The growth of populism has led to a widening of rights and power of the people to question all elites – those holding leading positions not only in politics, but also in the media, arts and science. It is essential that those working in science and academia facilitate a deeper public understanding of the complexities of evidence. This is particularly acute given the increasing use of rhetoric or unrealistic proposals, including the questioning of scientific evidence, by those wishing to gain and retain popularist power.

With climate change being demoted to “weather events” by the US administration and Bank of England economic forecasts being labelled “Project Fear”, public understanding of the scientific process, the complexities of data analysis, and the often ambiguous, even opaque nature of scientific findings, is needed more than ever. As one of our panellists, Dr Roger Highfield, Science Museum, recently wrote, there is a “concerning trend of active opposition: some have derided experts, others have sought the ‘authenticity’ of anecdote……There is nothing palatable about the post-truth era, when facts are cherry-picked or invented to make up any narrative you like, when there is ….a move to curtail any science that challenges policy and dogma with inconvenient truths”.

People increasingly need access to bodies such as museums which can provide trusted and open information, and when an issue isn’t black and white, to explain why there’s a debate and guide them through the evidence. In the second of two panels exploring these complex issues, Dr Roger Highfield, Director of External Affairs, Science Museum, Dr Alexander Sturgis, Director, Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology and Professor Paul Smith, Oxford University Museum of Natural History will discuss and debate with the audience on communicating evidence in an era of increasing populism, and the vital role that the arts, sciences and humanities can play together in this process.

Talk followed by questions and discussion. All welcome

Welcome to the first event in our two-part China-UK Science Innovation Series!

In 2016 alone, China invested USD236 billion in Research and Development, making it the second largest investor in innovation globally. Given this, as well as China’s rapid economic growth, Science Innovation Union (SIU) and the Oxford Chinese Life Sciences Society (OCLSS) have decided to team up to hold an outstanding two-session event on this exciting area of development. Attendees will hear from a distinguished group of high profile speakers coming from the government, academic and private sectors. Our audience will have the chance to learn about how China and the UK have been working together to boost innovation, opportunities available for funding and to get an update on the latest leading-edge research.

Speakers:
Sunan Jiang (Minister Counsellor for Science and Technology, the Chinese Embassy in the UK)

Dr Wenming Ji (Managing Director at Oxford Cardiomox Ltd.; Former Senior Consultant at Isis Innovation Ltd; Former Project Manager at Innovation China UK)

Dr Shisong Jiang (CTO of Oxford Vacmedix)

Schedule:
17:30-17:40 Registration

17:40-18:00 Speaker 1

18:05-18:25 Speaker 2

18:30-18:50 Speaker 3

18:50-19:10 Q&A

19:10-20:00 Networking

As always, this event is free and open to the public!

The second part of this series is entitled:
“Building bridges between UK and China: From investment to ongoing global research advances” and will take place on the evening of June 26th.
Please keep an eye out for further details in the coming weeks!

A History of Food Fraud and Its Detection
Dr Duncan Campbell (DPhil Soil Solution Chemistry, 1986)

Duncan’s talk will cover the long history of food adulteration from medieval Germany to 19th century America, the pioneers who applied scientific methods to its detection in the 19th century and some modern examples from Britain and further afield.

Duncan was a student member of St Cross College from 1982 to 1985. After his time at St Cross and a period of post-doctoral research, he broadened his horizons to apply chemical analysis to public protection and gained the qualification required to act as a Public Analyst in 1994.

Although small in number, Public Analysts play a key role in enforcing many aspects of food legislation in the UK, directing the analysis of food and providing expert opinion on the results. A leading member of the profession, Duncan has contributed to the wider debate on protecting the public’s interests in relation to food, as well as TV programmes including the second episode of Netflix’s documentary series ‘Rotten’ which sets out to expose fraud and corruption in today’s global food industry.

Drinks reception to follow.

If you look up at the starry sky at night, what do you see? Small pinpricks of light, ideas, perhaps even other worlds… perhaps ‘Planet Narnia’. At least, that’s what C. S. Lewis saw. Along with his science fiction trilogy for adults, C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia were heavily influenced by planetary science, astronomy, astrology, and the natural world. Join us at Holy Trinity Church where C. S. Lewis is buried, as Robert Bates explains how Narnia reflects the complexity of space that always fascinated its author.

Reverend Dr Robert Bates is currently the Methodist Chaplain for Oxford Brookes University, based at the Harcourt Hill Campus. Before training for ministry, Robert was a primary school teacher and headteacher, and then Head of English at Bishop Grosseteste College in Lincoln.

He has always had an interest in children’s literature and is a country boy at heart.

Science on Your Doorstep – showcasing experts who have Oxford-based careers in research, science or tech or who live or work around the Headington area.

The event is free to attend, but you are invited to make a donation towards a special fund we’re setting up to support disadvantaged schools across the region. The fund will help these schools with their travel costs, to enable them to come and enjoy the new Science Oxford Centre.

Suitable for over 14s

https://www.facebook.com/events/441287403024424/

You barely go a week without some puff piece article offering the ‘secret’ of happiness, or 5 easy steps to make yourself happy. They usually mention dopamine or oxytocin, in vague, context-free ways. But how valid are these claims? Not very, if you ask neuroscientist Dean Burnett, who looked into all this for his book The Happy Brain. In it, Dean delves deep into the inner workings of our minds to explore some fundamental questions about happiness. For starters: what does it actually mean to be happy? Where does it come from? Is lasting happiness possible? Should it be?

In his research into these questions – and many more besides – Burnett unravels our complex internal lives to reveal the often surprising truth behind what makes us tick. From whether happiness really begins at home to what love, sex, friendship, wealth, laughter and success actually do to our brains.

Dr Dean Burnett is a neuroscientist, pundit, author, blogger and sometimes comedian. In his second book The Happy Brain, he looks at all the claims and theories around what makes us happy, and investigates whether they hold up to scientific scrutiny.

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7.30PM start at St. Aldates Tavern, and entry is free, although we do suggest a donation of around £3 to cover speaker expenses.

We tend to get busy, so arrive early to make sure you get a seat. If you have difficulty standing, send us a message and we’ll make sure we reserve a chair for you.

Come along and say hello! All welcome.
http://oxford.skepticsinthepub.org/Event.aspx/18662/How-does-happiness-work-in-the-brain

https://www.facebook.com/events/441287403024424/

Shedding light on controversial research and investigating the ferocious gender wars in biology, psychology and anthropology, Angela Saini, to mark Ada Lovelace Day, will talk about how women are being rediscovered. She’ll explore what these revelations mean for us as individuals and as a society, revealing an alternative view of science in which women are included, rather than excluded.

This talk will be followed by a drinks reception, book sale and signing, all welcome.

Interested in gender equality and diversity in research? Interested in the impact of science, entrepreneurship and innovation in international engagement? Come along to our panel discussion event!
We are delighted to announce a tremendous collaboration between St Anne’s College and the SIU and OxFEST to discuss and promote gender equality and diversity in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine).
Speakers will discuss the status and future of women in STEMM, the key findings of Elsevier’s report: Gender in the Global Research Landscape, as well as the importance of developing entrepreneurial skills to undertake initiatives like the African Science Academy, a girls science and technology school based in Ghana.
Join us to discuss your experience, challenges and how we can encourage and develop
equality, diversity and inclusivity in STEMM.

With the emergence and penetration of Internet based technologies,
different aspects of our private and collective lives and how our societies
function at different levels have changed. In this talk we’ll discuss
examples from dating and politics, seemingly unrelated, but
fundamentally connected!

How are big data, machine learning, and AI currently transforming drug R&D? We’re pleased to invite Dr. Chris Meier to speak on this exciting intersection of science and technology.

Dr. Meier is one of the leaders in the Boston Consulting Group scientist network. He has worked extensively in the fields of digital development, data integration, and big data in pharma drug discovery. He has aided the development of precision medicine strategies, including biomarker discovery and development, and the integration of therapeutics with diagnostics.

Join us for what’s sure to be a fascinating talk on the future of medicine!

As always, this event is free and open to the public! A networking session including refreshments will be offered after the main event.

Join Marcus du Sautoy and a specially invited guest lecturer for this year’s annual Simonyi Lecture.

Each year the Simonyi lecture presents a story of cutting-edge science and how it impacts on modern society. From consciousness to quarks, from autism to the future of the planet, the Simonyi lecture tackles some of the most exciting ideas of science.

Aimed at the general public, the lecture is the highlight of the University’s programme to engage the public in the excitement and wonder of science.

Age guideline 12+

Duration: 1 hour with no interval

This talk is co-hosted by the Oxford Martin School, University College & Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, and is a continuation of the Trinity Term ‘Series Science and Populism: from evidence to narrative’

National governments may have less immediate power than they used to but, in matters large and small, someone somewhere often has to make a decision that will affect many lives. The Ministers making those decisions are human too, and what we know about how science works in government can tell us a lot about its place in wider public debates. Making decisions today, based on evidence from the past, in order to change the future: what could possibly go wrong?

Join Constantin Coussios, Statutory Chair of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford and Miranda Seymour, English literary critic, novelist, and biographer to imagine today’s ‘Monster’!

Mary Shelley written the novel today, what new developments in genetics, bioengineering and electrophysiology would have inspired her? What would her ‘monster’ look like, and how would she paint the misadventures of Dr Victor Frankenstein? Could such a scientist even exist in today’s world? Join us for a fascinating evening of talks and discussion about this enigmatic writer, the science of Frankenstein, and its modern-day equivalents.

Ages 16+

This talk is co-hosted by the Oxford Martin School, University College & Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, and is a continuation of the Trinity Term Series Science and Populism: from evidence to narrative.

Imran Khan is Head of Public Engagement at the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation dedicated to improving health by helping great ideas thrive. Imran leads Wellcome’s efforts in involving the public in its work, including bringing community groups, creative organisations, and social innovators into the research and health agenda, and supporting scientists to work directly with members of the public.

Vint Cerf is the co-inventor of the Internet, and Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google. In his lecture, he will be speaking about “The Pacification of Cyberspace”; a look at how to pacify the relatively lawless environment of the Internet, while preserving the utility of its openness to creative innovation and technological revolution.

The Romanes Lecture is the University of Oxford’s annual public lecture series, running since 1892.

Prof. Chris Fairburn has two research interests: the nature and treatment of eating disorders, and the development and evaluation of psychological interventions. The result has been the development of specific psychological treatments for the eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and allied states). He and his colleagues developed one of the leading evidence-based treatments for bulimia nervosa (a form of cognitive behavioral therapy) and, more recently, an “enhanced” version (CBT-E) for any type of eating disorder and for all age groups.

He has been supported by Wellcome since 1984, allowing him to pursue a programme of work directed at the treatment of eating disorders. This has resulted in the development of the most effective interventions for these illnesses, all of which are strongly endorsed by NICE and in use worldwide. In addition, he has pioneered the use of the Internet to disseminate psychological treatments. In this presentation, Prof Fairburn will highlight the challenges he has faced and how he addressed them.

Talk Venue: Stocker room, Brasenose College, Radcliffe Sq, Oxford OX1 4AJ

Talks are free for OUSS members and £2 for non-members. Membership is £10 for a year, or £20 for lifetime!

We think we are special, but are we any more special than other animals? After all, life is a family tree four billion years old, with branches enough to contain a billion species. One tree, one origin, with a common code that underwrites all existence, including our own.

This paradox – that our biology is indistinct from other animate life, yet we consider ourselves unique – is the central question of the human condition.

Many of the things we once thought of as unique to us are not. We are not the only species that communicates, or makes tools, or uses fire, or enjoys sex for non-reproductive reasons, nor are we the only species to have made art. Humanity lies in all of these things and more, but quintessentially in our teaching. We are a species defined by expertise, and the desire to spread that knowledge.

Adam Rutherford is a geneticist, writer and broadcaster.

Join the Facebook event and invite your friends: https://www.facebook.com/events/343296343140281/

This talk is co-hosted by the Oxford Martin School, University College & Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, and is a continuation of the Trinity Term ‘Series Science and Populism: from evidence to narrative’.

Clive Cookson has worked in science journalism for the whole of his professional life. He joined the Financial Times as technology editor in 1987 and has been Science Editor of the FT since 1991. He is an honorary member of the British Science Association and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

This talk is co-hosted by the Oxford Martin School, University College & Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, and is a continuation of the Trinity Term Series ‘Science and Populism: from evidence to narrative’.

Dr Patrick Vallance FRS FMedSci FRCP is Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) and Head of the Government Science and Engineering (GSE) profession.

Science provides the best way of understanding the world in which we live. As many funders recognise, this understanding – knowledge for its own sake – is important in its own right, but can also lead to improvements in health and our quality of life.

We don’t always know which lines of research will lead to practical outcomes – a principle Jim will illustrate using some of his own work (among other examples). But supporting research with the sole intention of improving understanding is never money wasted. It is important that this is understood by the public and by policymakers, so that science continues to drive the UK economy.

Sir Jim Smith is Director of Science at Wellcome. He is an award-winning developmental biologist who has identified the molecular signals that pass between cells in developing embryos to drive the formation of tissues and organs. His current research is exploring what occurs within cells after they receive such signals.

Meet thermal imaging applications specialist to discuss how thermal imaging can be used in your application.

This talk is co-hosted by the Oxford Martin School, University College & Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, and is a continuation of the Trinity Term Series ‘Science and Populism: from evidence to narrative’.

Prof Varinder Aggarwal is one of the most notable organic chemists in the UK. In this talk, he introduces organic synthesis: the art of making the molecules that change how you live and die.

This engaging talk will be accessible to people from all backgrounds, including A-level and college students.

Free entry to Oxford University chemistry department members on showing your Bod card. Talks are free for OUSS members and £2 for non-members. Sign up for membership on our website or on the door.

To apply for dinner with the speaker afterwards, please contact oxfordscisoc@gmail.com before 17:00 on Tuesday 27th.

Meet thermal imaging applications specialist to discuss how thermal imaging can be used in your applications

Meet thermal imaging applications specialist to discuss your application and how thermal imaging can be used

Stand-ups and experts look at the funnier side of Bacteria

In case you missed this sellout show in the Autumn as part of the Museum of Natural History’s Bacteria exhibition our comedians and experts will be bringing you their deepest and funniest thoughts on microbes, disease, and of course bacteria (again). Hosted by Alex Farrow “An engaging and entertaining pairing of learning and good humour!” ★★★★ The Latest. “Jaw achingly funny” ★★★★ Oxford Mail “A roaring success at creating vibrant comedy shows across Oxfordshire” ★★★★ The Oxford Times

This is a one-off repeat of the show at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in Autumn, although the line up may be subject to slight

The advent of super-resolution microscopy has created unprecedented opportunities to study the mammalian central nervous system, which is dominated by anatomical structures whose nanoscale dimensions critically influence their biophysical properties. I will present our recent methodological advances 1) to analyze dendritic spines in the hippocampus in vivo and 2) to visualize the extracellular space (ECS) of the brain. Using a two-photon–STED microscope equipped with a long working distance objective and ‘hippocampal window’ to reach this deeply embedded structure, we measured the density and turnover of spines on CA1 pyramidal neurons. Spine density was two times higher than reported by conventional two-photon microscopy; around 40% of all spines turned over within 4 days. A combination of 3D-STED microscopy and fluorescent labeling of the extracellular fluid allows super-resolution shadow imaging (SUSHI) of the ECS in living brain slices. SUSHI enables quantitative analyses of ECS structure and produces sharp negative images of all cellular structures, providing an unbiased view of unlabeled brain cells in live tissue.

Ada, Countess of Lovelace, is sometimes called the world’s first computer programmer. Professor Ursula Martin (University of Oxford) discusses how a young woman in the 1800s acquired the expertise to become a pioneer of computer science.
Due to popular demand this is a repeat of Professor Martin’s talk in September 2018.

Dr Imafidon, is co-founder of STEMettes, the social enterprise inspiring the next generation of females of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. One of the BBC’s 100 inspirational and innovative women for 2017.

Dr Katherine Wheelhouse did her MChem at Jesus College, Oxford, working in the chemistry department with Prof Tim Donohoe before joining GSK as a process chemist in 2008. Since 2011 Katherine has specialised in application of chemical catalysis to pharmaceutical manufacture. She is a GSK scientific fellow, a member of the RSC Applied Catalysis Committee and also of the editorial advisory board of the journal Organic Process Research and Development. Katherine is going to talk about what it is that process chemists do (to enable doing things bigger) and how this fits into the development of medicines, illustrating with some examples from recent projects.

The talk is free for OUSS members, or £2 on the door. Membership can be obtained on the night or on our website. Those interested in meeting the speaker for dinner after the talk may contact oxforduniscisoc@gmail.com. eng