Sheffield Science Café

09 January 2012 Technology; will it save us from the challenges of an ageing population? Professor Gail Mountain,

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:37:00 +0000

Policy makers are seeking solutions to the challenges of population ageing and in particular the projected economic burden of the increased lifespan. Increased use of technology to facilitate delivery of health and social is viewed as being a significant means of achieving cost effective service delivery. This may be so but what are the limitations of this vision? How can society adapt in a more holistic manner to an ageing population? Why do we always consider the problems of ageing rather than the potential? These and other questions will be posed for debate through the session.

07 Nov 'Neutrinos and the Universe' Dr. Susan Carwright,

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:27:00 +0000

Every second, 65 billion neutrinos from the Sun pass through every square centimetre of your body. They do you no harm - they don't even notice you (indeed, they don't notice the entire Earth: almost all of those 65 billion will still pass through you as you sleep, having gone through the Earth to do so). Almost massless, almost devoid of any interaction with other matter, neutrinos would seem to be as close to nothing at all as it's possible for matter to get.
Monday, 7th November 2011 at 7pm in the bar of The Showroom
http://sciencecafesheffield.org/2011/11.html

'The real science behind Parallel Universes'

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Antonio Padilla, Royal Society Research Fellow and Lecturer in Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy, Nottingham University

Monday 03 October 19:00

'The real science behind Parallel Universes'

The Showroom
Have you always wanted be a rock star?

In a parallel reality your wish came true. Is this the real life, or is this just fantasy?

Learn about the real science behind parallel universes as I take us on a journey of discovery through the multiverse to different parallel worlds, from those that exist all around us to those that are unimaginably far away.

Travel across the landscape of string theory to watch new universes bubbling into existence, and visit island universes that are marooned in a sea of extra dimensions. Understand how you can create new universes closer to home just by tossing a coin, and find out why you might be nothing more than a Boltzmann brain, floating through empty space with false memories.

Sci Cafe Extra events in May

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:11:00 +0000

17 May 2011 at 19:00
Professor Neil Hyatt
Royal Academy of Engineering and NDA Chair in Radioactive Waste Management
Director, Immobilisation Science Laboratory

I would like to offer to lead a future sesssion on "What happened at the Fukushima nuclear power plant?". My presentation would cover what went right, what went wrong, and the likely long term impact on human health, the environment, and the nuclear renaissance.

26 May 2011 at 19:00

Wellcome Trust-funded feature length documentary on stem cells. The film is a collaboration between an Edinburgh
based team of filmmakers and scientists. Director is Amy Hardie (Docspace,Scottish Documentary Institute) and Scientific Producer Dr Clare Blackburn (MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh).
Please book via http://vof-sheffield.eventbrite.com/
The film investigates the science, ethics and societal issues around stem cell research. From past breakthrough to subsequent clinical applications.

Prof Peter Andrews, co-director of the Centre for Stem Cell Biology at the University of Sheffield will take part in the screening organised in Sheffield.

May Café Energy Futures

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:32:00 +0000

09 May 2011 at 19:00
James Williams & Holly Castleton
From the E-Futures Project, University of Sheffield.

This Café will discuss projected future energy shortages and the different methods that are being employed to help solve it. Researchers from the E-Futures project will present their research and proposed solutions. Read More>>

Autism: epidemic disease, psychosocial disorder or post-modern condition Sponsored by LloydsTSB

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:50:00 +0000

Dr Michael Fitzpatrick Barton House Health Centre, London
Monday 04 April 2011 19:00

Once regarded as a rare and obscure condition, autism now seems to be everywhere, attracting both fear and fascination. This talk looks at how can we understand the dramatic rise in the prevalence of autism and the high public profile it now enjoys. What are the consequences of the new age of autism, for individuals and families affected by this diagnosis, and for society?

Michael is the author of two books : MMR and Autism: What Parents Need To Know and Defeating Autism: A Damaging Delusion, both published by Routledge. http://www.sciencecafesheffield.org/201104.htm

We promised to publish the Arts Science URL

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:36:00 +0000

Don't for get about our friends at Arts-Science Encounters http://shef.ac.uk/arts-science

'The Lung – an inspiring organ' Sci Cafe Sponsored by LloydsTSB

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:09:00 +0000

Monday 07 March 2011 19:00 'The Lung – an inspiring organ'
Prof Helen Storey, Prof Matthew Holley, Prof Moira Whyte describe how the combined powers of art and science inspire us to understand ourselves and our place within the world. ‘Primitive Streak’ is a project founded by the acclaimed fashion designer Helen Storey and her sister Kate, who is Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Dundee. See More at http://www.sciencecafesheffield.org/201103.htm

The alcohol industry - a responsible partner in public health policy development? Sci Cafe Sponsored by LloydsTSB

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 12:57:00 +0000

Monday 07 February 2011 19:00 - Professor Petra Meier will look at Andrew Lansley's “responsibility deals” Does this mean drinks firms' dream of writing public health policy has finally come true? Or can and should the alcohol industry be partners in public health policy making, by educating consumers and promoting healthy drinking practices? Read more at: http://www.sciencecafesheffield.org/201102.htm

January Event: POSTPONED

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:36:00 +0000

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the January event is postponed.

'Life on Mars' December Café Scientifique Sponsored by LloydsTSB

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:10:00 +0000

Monday, 6th December 2010 at 7pm in the bar of The Showroom

'Life on Mars'

Steve Cutts discusses his lifelong interest in the planet Mars in this Cafe Scientifique talk accompanied by about 50 colour slides. What do we know about Mars now and how did we find it out? Is there life on the red planet? Could human beings ever travel to Mars and if we ever got there what would it be like? What are the remaining technical barriers to sending a manned expedition to Mars and ultimately conquering the red planet? Could we use raw materials found on Mars to help build a human settlement there?

Steve Cutts published Viking Village in 2009.

More info: contact the organisers via cafesci.s1@gmail.com

See more at http://www.sciencecafesheffield.org

Admission is FREE, No need to sign up.
If you are visually/hearing impaired or have other special access needs and would like to attend the event, please get in touch with us in advance, and we will try our best to arrange for help to make the event accessible to you.

The Life Alchemists - "It's life, but not as we know it!" Cafe Scientifique, sponsored by LloydsTSB

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:58:00 +0000

Theatre Company 'Babbling Vagabonds' and Dr. Sandrine Soubes from the department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield explore synthetic biology.

If you could create new life in a lab what would you make? Can the answers to the world's problems be grown from the lab?

While Craig Venter announce the age of a new biology where biologists and engineers are joining forces, Synthetic Biology is offering to be the new Graal which may solve many problems of our modern world.

If we let school children be the synthetic biologists of tomorrow what would they do with these new biological tools, which products and technology would they develop. The theatre company, the Babbling Vagabonds and Dr Sandrine Soubes from the department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology have worked to explore such ideas with primary school children. This performance will encapsulate synthetic biology seen through the eyes of young people.

Discussion with the audience will follow the performance with the participation of Professor Phil Wright, from the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield.

October Cafe - Human Enhancement Technology in Sport

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:06:00 +0000

The whole issue of human enhancement is also a major area of debate. Can HET be used to help diasbled athletes? Running blades, powered ankle joints and cutting-edge wheelchair design are just some of the technologies that could allow disabled athletes to compete at the highest level and challenge perceptions of disability. Could such enhanced Paralympians ever compete with, or even beat the performance of able-bodied athletes? If so, how do we ensure a level playing field? Are we moving towards a post-human future? All we all cyborgs? Topics that were once only tackled within the realm of science fiction are now on the horizon of science fact. Read on

------------Editor's Note-----------------
The Link to "Inside Incredible Athletes" has been removed as the video is no longer available
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The Birth, Life and Death of Stars, September Cafe Sci Sponsored by Lloyds TSB

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:09:00 +0000

Monday, 6th September 2010 at 19:00 in the bar of The Showroom

'How I Wonder What You Are: The Birth, Life and Death of Stars'

Dr Paul Ruffle, Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!" How often did we sing that as a child without realising what we were asking?

Well, with the aid of some of the latest astronomical images, the wonder of what stars are is revealed in this highly informative presentation that includes: how stars form in clouds of molecular gas and dust scattered about in the interstellar medium (ISM) of our Milky Way galaxy; how they then evolve and synthesise the elements that make life possible; and how at the end of their lives, they return this material to the ISM for the next generation of stars, either as red giants and planetary nebulae or more catastrophically as exploding supernovae.

The speaker also provides a feel for the sheer number of stars in the Milky Way, the enormous distance scales in our Galaxy and the range of densities encountered, from the most tenuous parts of the ISM to the compact cores of the most massive stars.

See http://www.sciencecafesheffield.org/201009.htm

follow http://twitter.com/scicafe

2010-11 Season

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:19:00 +0000

The Next season is looking promising,

So far, we have:

September: The Birth, Life and Death of Stars by Dr Paul Ruffle, Jodrell Bank
October:Human Enhancement Technology in Sport, with pannelists including David James from Sheffield Hallam University
November: a local theatre company "The babbling vagabonds" will explore ideas around Synthetic Biology
December we have Life on Mars Steven Cutts (Author of "VIKING VILLAGE")

January 2011 Professor Pamela Shaw, Director of the Sheffield Care and Research Centre for Motor Neuron Disorders
February Dr. Petra Meier, School of Health andRelated Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield

'Watching the world go by : Seeing the Earth's processes from space'- June Cafe Sci Sponsored by Lloyds TSB

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Thu, 27 May 2010 08:25:00 +0000

Professor Shaun Quegan, Centre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics, University of Sheffield Over recent years our ability to see the dynamics of the earth's land, ocean and atmosphere has been revolutionised by satellite observations. These have been fundamental in improving our understanding of the earth's climate and carbon cycle, cryosphere etc. This talk will give a survey of recent advances in our observing capability and explain how they have improved our understanding of how the world is changing and how it is likely to change. Also included, will be discussion of how outcomes from the Copenhagen meeting may change the value we put on the environment and how these are crucially dependent on monitoring systems operating in space.

May Café: Stonehenge: new discoveries'

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:35:00 +0000

Professor Michael Parker Pearson
`Archaeologist of the Year' for 2010

Archaeological excavations led by Professor Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield
University have uncovered new evidence of when and why Stonehenge was built.
Since 2003, Parker Pearson has led a multi-university team working on a
Neolithic settlement inhabited by the builders of Stonehenge. They have also
found the remains of a hitherto unknown stone circle in close proximity to
Stonehenge. The results of the Stonehenge Riverside Project have attracted
attention from all over the world and have earned it the award of
Archaeological Research Project of the Year.

April Cafe: How not to legislate for the digitial economy

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:29:00 +0000

'Sausages and law - How not to legislate for the digitial economy' Café Scientifique Sheffield
Lilian Edwards, Professor in Internet Law, School of Law, University of Sheffield

"The Digital Economy Bill, which is likely to pass in haste and without scrutiny by MPs before the next election, is supposed to benefit the UK's emergent 21st century digital industries. Yet critics of various parts, especially the controversial plans to disconnect from the Internet alleged repeat infringers of copyright ("three strikes"), include ISPs, telcos, Facebook, Google and even Stephen Fry, and some have suggested it might better be called the Analogue Preservation Bill.
More than this the heated passage of the Bill has raised two worrying issues that go wider than the problems of music, copyright or downloading. First, the vacuum of technical knowledge, and near-disdain for the Internet, at the heart of all the main political parties in this country. Second, the capture of the regulatory process by industry sectors who do understand the technology and can spend the money needed to get the laws they want from those who don't, even where this means restraining not developing innovation.

Does the Digital Economy Bill show that democracy is dead in the Houses of Parliament or that the gap between the ruling classes and the technoliterati is unbridgeable? Lilian Edwards, Professor of Internet Law at the University of Sheffield, will discuss these issues in the light of her recent experience advising the Open Rights Group and the Liberal democrats on the Bill."

Science Brainwaves: What's in a Headline?

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:44:00 +0000

The workshop is all about What's in a Headline? What, how and why science newsgets into the press, with opportunities to air your views on good/bad newsstories and put your questions to our panel of experts.Dr. Allan Pacey of The Great Sperm Race, Channel 4 and Emma Wilkinson, HealthCorrespondent for BBC online.

To sign up for this free event people need to go to the Science Brainwaveswebsite www.sciencebrainwaves.com/events and click on the ‘What’s in aHeadline?’ event

March Cafés: 01 March & 15 March

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:52:00 +0000

01 March 2010: Professor Peter F. Smith, MA, PhD, FRIBA; Chartered Architect

We need to change the way we build homes, towns and cities now. Why the urgency?Because global warming is picking up speed and the villain is carbon dioxide.

Atmospheric carbon will almost certainly increase and raise the global average temperature to well beyond the 2C tipping point into irreversible climate change.

Experts like James Hansen in the US and Lord Turner in the UK warn that we should begin preparing now for a 4C rise in average temperature. This translates to a 13C rise in Siberia with its massive stores of methane.
The Copenhagen COP15 was an almost total disaster. It failed in its primary aim which was to get the major polluting countries to agree a cap on their CO2 emissions.
Read More: http://www.sciencecafesheffield.org/201003.htm

15 March: this special event which will look at the idea of a 'muse': the voice, catalyst or driver, which instigates new direction for research. It brings together experts in psychology, literature, theatre, global climate and public health.
http://www.sciencecafesheffield.org/201003a.htm

The Biological Basis to Male Homosexuality

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Dr Mark Sergeant, Nottingham Trent University. Monday 01 February 2010 19:00 The Showroom
The last 30 years has seen an explosion of research into the biological basis of male homosexuality.
Historically, much research focused on the effects of upbringing and childrearing on the development of an individual's sexual orientation. More recent research, however, has focused on areas such as molecular genetics, neuroanatomy and endocrinology in a bid to fine out what makes someone gay.
This talk will review research findings on this area, and discuss the ethical implications of such findings. Dr Mark Sergeant is a lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University.
His PhD studies focused on the evolution of male homosexuality. He has lectured extensively on the topic and is an active research in the field of sexual science

December Cafe: The genes that regulate intelligence.

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:32:00 +0000

For December we are delighted to welcome Dr Tony Payton. (Monday 07 Dec at 1900 at The Showroom) Identifying the risk factors for individual differences in age-related cognitive ability and decline is amongst the greatest challenges facing the healthcare of older people. Cognitive impairment caused by “normal ageing” is a major contributor towards overall intellectual deficit in the elderly and a process that exhibits substantial variation within the population. Both cognitive ability and its decline with age are influenced by our both our genes and the environment with interaction between the two. Over the past fourteen years genetic research has aimed to identify the genetic variation responsible for high cognitive functioning and successful cognitive ageing. During this period a bewildering array of contrasting reports have appeared in the literature that have implicated over 50 genes with effect sizes ranging from 0.1 to 21 per cent. This talk will discuss the progress that’s been made in the field and the benefits and pitfalls of discovering genes that regulate intelligence.

November Café: Mass extinctions and volcanism by Paul Wignall

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:38:00 +0000

All major crises of life in the past 300 million years coincide with large scale volcanic eruptions.

This includes the two biggest mass extinctions of all time: the end-Cretaceous and end-Permian events.

The reasons behind this coincidence have not been clear but geologists have generally thought that it is related to the effects of two of the principal volcanic gases, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide.

These have diametrically opposed climatic effects, the former causes long-term global warming and the latter causes short-term cooling due to formation of clouds of volcanic aerosols.

The talk will look at some of the latest research which shows that some mass extinction events coincide with huge individual eruptions - involving up a thousand cubic kilometres of lava. Event Page: http://www.sciencecafesheffield.org/200911.htm

October Café: Processing Human Language by Computer: Advances and Challenges, by Rob Gaizauskas

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:09:00 +0000

In his landmark 1950 paper "Computing Machinery and Intelligence", Alan Turing proposed conversation as the ultimate test of machine intelligence: if we cannot distinguish a computer from a human in conversation then we may deem the computer intelligent. Turing also speculated that computers would achieve this capability by the year 2000.

2000 has now come and gone, and despite the phenomenal advances in computing since 1950, the "Turing Test" has not yet been passed. Why not? And what have computer scientists, computational linguists and artificial intelligence researchers been up to in the interim in order to get computers to "understand" human language?

In this talk I will discuss just what it is that makes human language so difficult for computers to interpret and describe some of the approaches that researchers have taken to address this problem. While the holy grail of human-like language understanding remains illusive, significant advances have been made, advances that are leading to a improved language processing capabilities embedded in applications ranging from question answering and text mining to machine translation, task-based dialogue systems and plagiarism detection.

More>>

We're back!

noreply@blogger.com (Café Scientifique Sheffield) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:25:00 +0000

Sorry about the few months of silence.
We have a new programme of events kicking off in OCTOBER:

The next Café event will be at 7.00 pm on Monday 5th October in the Cafe/Bar area of the Showroom Cinema.The speaker will be Prof Rob Gaizauskas speaking on computer linguistics.

November: Paul Wignall.

December : Dr Tony Payton on latest developments in genomic research.