrophysics at Bristol.
[more
about Katy...]
March 30th at the Tobacco Factory - Professor Zafar Bashir
Memories are made of this
Professor
Bashir will be talking about memory - especially about what
happens at the level of molecules. What really is memory?
This is part of a number of talks and events focused on Brain
Awareness Week this month.
more
on Professor Bashir
March 10th at Explore-At Bristol - Professor Stafford Lightman
Is stress all in the head?
Are you stressed out? Stress-related disease is a rapidly
increasing feature of our society, but the ways in which stress
actually leads to illness remain very unclear.
To mark international Brain Awareness Week 2009 and highlight
neuroscience activities taking place within Explore-At-Bristol
(18-22 March) in collaboration with the University of Bristol,
Professor Lightman will be discussing the question 'Is stress
all in the head?'.
More
about Professor Lightman's research interests
February 23rd at the Tobacco
Factory - Dr Mike Walter
What is the Earth made of - and how do we know?
At school we learn about the core, mantle, crust and so
on and what they're made of, but how do we know? What is there
left to learn? And what are scientists currently investigating?
Join us for this voyage to the centre of the earth.
Mike Walter is Reader in Petrology at Bristol University.
Mike
Walter's university webpage
February 10th at Explore-At-Bristol
- Dr Lynne Lawrance
'Societal, Moral and Ethical Questions Raised by Quarantine
in the 21st Century'
The use of quarantine to prevent infectious disease spreading
throughout societies has a long history (quarantine stations
for immigrants to various countries). Its use however had
become less common due to medical advances in prevention and
treatment of infections.
However, the new millennium saw quarantine come into play
again as a key factor in halting the SARS epidemic that threatened
to spread quickly around the world; in part because of the
ease of international travel that now exists. Quarantine was
used aggressively in parts of South-East Asia and also in
Toronto; and though you may not have noticed people were quarantined
in the UK.
The exact numbers who were quarantined in the UK is hard
to determine as none of them were asked to do so by the health
authorities (in fact in some cases the groups concerned were
told it was unnecessary), but it is likely that it ran to
a few hundred.
Yet no one who was quarantined in the UK went on to develop
the disease - they did however "lose" 10 days of their life!
One day it could be you - how would you fell? What would make
quarantine "comfortable"? or even possibly "pleasurable"?
Lynne Lawrance is Senior Lecturer in Medical Microbiology
at UWE
January 26th at the Tobacco
Factory - Professor Mark Birkinshaw
The Dark Side of the Universe
What are the really BIG questions in astronomy at the moment?
One intriguing question is, "Why does it appear that
there is more to the Universe than meets the eye - in fact
much, much more?"
Join us to discuss the latest thoughts and findings on the
structure of the Universe and the roles of dark energy and
dark matter. How do recent results alter our understanding
of space and time?
Professor Mark Birkinshaw is Professor of Cosmology and
Astrophysics at Bristol University.
More about Mark..Special cafe - Friday, December
5th at the Arnolfini - 7pm for 7.30pm
Could You Ever Love A Robot?
Heart Robot and David McGoran will make an appearance as
part of their role in the Supertoys exhibition
at the Arnolfini, alongside commentary and debate led by Dr
Alan Winfield and Dr Matthew Studley.
The evening will start with an optional tour of Supertoys
at 7.30pm and then demonstrations and discussion in the cafe
from 8.00pm.
See the Heart Robot
website (have your speakers turned on!)
For details of the Supertoys exhibition
and related events, including this one, go to the
Arnolfini
website.
Monday, November 24th at the Tobacco Factory - Professor
George Banting
How do cells know what to do?
We are all made up of many millions of different cells, each
communicating with their neighbours to ensure the structural
integrity and normal functions of our bodies. Each cell is
about one millionth of a metre across and contains within
it multiple copies of tens of thousands of different proteins.
These proteins must interact with one another in highly co-ordinated
and regulated ways to ensure correct cellular function.
Using techniques from the fields of molecular genetics and
cell biology coupled with high specification microscopes,
we can now see proteins moving within living cells.
This talk and discussion will explain how we can do this,
why jellyfish have been important in allowing us to do so,
and will show images of proteins moving within individual
cells.
Professor George Banting is Head of the Biochemistry Department
at Bristol University. Find out more about his work here.
Tuesday, November 11th at Explore, At Bristol - Helen Heath
(in conjunction with the Big Bang exhibition)
The Large Hadron Collider - Looking at the History of the
Cosmos
Helen Heath is a particle physics researcher. Join her as
she talks about the Large Hadron Collider, what scientists
hope it will reveal and why we need such a large machine to
investigate the smallest building blocks of matter.
After the Science Café you can discover more about
the Large Hadron Collider in our Big Bang exhibition. Open
exclusively for the Science Café, the exhibition reveals
the science and engineering behind the world's largest experiment.
Helen and colleagues will also be available in the exhibition
to continue the discussions.
Helen Heath is a member of the Particle Physics Group in
Physics Department at the University of Bristol and rejoices
in the unwieldy job title of “Reader in Teaching and
Learning - Physics".
Monday, October 27th at the Tobacco Factory - James Longhurst
Air Quality Management
Why,
when we know so much about the cause and composition of air
quality problems, are we not making more progress in improving
air quality?
You can see the sort of work James does at his University
webpage - look at the Latest News page.
James Longhurst is Associate Dean and Professor of Environmental
Science, Faculty of Environment and Technology, University
of the West of England
Tuesday, October 14th at Explore At-Bristol - Professor
Dek Woolfson
Synthetic Biology: Hype and Hope
Are synthetic biologists really tinkering with nature
or trying to create life? Find out more about what
synthetic biology is, and isn't, by joining Dek Woolfson to
discuss some of the latest research projects in Bristol and
around the world. Dek will help us explore the many ethical
issues that surround this emerging scientific discipline.
Professor Dek Woolfson is based in the School of Chemistry
and the Dept of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol.
Find out more about Dek's work here.
Monday September 29th, at the Tobacco Factory - Jon Turney
The rough guide to the future
Jon Turney will not only look at what the world may be like
in the future, but also at how we think about the future.
Do we think just about science and technology, assigning the
labels 'good' or 'bad'? What about changes in culture, politics,
morality...?
This is sure to be a fascinating talk and discussion!
Jon is a science writer, editor and lecturer. Currently,
he's writing a book, due out next year, The Rough Guide to
the Future. He is the author and co-author of many books,
the latest of which is The Rough Guide to Genes and Cloning
(2007). Type in Jon Turney on Amazon.co.uk to see the amazing
range of subjects that he's covered.
Read about his interests and views on his blog at http://unreliablefutures.wordpress.com/.
Tuesday, September 9th at Explore At-Bristol - Colin Dayan
Clinical trials: the rules on experimenting on people
Join Colin Dayan as he discusses the ethical and legal basis
for conducting experiments on people.
What happens when researchers need to test medication in
difficult circumstances such as when a patient has dementia?
Find out how the practicalities of running clinical trials
with volunteers affect the outcome of a research project.
Colin Dayan MA FRCP PhD, is Consultant Senior Lecturer in
Medicine and Head of Clinical Research, URCN at the Henry
Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology,
University of Bristol. You can find out more about Colin's
work here...
Tuesday, August 12th at Explore At-Bristol - Dr David Bird
Nice barrage - shame about the fish
A
barrage across the Severn Estuary is predicted to supply up
to 5% of the UK’s electricity needs; but at what cost?
Join David Bird from the University of the West of England
as he discusses the impact a barrage could have on the fish
population.
Dr David Bird is a Principal Lecturer in the Faculty of Health
and Life Sciences at the University of the West of England.
Find out more about David here.
Monday July 28th at the Tobacco Factory - Ed Drewitt
What's happening to our garden birds - are pigeons and magpies
taking over?
We're often being encouraged to feed garden birds all year
round and hear about the plight of our sparrows and starlings
in the media. But what is really going on?
Find out about the population changes of our familiar garden
birds, the reasons behind them as well as some fascinating
science about some of our garden favourites.
Clarify
and challenge some of the misunderstandings or misinterpreted
stories relating to some of our garden birds and find out
what's happening with garden birds across the UK more generally.
Edward is a Museum Learning Officer (Natural Sciences) at
Bristol's City Museum & Art Gallery. He provides the commentary
for educational trips on Bristol Ferryboats and is an expert
on, amongst other things, the Peregrine Falcons in Bristol.
July 8th at Explore, At-Bristol. Dr Ruth Morse.
Cancer Fact, Cancer Fiction
Join
Ruth Morse from the University of the West of England to explore
how your DNA, your environment and your personal behaviour
interact in the development of cancers.
Distinguish between cancer facts and cancer fictions as
Ruth challenges some common misconceptions about cancer.
Dr Ruth Morse is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Genetics with
a particular interest in the role of DNA in bone marrow cancer.
More
on Ruth and her work
June 30th at the Tobacco Factory: Mark Hempsell
What happened to the Space Age?
In the 50 years period between 1970 and 2020 mankind will have
invested around $500 Billion in space capability (launch vehicles,
space stations
etc.) and effectively achieved nothing. In the equivalent period
in aviation aircraft moved from world war 1 biplanes to supersonic
fighters and jet airliners.
Technically, almost anything is possible - solar power, re-usable
space planes, cheap methods for disposable of nuclear waste, trips
to the moon and mars - but is there the political will?
Mark Hempsell is Senior Lecturer in Space Technology in the Department
of Aerospace Engineering at Bristol University.
Mark's
webpage at Bristol University
June 10th at Explore At-Bristol: Dr Marcello Ruta
Note - change of speaker - Mike Benton has been called
away; his colleague Marcello Ruta will cover the same topic
Mass Extinction
250
million years ago life on planet Earth was almost wiped out in the
greatest Mass Extinction of all time. Marcello Ruta and his research
team at the University of Bristol weren't there in the flesh, but
are unearthing what caused such a catastrophe using the next best
thing - fossils!
But how much can the fossils that we find today tell us about what
life was like so many millions of years ago? How did some animals
survive the extinction? And what can studying mass extinctions of
the past tell us about the world we live in today?
Join us at our second Science Café in Explore At-Bristol
to meet and chat with Marcello in the present day, to find out more
about this dramatic period in life's history.
Link to Marcello
Ruta's webpage
May 19th at the Tobacco Factory: James Ladyman
"The mysteries of Quantum Mechanics - what do they
tell us about the world we live in?"
In
this talk James will first explain what is so strange about
quantum entanglement and then explain why it is wrong to draw
many of the exciting conclusions from it that are often talked
about in popular discussions. More
about James
James Ladyman is Professor of Philosophy, University of
Bristol
New Science Cafe: Explore-At-Bristol!
May 13th at Explore-At-Bristol: Dr Ainsley Newson
Genetic Futures
With DNA sequencing and genetic testing technologies advancing
all the time, the reality of a personal genomic profile for
any one of us is just around the corner.
But what could receiving your genetic profile mean to you?
How might this affect the way we live our lives? How important
are our genes in predicting our future health? What ethical
issues might arise? Would we rather not know what information
our genes hold?
To ask these questions and more come along to Explore At
Bristol's first Science Cafe on Tuesday 13th May at 7.30 for
8pm in the Theory Cafe, and find out more about this interesting
area of social and scientific dilemma.
Ainsley Newson, lecturer in Biomedical Ethics at the Centre
for Ethics in Medicine at the University of Bristol, spends
her time unpicking the social and moral issues of developments
in genetic technologies.
To find out more about Ainsley's work visit: Ainsley's
web page
To find out more about At-Bristol visit: www.at-bristol.org.uk
April 28th: Adam Durant
Volcanoes, dust, and climate
Image: 1991 Pinatubo volcanic aerosol veil, taken from the
space shuttle
Small silicate particles suspended in the atmosphere redistribute
energy from the sun and surface of the Earth, and consequently
impact climate. The main sources of these particles are from
suspension of surface dust in arid regions, such as the Sahara
Desert, and from direct injection by explosive volcanic activity
(volcanic ash).
At this meeting of Science Café, we will discuss the
types and origin of particles in the atmosphere, how they
interact with solar and terrestrial radiation, how clouds
are modified, and ultimately how climate is affected...more
information as pdf file.
More
about Adam
Adam Durant, University of Bristol, UK, and Michigan Technological
University, USA
March 31st: James Windmill
Hearing at the nano-scale
James Windmill is a qualified engineer with a PhD in Nanotechnology.
He will describe, using a multi-media presentation, his research
into BioNanoScience and the mechanisms of hearing.
This research has included investigations into the nano-mechanics
of insect sound receivers, looking at the processes through
which mechanical vibrations at the nanoscale are converted
to neural signals. The mechanisms involved are strikingly
similar to those found in the human ear, making certain insects
very good models for research into human hearing.
James is a research associate in the School of Biological Sciences
at Bristol University.
February 25th: Sue Wilson
All about sleep
Why do we sleep? What happens if we don't get enough? How common
are sleeping disorders? How common is sleep walking and other peculiar
sleep habits?
Come with your questions for what I think will be an especially
lively evening!
Dr Sue Wilson is Senior Research Fellow in the
Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Bristol.
January 28th: Anthony Hollander
Science & ethics of stem-cell research
Hollander has been working in the field of cartilage biology
and arthritis research for nearly 20 years, including 3 years
spent at an internationally recognized cartilage laboratory
at McGill University in Montreal. More recently he has focused
on tissue engineering and stem cell biology for cartilage
repair.
Anthony Hollander is Professor of Rheumatology and Tissue
Engineering at Bristol University.
Anthony's University home page.
October 29th: Ian Donaldson
Good Queen Bess and the Mineral Industries of Somerset and Gloucester
Queen Elizabeth realised that if the newly Protestant England ever
went to war with Catholic Spain and France, her forces lacked brass
for cannon, which at that time only came from the continent. So
in 1565 she brought in prospectors from southern Germany to search
the length and breadth of the Kingdom for calamine, an essential
mineral. It was eventually found at Weston-super-Mare, and the rest
is history. But they weren’t the first prospectors to strike
it rich in this area.
So if you’ve ever fantasised about Puzzle Wood, puzzled
over Velvet Bottom, scratched you head about the cat’s whisker,
quarrelled over crossbows, or just seen red, come and learn about
our rich mineral heritage.
Monday, September 24th : Stuart Allan
When Worlds Collide: Science and the Media
Stuart will be talking about how journalists report on science
issues - especially where questions of risk are concerned - and
how scientists themselves regard their own involvement in this process.
He will seek to highlight various problems from these respective
perspectives, thereby opening up some questions for discussion -
not least with a view to how we might improve the quality of science
journalism.
Stuart Allan is Professor of Journalism, The Media School, Bournemouth
University.
Some additional information:
Stuart Allan’s work contrasts two worlds. Namely that of science
and that of the media.
According to the media scientists are insular, white-coated boffins
whose work is boring and repetitive, that is, until a terrifying
flash of insight leaves the future of humankind hanging in the balance.
Scientists are generally high-minded citizens working for the good
of society, but there are those who are intent on exploiting scientific
knowledge for ominous purposes, corrupted by power and greed.
From scientists' perspectives, the media is a superficial world driven
by a frenzied obsession with entertainment over information, and with
it style over substance. Journalists, no matter how well intentioned,
will more often than not succumb to the forces of sensationalism to
make their news account of a scientific development attract the public’s
wandering eye: if it bleeds, it leads.
For some scientists, this recurrent misrepresentation of the scientific
world by certain members of the media is more than just scandalous,
it is contrary to democracy itself. The media’s failure to give
science the respect it deserves, they warn, will have dire consequences
for the future.
Stuart Allan is Professor of Journalism at Bournemouth University.
His science-related books include Media, Risk and Science, and the
co-edited Environmental Risks and the Media. He is currently co-writing
a book about the news reporting of nanotechnology.
Prior to joining Bournemouth, he taught at the University of the
West of England, Bristol.
Monday, June 25th : Helen Heath
Into
the Heart of Matter
In order to investigate the smallest building blocks of matter
we need to build very big machines. The 27 kilometre long Large
Hadron Collider, being constructed near Geneva, is the biggest of
these big machines and is due to start exploring matter at the smallest
scale at the end of 2007.
This is the biggest scientific project since men were sent to the
moon and involves thousands of physicists and engineers. I hope
to be able to explain why one of those physicists has worked on
the project for over 10 years.
Helen is a senior lecturer in the Particle Physics Group in Physics
Department at the University of Bristol.
Monday, May 21st : Ben Sessa
From Sacred Plants to Psychotherapy: The History and Re-Emergence
of Psychedelics in Medicine
A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since the ‘Turn
On Tune In and Drop Out’ days of the 1960s. If clinicians
can remain dispassionate and stay true to principle of evidenced
based medicine, then we may be able to reconsider the therapeutic
possibilities of psychedelic drugs.
If we can do this, then there is a real chance that these
fascinating chemicals could play a positive role in the future
of psychiatry and neuroscience. That much we owe to the population
of patients with resistant psychological illnesses that may
benefit from this novel and brave approach.
Dr Ben Sessa is Consultant Psychiatrist,
Department of Psychopharmacology, Bristol University.
Monday, April 30th: Keith Williams
DNA Vaccines - Panacea or Pandora's Box?
Since
1990, when it was shown that genes injected into muscle could
initiate the production of novel proteins by the muscle cells,
the field of DNA vaccine research has undergone a rapid growth.
The human genome project and the greater understanding of
the molecular biology of infectious agents has given scientists
a plethora of potential therapeutic targets for this technology.
With the very recent publication of some early human clinical
trials data, this exiting new field has just begun to show
its therapeutic potential.
However, as with any new advancement in the field of gene
therapy, the concept of inserting genetic material into the
human genome raises a number of technical and ethical issues.
Keith will discuss the form and function of these vaccines,
how they are manufactured, their therapeutic potential and
the regulatory framework that is being implemented to reduce
the possible risks.
Keith is Operations Manager at the Bristol Institute for Transfusion
Sciences, Clinical
Biotechnology Centre of Bristol University.
Tuesday, March 27th: Margaret Clotworthy
Animal Testing- A False Safety Net?
Dr Margaret Clotworthy is Science Consultant for the Europeans
for Medical Progress Trust.
Adverse reactions to prescribed drugs are now our fourth
leading cause of death. This problem is epitomized by Vioxx
- the painkiller which has killed tens of thousands of people
over the past few years.
What can we do to improve drug safety? Many new and sophisticated
human-based tests offer advantages over the animal tests we
have relied on in the past. So how should we go about discovering
& developing new medicines today?
Europeans for Medical
Progress is an independent, non-profit-making organisation
of scientists and medical professionals. Dr Clotworthy is
a consultant for the separate organisation Europeans
for Medical Progress Trust, which is a charity responsible
for education and research.
Monday 26th February - Vala Ragnarsdottir
One Planet Living: Delivering a habitable planet for future
generations
Vala
is Professor of Earth Sciences at Bristol University.
Top climate change scientists have come to the conclusion
that an increase of more than 1C° from present temperatures
in the coming century would deliver a different planet, with
impacts including flooded lowlands, submerged islands, increases
in severe weather and droughts, hundreds of
millions of human refugees and over 50% extinction of species.
To avoid this 1 degree temperature rise we need to stabilise
the CO2 in the atmosphere to below 450 ppmv. This
means we need to reduce CO2 emissions by roughly
70% globally by 2030. To deliver a habitable planet to our
grandchildren individuals and political leaders need to act
now.
Vala will describe the "state we are in" and then
some practical steps for individuals "to do their bit".
Link to the Environmental
Geochemistry Research Group at Bristol University, of
which Vala is the head.
Monday 29th January - Nick Sturge of SETsquared
Exploiting and Accelerating University Science & Technology
How does a great academic idea become a commercial reality?
SETsquared is a joint initiative of Bath, Bristol, Southampton
and Surry Universities that supports knowledge-based high-growth
potential enterprises.
Nick will give examples of new businesses that are 'spin-offs'
of research carried out at Bristol and other Universities.
He will talk about what the Universities try to achieve, what
their decision making process is in deciding what ideas to
exploit, and how they do it.
SETsquared.co.uk
Monday, 11th December:
Science Café Cabaret!
Grab yourself a glass of wine, beer or warming hot chocolate
and join in the fun! Hear from fellow cafe-goers as they take
5 minutes to get on their soap-box, ask a question, tell a
joke or do a demo - all with a science flavour.
But the fun doesn't stop there; in the usual Science Cafe
style, the floor will be open for quick-fire comments and
questions after each 'performance'.
Places are filling up fast, so if you've got something to
get off your chest, or share with the world then email Bob
or Helen [Contact us] to reserve
your place.
Usual time and place - 8pm in the Green room of the Tobacco
Factory.
Monday, November 27th - Alan Winfield
"Please don't switch me off!"
How
would you feel if your robot vacuum cleaner asked you not
to switch it off?
Robots already play an important role in many of our lives
by going to places and doing jobs we don't want to, or simply
can't, do. As robot technology moves on, we pose the question,
how intelligent do we want our robots to be?
Alan is Associate Dean (Research) and
Hewlett-Packard Professor of Electronic Engineering in the
Faculty of Computing Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
at the
University of the West of England.
On Alan's webpage at UWE [here],
he says:
"I am deeply interested in mobile robots for two reasons:
(1), they are complex and potentially useful machines that
embody just about every design challenge and discipline there
is and (2), robots allow us to address some deep questions
about life, emergence and intelligence in a radically new
way, that is by building models. Thus, robotics is for me
both engineering and experimental philosophy."
Monday, October 30th - Richard
Ellam
Mr Brunel's Bloomers
On form, Isambard Brunel was unstoppable, and was capable
of truly great things. Unfortunately he was also capable of
staging monumental engineering disasters, such as the launching
of the SS Great Eastern which cost a lot of people a lot of
money. Even some of his great achievements, such as the Great
Western Railway only narrowly escaped being expensive and
embarrassing fiascos.
Brunel’s tendency to believe that he alone could do
anything resulted in his being as doggedly wrong as he could
be brilliantly right and left some expensive legacies for
his successors to clear up.
‘Mr Brunel’s Bloomers’ is a light hearted
and entertaining look at the science behind some of Brunel’s
less glorious achievements with the serious purpose of presenting
a more rounded and balanced view of the life and career of
this most charismatic of Victorian engineers.
Monday, September 25th
Superconductivity and the science of quantum materials.
Our speaker is James Analytis from Bristol University. He is a
Science and Engineering Ambassador and has recently moved to Bristol
from Oxford. He is investigating the science behind the extraordinary
phenomenon of superconductivity in which an electric current can
travel with virtually zero resistance. Such a current flowing in
a loop of superconducting wire could persist almost indefinitely
with no power source. This has been demonstrated at very low temperatures;
doing it at normal temperatures could revolutionise many areas of
our lives. However, success may depend on a deeper knowledge of
the quantum world than we have at present. James will describe the
background to this fascinating work and the latest discoveries.
July 31st
The science of beermaking and the history of brewing in Southville
Our speakers are Chris Thurgeson and Simon Bartlett from the Bristol
Beer Factory.
Simon will give a short talk on the history of brewing in Southville
while Simon will talk about the process of beermaking.
The Bristol Beer Factory is a small, independent venture that uses
locally grown malt and hops (samples of which will no doubt be available).
Whether you like beer or not, this is sure to be entertaining and
informative.
http://bristolbeerfactory.co.uk
June 26th
Forensic Evidence Interpretation – and the ‘Transposed
Conditional’ for the common man.
Mike Rogers BSc, RFP. Forensic Scientist
Mike Rogers is a senior Forensic biologist of some 34 years’
experience with the Home Office and, latterly, FSS Ltd (GovCo).
As an active Court Reporting officer, Mike is concerned at the
increasing trivialisation of Forensic Science on TV and the all-too
frequent misrepresentation of scientific evidence in the press and,
sometimes, in court (the ‘prosecutors fallacy’).
Do potential Jurors appreciate that when the scientist tells the
court, "There is only a one-in-a-billion chance of getting
this matching DNA evidence if the blood on the accused hadn't come
from the victim", he is not saying, "The
odds are a billion to one that the blood did come from the victim"
- and would they recognise the transposition if they saw it?
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