Café Scientifique is a series of talks and discussion about science and technology, that take place in informal venues such as pubs and cafes. The Canterbury branch meets once a month, usually on the second Tuesday of each month.
Our meetings for this year will be held in the Espression Cafe at 29-30 Palace Street, Canterbury, CT1 2TZ. The cafe will be open from 6:45 and the talks start at 7pm. They are free to attend.
Contact: cafescientifiquecanterbury@gmail.com
Dr. Geoff Dunn, The development of a device to investigate the structure of Cocoa trees using low field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
The talk will briefly cover the theory of NMR before looking at the challenges of building a working device using rare earth magnets.
TBA, TBA
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Dr. Louise Naylor: Designer Babies
Dr. Chris Solomon: Catching criminals with automated face recognition.
Dr. David Oliver: Palliative care–not just for the end of life.
Dr. Colin Johnson: Collective Intelligence: Do Swarms and Crowds Think? .
Prof. Frank Furedi: When risk becomes everything.
Dr. Dan Lloyd: Kill or Cure: The consequences of damage to our genes.
Prof. Mark van Vugt: Evolutionary Social Psychology; a theory about sex shopping and warfare.
Dr. Jon Williamson: Machines that reason
Prof. Mark Burchell: Life in space and how we find it
Dr. Andy King: Tick-bites and odd-bods: Using science to hack computer systems
Prof. Fritz Muehlschlegel: How to stay healthy in the hospital
Dr. Sarah Johns: Teenage Motherhood and Pregnancy
Dr. Andy Hone: The Nature of Truth
Prof. John Dore: Water: The Magic of Molecular Science
Dr. Arnaud Wisman: How do we regulate the awareness of our own mortality
Prof. Darren Griffin: Designer Babies Parte Deux: Now it's personal
Prof. Martin Warren: The madness of King George III
Dr. Alison Edwards: Carbohydrates: Some Sweet Chemistry
Dr. Owen Lyne: "Chancing it": Luck, Lotteries and Life
Dr. Rosie Cowell: Brain-reading: how modern neuroscience techniques can tell what you're thinking from the activity of your neurons
Dr. Colin Johnson: Machine Ethics
What might it mean for a robot, or a computer system, to act ethically or morally? Is it meaningful for a machine to act within an ethical framework, or are such ideas appropriate only to describe human activity? Will robots ever have be able to have sufficient "free will" that they can be described as having ethical or moral responsibility, or will we always be able to place the ethical responsibility for their actions onto their creators? These questions have been explored for decades by technologists, philosophers and science-fiction writers. In this talk I will give an overview of these ideas, which will be followed by a discussion.
Prof. Laurence Goldstein: Adjusting Speech to Context
Most conversational utterances are concise. There are standard means of achieving conciseness (ellipsis) but the most interesting way, to be discussed this evening, consists of opportunistically exploiting features of the particular convers ational environment. Speakers do this routinely, in real time, so we tend not to notice what a truly amazing achievement it is.
Prof. Murray Smith: The Film Instinct
In 1994, Stephen Pinker published The Language Instinct in which he argued that language is an evolved, biological adaptation. Early in 2009, Denis Dutton published The Art Instinct in which he argued, still more contentiously, that art is a universal practice with an evolved, adaptive value. In the intervening 15 years, evolutionary psychology - a crucial influence on both works - has come to the fore of intellectual inquiry. In this discussion we'll consider what pertinence evolutionary psychology, and the arguments of those like Pinker and Dutton, have for our understanding of a modern medium like film, founded as it is on a dvanced technological developments. Is it folly to think in terms of something like a 'film instinct,' or might there be some method to the apparent madness of the idea? And more generally, are the methods and knowledge drawn from the sciences relevant to our understanding of cultural phenomena like film?
Dr. Cyril Isenberg: Understanding Numbers and the Geometry of Roadways (or, How to Impress Friends and Colleagues)
This talk is concerned with (1) some interesting results concerning integers and (2) the geometry of roadways.
Prof. Michael Kölling: Is Computer Programming Hard?
Introductory computer programming courses at universities have one of the highest failure rates, often between 20% to 50%, across many different institutions, countries, cultures, and over several decades. Why is this? Is programming just intrinsically harder than many other technical subjects, or are we teaching it wrong? Have we not been able to discover how to teach it over the past 40 years?
Looking at this issue raises some interesting questions about both programming and pedagogy, and its discussion will have to include thoughts on educational theory, the psychology of learning, constructivism, as well as the nature and technology of programming.
The discussions coming out of this might be more about learning than about programming, so if computing is not your thing, fear not. We might talk about how to organise learning or teaching in general, independent what your area of interest is, or we might go off on other tangents.
Dr. Charlotte Sleigh Patrons of science: then and now
Science has always been an expensive business, and scientists have long relied on patrons to fund their research and to bring it kudos. Historians of science have discovered some entertaining and unexpected things about these relationships; on the basis of their findings we can also ask what form the patronage of science takes in the present, and whether it works for good or ill ...
Sorry - Cancelled due to uncertainty over weather conditions.
Dr. Dan Mulvihill: How yeast are helping to cure cancer
The ability to carefully regulate and execute cell division is one of the most fundamental processes of life itself. This is true from the simplest of single celled organisms such as bacteria or yeast, to humans. The precise control of this mechanism is crucial during growth and development of the complex architecture within multi-cellular organisms. The consequences of improper or unregulated cell division can have drastic consequences upon the organism, leading to congenital birth defects and the development of cancer later in life. A number of key mol ecules regulate the onset of cell division, determining when a cell should grow, when it should divide, when it should stop growing, and when it should die. Work carried out over the last 4 decades in the simple single celled yeast uncovere d the identity and functions of these fundamental molecules and has revealed hug e amounts of information about their role during development and the causes of cancer. During the talk I will discuss this research and highlight some of the major findings that helped uncover the molecular basis of many cancers.
Dr. Jim Ang: Let's Get Serious About Games
Playing computer games has always been traditionally seen as a young male activity which is confined within an individual, isolated space. This stereotypical view is further exacerbated by the violent content in computer games, supported by a plethora of research in games and violent behaviour. However, as the gaming industry is moving towards maturity, we are witnessing a gradual but significant change in public perceptions, the demographics of players, and the industry's effort in developing games with "serious" content, e.g. games that deal with social political issues. Within academia, we are intrigued by the potential of this new interactive medium in various disciplines. Already, there has been research in the use of computer games in healthcare (virtual therapy, rehabilitation, beha viour intervention programmes), education (game-based learning, e-learning in 3D virtual worlds, virtual experiments and scientific exploration), interactive storytelling (story simulators, Janet Murray's vision of "Hamlet on the Holodeck") , artistic expressions (game art exhibition perhaps?), just to name a few. I will talk about serious and innovative uses of computer games which will have an impact on people's life and the society at large.
Dr. Lavinia Mitton: The integration of ethnic minorities into British society: what we know and what we need to know
There is a strong interest among policy-makers in the integration of Britain's ethnic minorities, but what does 'integration' mean and why have some minority et hnic groups integrated further than others? This talk will discuss the way in which social policy analysts study questions such as this, and how this research interacts with the development of policy and practice in this area.
Dr. Roger Giner-Sorolla: That's Disgusting!
Disgust is an interesting emotion because it is so many-faceted. We express disgust in many situations; worms can be disgusting, but so can corrupt politicians. But are these really all the same emotion? I will make the case that there are many levels of disgust and not all of them are exactly the same. Along the way I will also talk about research in my lab and elsewhere showing some of the unique characteristics of moral decisions that are made based on disgust, versus anger. This will help answer the question of whether we should listen to our disgusted reactions, or try to put them aside, when making moral decisions in everyday life.
Scarlett Thomas: Our Tragic Universe
Scarlett Thomas will be reading from her newly-published novel Our Tragic Universe and talking about how she writes about science.
Dr. Dominique Chu What is Science?
Not at least with all the budget cuts that are expected to come, there is a renewed discussion about how the public should prioritise its spending. One of the stakeholders in this political game is science. Our Universities and research organisations need money, not only to educate students but also to do science. Yet, doing science is expensive. The question is whether it is also worth doing. Before this question can be answered it would be helpful to be able to understand what science actually is. In this talk I will provide some initial suggestions which will then start a debate.
Prof. Bob Newport Using Glass to Mend the Body
Glass is ubiquitous: from wine glasses in shop windows through telescopes to fibre optic cables. We know it as a hard and chemically durable substance without which 21st century life would look very different indeed. A look inside, at the scale of its constituent atoms, reveals a rather complex and subtle material with the potential to hold yet more useful 'secrets'. Indeed, modern research has produced glasses which promote bone growth, help metal prostheses to bond securely within the body, prevent the growth of bacteria and deliver drugs with precision to specific parts of the body. Glass technology is more than five thousand years old, but glass science advances still.
Prof. John Dore Mathematical Games: a Consideration of Concepts and Analysis
Mathematical puzzles and problems have a wide appeal for all ages and across many different communities. This area of Recreational Mathematics has a long history and aims to challenge and entertain at the same time. It uses mathematical ideas in an unusual setting and often engages the solver in thinking in unfamiliar ways. The talk will address some aspects of recreational maths and set the activity in the context of mathematical understanding. As an example, we may cite the popularity of Sudoku and the fact that many newspapers now carry a games page devoted to this and similar activities. Why does this occur when there is apparently a national crisis about the standard of maths achievement at school? Has mathematics teaching become too centred on following a prescribed recipe rather than encouraging creative thinking? There will be an opportunity to try out some unfamiliar puzzles and games with a mathematical basis during the session.
Dr. Ian Blomfield E.coli: Friend and Foe
E.coli all too often appears in the news when an outbreak causes serious illness in young children infected by contact with domestic animals. Yet, on a case-by-case basis, E.coli causes far more infections than are commonly reported in the media. Moreover less well known is the fact that most of us play host to this bacterium without ill effect and that E.coli is a key "model organism" used to study the fundamental biochemical events need for all life to function. And it is a "workhorse" in the biotechnology industry. The talk will focus on the importance of this bacterium to our health, scientific understanding of life and economic prosperity.
Dr. Edward Cartwright Nudge or Shove: The Economics of Behaviour Change
The concept of 'Nudge', popularized in a book by Thaler and Sunstein, has caught the imagination of many. The basic idea, is that small changes to policy, or the way policy is framed, can lead to big changes in behaviour. Proponents argue that Nudge is a cheap and simple solution to many of the worlds ills; it can be used to promote healthy eating, increase saving for retirement, reduce pollution, and much more. Encouraged by such claims the current government has taken Nudge seriously; a 'Nudge unit' exists in the Cabinet office and Nudge is already influencing policy towards health care and the environment. So, is the hype justified? In this session we shall look at the economic and psychological evidence behind Nudge, and provide a framework for evaluating its pros and cons.
Dr. Ali Hojjat How Medical Image Processing can help Doctors to Reduce the Risk of Errors
The growth in medical imaging systems and their application, like CT, MRI, PET, ultrasound and x-ray imaging resulted in huge volume of data being generated. Processing such data requires substantial resources which is not available especially in screening centres. The quality of the evaluation can be improved if sophisticated algorithms are employed to pre-process such data and provide abstract information before the data is analysed. Such computer aided diagnosis (CAD) algorithms range from simple calculations to very complex stages sometimes with subtle results!
We will study the risk associated with using and not using CAD systems for a couple of applications including cancer detection (breast, lung, and skin cancer), and computer assisted systems for brain surgery. We will also discuss the problems associated with the development and clinical use of such systems in practice.
Dr. Stuart Gibson Constructing the Face of a Suspect: From PhotoFIT to E-FIT and beyond
In the absence of other leads, a facial description may represent the best opportunity for locating a person who is suspected of committing a crime. Systems for developing pictorial representations of suspects' faces have been used regularly in the UK since 1970 when PhotoFIT enabled police to locate the murderer of James Cameron in Islington, London. In 1989 a computerised version of the PhotoFIT system was introduced which became known as Electronic Facial Identification Technique (E-FIT). This system is currently used by 90% of UK police and in over 30 other countries. E-FIT is an effective policing tool but its usefulness can be limited by the witness¢ ability to describe the suspect's face in detail. Unfortunately witnesses find it difficult to recall descriptions of faces from memory (especially unfamiliar faces). To address this drawback a new approach has been developed that makes use of the inherent human capacity for recognising similarities between faces. Researchers at the University of Kent have pioneered this approach and their work has led to a commercial system, EFIT-V, that is already being used by 50% of UK police.
Steven Cutts Life on Mars
An exploration of Mars itself, following how our perceptions of the planet have changed and leading to the possibilities of finding alien life or establishing our own colonies on this planet. Steve Cutts is an orthopaedic surgeon and science writer. His recent novel Viking Village describes a future settlement on Mars.
Prof. Mick Tuite, Senile Yeast: What can we learn about Alzheimer's Disease by studying Baker's Yeast?
If you live to the age of 75 you have a 1 in 5 chance of developing Alzheimer's Disease but only a 1 in a million chance of developing CJD, the brain disease linked to Mad Cow Disease. Yet both diseases have a common cause and the same impact on the human brain. New research using Baker's Yeast has begun to shed light on what triggers these diseases and other human diseases that affect the brain and I will argue that Baker's Yeast is an important new alternative to animals as a 'model' for such studies.