Prime numbers are fundamentally important in mathematics. What can bracelets reveal about the distribution of the primes? Join us to hear Dr Vicky Neale discuss this topic, discover some of the beautiful properties of prime numbers, and learn about some of the unsolved problems that mathematicians are working on today!
This is a free event with no pre-booking required.

British Science Association Oxford Branch
http://www.oxfordscibar.com/
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Ready to go on an expedition? Your health is of the utmost importance! OUEC is dedicated to provide you with a wealth of information for any expedition and wilderness medical advice or training! Our speaker, Dr Tariq Qureshi, has been an expedition advisor to Oxford University for many years. Last year he traveled to Greenland on an exploratory mountaineering expedition, including three first ascents.

He is also an instructor for Wilderness Medical Training, a rapidly evolving field providing vital emergency care in remote environments. Wherever you’re planning to go, this is your first stop! 🙂

Tuesday October 25th
7.30pm – Department of Earth Sciences
Members: Free
Non-Members: £5

As always, you can get your OUEC membership by speaking to a member of the committee before or after our talks in Earth Sciences. Life membership is £30, Year is £15, Term £7. We take cheque and cash 🙂

A twenty minute talk to introduce the topic, followed by Q&As and about an hour’s discussion. All welcome.

Evgenia Emets, Katerina Loschinina and Oliver Gingrich from Analema Group will talk about their ongoing research and artistic project KIMA, exploring sound through its visual counterpart – geometry and light. They will speak on how relationships between art and mathematics have developed through history and bring examples from contemporary art. Through a series of video documentation, they will present the development of project KIMA, and invite audience to think about connections between sound and vision and possible trajectories these might take. Find out more at www.facebook.com/analemagroup.

A twenty minute talk to introduce the topic, followed by Q&As and about an hour’s discussion. All welcome.

Science, Medicine and Culture in the Nineteenth Century Seminar Series. All welcome, no booking required.

Ursula Martin, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford, will be speaking on Ada Lovelace in Her Mathematical Context

Ada, Countess of Lovelace, 1815 – 1852, the so called “first computer programmer”, is famous for her 1843 paper, which combined technical detail, and farsighted reflections, in describing Charles Babbage’s unbuilt analytical engine, a mechanical computer which, in principle, would have had the same capabilities as a modern machine. Lovelace’s broader reflections include the complexity and difficulty of programming, the potential for mathematical experiment, algebra, or composing music, and even, as noted by Alan Turing, the limits of machine thought.

Celebrated as an icon of women in science, Lovelace has been the subject of many popular accounts, with intense debate as to her ability and contribution to the 1843 paper. The only biography to study Lovelace’s mathematics is detailed, confident, but mathematically incorrect: the only edition of the letters is somewhat unscholarly and leaves out the mathematical content, stressing notions of poetical science.

Our recent work (with Christopher Hollings and Adrian Rice) is the first study of Lovelace by historians of mathematics, ad describes her eclectic childhood education, and her private study in 1840, at university level, with the eminent mathematician Augustus De Morgan. We identified her increasing insight, tenacity with details and desire to grasp abstract principles – the skills required for independent mathematical work.

One might assess such varying accounts of Lovelace’s life and contribution against changing contexts of class, gender, or mental stability; changing perceptions of mathematics amongst both professional mathematicians and the general public; changing perceptions of how to present women scientists; or better understanding of the misremembering or composure of women’s contributions. Despite her reputation, we lack a scholarly account of the 1843 paper, and the trajectory of its ideas, rooted in the relevant mathematical context, or a biography that treats her as a member of a scientific community, alongside Babbage, De Morgan and Somerville, rather than constraining her as marginal or exceptional.

You may love social media, but does it love you back? Explore cyber social networks
through some of the most popular platforms. Jason Nurse will highlight the range of
advantages and risks of maintaining a digital presence, especially as platforms begin
to integrate with the Internet-of-Things. Most importantly, Jason provides tips for how
you can protect yourselves and your families online.
Jason R.C. Nurse is a Research Fellow in Computer Science at the University of Oxford pursuing novel approaches to maintain organisational cybersecurity. Additionally he invstigates creative ways to identify and address the security and privacy risks that individuals face in cyberspace. Find him online @jasonnurse

Numerous free talks, walking tours and workshops over two days.

A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos

Over the last forty years, scientists have uncovered evidence that if
the Universe had been forged with even slightly different properties,
life as we know it – and life as we can imagine it – would be
impossible. Join us on a journey through how we understand the
Universe, from its most basic particles and forces, to planets, stars
and galaxies, and back through cosmic history to the birth of the
cosmos, to the conclusion that we truly live in a fortunate universe.

Professor Lewis is a Professor of Astrophysics at the Sydney Institute
for Astronomy, University of Sydney. An internationally recognized
physicst with hundreds of published papers on topics such as
cosmology, gravitational lensing, galactic cannibalism and large-scale
structure.

Dr. Barnes is a postdoctoral researcher at the Sydney Institute for
Astronomy. With a university medal from the University of Sydney, he
completed a Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge. He has published
papers in the field of galaxy formation and on the fine-tuning of the
Universe for life.

Terezinha Nunes is Emeritus Professor of Educational Studies and a Fellow of Harris-Manchester College. She started her career as a clinical psychologist in Brazil and moved to a research career by obtaining a doctorate in Psychology at City University of New York, where she was supported by a Fulbright Scholarship.

Her work spans the domains of children’s literacy and numeracy, including both hearing and deaf children’s learning, and her focus of analysis covers cognitive and cultural issues, with a special interest in educational applications. Her work on “street mathematics” in Brazil uncovered many features of children’s and adults’ informal knowledge, and her subsequent work in the U.K. investigates how this informal knowledge can be used in education. Her literacy research focuses on the connections between morphological awareness, spelling and vocabulary growth.

Free for OUSS members; £2 for non-members.
Membership can be bought on the door: £10 for a year or £20 for life. Includes membership of Cambridge Uni SciSoc
Refreshments will be served afterwards.
See you there!

A juggling demonstration with hilarious explanations of the mathematical details of the practice.

Juggling has fascinated people for centuries. Seemingly oblivious to gravity, the skilled practitioner will keep several objects in the air at one time, and weave complex patterns that seem to defy analysis.

In this talk the speaker demonstrates a selection of the patterns and skills of juggling while at the same time developing a simple method of describing and annotating a class of juggling patterns. By using elementary mathematics these patterns can be classified, leading to a simple way to describe those patterns that are known already, and a technique for discovering new ones.

Those with some mathematical background will find plenty to keep them occupied, and those less experienced can enjoy the juggling as well as the exploration and exposition of this ancient skill.

Free for OUSS members; £2 for non-members.
Membership can be bought on the door: £10 for a year or £20 for life. Includes membership of Cambridge University Scientific Society.
Refreshments will be served afterwards.
Contact oxforduniscisoc [at] gmail [dot] com with queries.
See you there!

Juggling has fascinated people for centuries. Seemingly oblivious to gravity, the skilled practitioner will keep several objects in the air at one time, and weave complex patterns that seem to defy analysis.

In this talk the speaker demonstrates a selection of the patterns and skills of juggling while at the same time developing a simple method of describing and annotating a class of juggling patterns. By using elementary mathematics these patterns can be classified, leading to a simple way to describe those patterns that are known already, and a technique for discovering new ones.

Those with some mathematical background will find plenty to keep them occupied, and those less experienced can enjoy the juggling as well as the exploration and exposition of this ancient skill.

Mike Mesterton-Gibbons grew up in Coventry and graduated in 1974 with a BA in Mathematics from the University of York and in 1977 with a DPhil in Applied Mathematics from the University of Oxford. He moved to the US in 1982 for a tenure-track position in the Department of Mathematics at Florida State University, where he has been a full professor since 1996 and recently became an emeritus professor. His research develops game-theoretic models of animal behaviour, on which he has published numerous articles. He is also the author of three texts on modelling and optimization, and until recently was an editor for Journal of Theoretical Biology.

Abstract: I joined Florida State University as an assistant professor in 1982 to teach mathematics and to do research on fluid dynamics, a natural enough progression,since my DPhil thesis was on magnetohydrodynamics and I had later worked on helicopter dynamics. Yet I have done no research on fluid dynamics ever since. Improbably, given that I have never taken a course in biology, my career has instead been dominated by models of animal behaviour known as games, usually developed in collaboration with biologists in an effort to answer questions raised by their field studies. I will begin my presentation by describing the work that I ended up doing (in a wholly non-technical fashion). I will then talk about how I got there, sharing my perspective on life abroad in academe.

They say you never forget your first love. David Acheson believes you never forget your first moment of real excitement in mathematics, either. So why not join him for an informal and off-beat look at mathematics at its very best, with a bit of romantic guitar playing thrown in for good measure.

David Acheson is an Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and author of the best-selling popular maths book ‘1089 and All That’, which has now been translated into 11 languages. His new book The Calculus Story was one of New Scientist’s ‘picks for Christmas’.

It is striking that no biography has yet been written of one of the most brilliant and original thinkers of the last century – the great Cambridge philosopher, economist, and mathematician, Frank Ramsey. Join us for lunch to hear Cheryl Misak discuss the challenges of writing Ramsey’s biography. Lunch is free, registration essential.

Dr Simone Sturniolo will talk about How computational science helps us understand the world and how you can try it too.

Can the wisdom of the crowd help us estimate the number of sweets in a jar?

From guessing the weight of a cow or the number of sweets in a jar, there is evidence that the average of a crowd’s guesses can deliver surprisingly accurate results.

Professor du Sautoy will carry out a number of live interactive quizzes and experiments to test these ideas and look at how these principles can be harnessed for citizen science projects.

Join us for the launch event of the Future of Blockchain 3 Month Competition.

We will be joined by 8 of the leading projects in the blockchain space. Teams include:

Gnosis

Kyber

Iconomi

Liquidity Network

Thunder

Zilliqa

———————————–

The Future of Blockchain is a 3 month idea competition hosted at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, UCL and KCL.

Challenge = Build something involving blockchain in 3 months

Over £80k cash in prize, Top Prize = £20,000 cash, 24 Bounties of £2,000 cash prizes from our supporters

———————————–

Winter Cohort:

Launch Events = 21st (Cambridge), 22nd (Oxford), 23rd (London) November 2018

Starts = Monday 3rd December 2018

———————————–

More info at www.futureofblockchain.co.uk

Talk followed by questions and discussion. This is part of a series of eight meetings on Thursday evenings, each one beginning at 7:30 and ending at 9pm.

11 October
The right to say untrue and damaging things
Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall St

18 October
Flat earth: a Marxist critique
Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall St

25 October
Tithe, timber, and the persistence of the ancien régime
Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall St

1 November
The dream of human life: art in the Italian Renaissance
Oxford Town Hall, St Aldates

8 November
Antisemitism: more geese than swans
Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall St

15 November
Marcus Aurelius and the self-help movement
Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall St

22 November
Hegelian contradiction and prime numbers
Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall St

29 November
Aleksandr Bogdanov (1873–1928) and the general science of organization
Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall St

Prime numbers have intrigued, inspired and infuriated mathematicians for millennia. Dr Vicky Neale (University of Oxford) explores the very different ways in which prime number breakthroughs are made.

Will a computer ever compose a symphony, write a prize-winning novel, or paint a masterpiece? And if so, would we be able to tell the difference? Marcus du Sautoy examines the nature of creativity, as well as providing an essential guide into how algorithms work, and the mathematical rules underpinning them. He asks how much of our emotional response to art is a product of our brains reacting to pattern and structure, and exactly what it is to be creative in mathematics, art, language and music.

This lecture is open to all, and is designed for researchers from all disciplines and members of the public. The lecture will take place in the Lecture Theatre at Rewley House, Oxford. Tea and coffee will be served in the Common Room from 4pm. The lecture will be followed by Q&As.

Marcus du Sautoy is the Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford. He is author of six books including his most recent books The Creativity Code (Fourth Estate 2019). He has presented numerous radio and TV series including a four part landmark TV series for the BBC called The Story of Maths. He works extensively with a range of arts organisations bringing science alive for the public from The Royal Opera House to the Glastonbury Festival. His play I is a Strange Loop (in which he is both actor and author) is part of the Barbican’s Life Rewired season. He received an OBE for services to science in the 2010 New Year’s Honours List and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2016.

The 5th Annual Oxford Business and Poverty Conference will feature a diverse range of speakers addressing the Paradoxes of Prosperity. Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/5th-annual-oxford-business-poverty-conference-tickets-57733957822
Hosted at the Sheldonian Theatre, the conference will feature keynotes by:
Lant Pritchett: RISE Research Director at the Blavatnik School of Government, former Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development
Efosa Ojomo: Global Prosperity Lead and Senior Researcher at the Clayton Christensen Institute
John Hoffmire: Director of Center on Business and Poverty and Research Associate at Kellogg Colleges at Center For Mutual and Employee-owned Business at Oxford University
Ananth Pai: Executive Director, Bharath Beedi Works Pvt. Ltd. and Director, Bharath Auto Cars Pvt
Laurel Stanfield: Assistant Professor of Marketing at Bentley College in Massachusetts
Grace Cheng: Greater China’s Country Manager for Russell Reynolds Associates
Madhusudan Jagadish: 2016 Graduate MBA, Said Business School, University of Oxford
Tentative Schedule:
2:15-2:20 Welcome
2:20-2:50 Efosa Ojomo, co-author of The Prosperity Paradox, sets the stage for the need for innovation in development
2:50-3:20 John Hoffmire, Ananth Pai and Mudhusudan Jagadish explain how the Prosperity Paradox can be used in India as a model to create good jobs for poor women
3:20-3:40 Break
3:40-4:10 Laurel Steinfeld speaks to issues of gender, development and business – addressing paradoxes related to prosperity
4:10-4:40 Grace Cheng, speaks about the history of China’s use of disruptive innovations to develop its economy
4:40-5:15 Break
5:15-6 Lant Pritchett talks on Pushing Past Poverty: Paths to Prosperity
6:30-8 Dinner at the Rhodes House – Purchase tickets after signing up for the conference
Sponsors include: Russell Reynolds, Employee Ownership Foundation, Ananth Pai Foundation and others

In modern high-tech health care, patients appear to be the stumbling block.

Uninformed, anxious, noncompliant individuals with unhealthy lifestyles who demand treatments advertised by celebrities and insist on unnecessary but expensive diagnostics may eventually turn into plaintiffs. But what about their physicians? About ten years ago, Muir Gray and Gerd Gigerenzer published a book with the subtitle “Envisioning health care 2020”. They listed “seven sins” of health care systems then, one of which was health professionals’ stunning lack of risk literacy. Many were not exactly sure what a false-positive rate was, or what overdiagnosis and survival rates mean, and they were unable to evaluate articles in their own field. As a consequence, the ideals of informed consent and shared decision-making remain a pipedream – both doctors and patients are habitually misled by biased information in health brochures and advertisements. At the same time, the risk literacy problem is one of the few in health care that actually have a known solution. A quick cure is to teach efficient risk communication that fosters transparency as opposed to confusion, both in medical school and in CME. It can be done with 4th graders, so it should work with doctors, too.

Now, in 2020, can every doctor understand health statistics? In this talk, Gerd Gigerenzer will describe the efforts towards this goal, a few successes, but also the steadfast forces that undermine doctors’ ability to understand and act on evidence. Moreover, the last decade has seen two new forces that distract from solving the problem. The first is the promise of digital technology, from diagnostic AI systems to big data analytics, which consumes much of the attention. Digital technology is of little help if doctors do not understand it. Second, our efforts to make patients competent and to encourage them to articulate their values are now in conflict with the new paternalistic view that patients just need to be nudged into better behaviour.

This talk will be followed by a drinks reception, all welcome

Joint event with: The Oxford–Berlin Research Partnership

Lecture by Jinny Blom who has created over 250 gardens and landscapes, Laurent-Perrier garden which gained a Gold at Chelsea. Artist in Residence for Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, she is author of The Thoughtful Gardener: An intelligent approach to garden design (2017). Pay at the door; registration not required.

Talk, followed by walking tour of the park. Jane Kilsby, local historian shares her
recent research into this well-loved 19th century public park. Maximum 20

Lecture by Linda Farrar, a freelance researcher, lecturer and author of Ancient Roman Gardens. The art of gardening has a long history, with gardens being used in most ancient cultures to enhance living areas, and even public spaces. We will look at examples from a range of ancient societies. Pay at the door or book online

Tea/coffee, biscuits on arrival in the Committee Room. Introductory talk from Sophie Huxley, Gardener, LMH, followed by tour of the garden. Parking for 5 cars only (priority to Blue Card holders). Maximum 20 persons

Friday 23 October

Lecture by Advolly Richmond. Thomas Birch was a trained botanist, and
head gardener at Orwell Park, Ipswich, before travelling to the Gold Coast.
He became part of the international network of correspondents and plant
collectors relied upon by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. This talk aims to
reveal the true extent of Birch Freeman’s horticultural and botanical legacy.
Pay at the
door: £5 (members) £8 (guests

Lecture by Hanna Zembrzycka-Kisiel, Principal Major Applications Officer at
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse Councils. Hanna uses the research
insights of her recent MA Thesis to explore the reality of poor urban design
and the benefits of green spaces in our living environments, drawing on local
and international urban design projects for inspiration. Book online or pay at the door.

Lecture by Jane Owen, preceded by OGT’s Christmas drinks party.
Jane Owen, Founder Member of OGT, avid gardener, garden historian and
previously Deputy Editor of the Financial Times, gives us her personal take on
garden history – not to be missed! Doors open 6.30pm for wine or juice (inc), for lecture at 7pm. Book online or pay at the door.
door