Cambridge Science Festival 2016: Recent Episodes
Cambridge University
The Science Festival provides the public with opportunities to explore and discuss issues of scientific interest and concern and to raise aspirations by encouraging young people to consider a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
Each year, the Festival welcomes visitors to hundreds of events and receives extensive national and local media coverage. Over 170 event coordinators organise talks, interactive demonstrations, hands-on activities, film showings and debates with the assistance of around 1,000 staff and students from departments and organisations across the University and research institutions, charities and industry in the eastern region. In addition, over 150 people volunteer their time to act as stewards to ensure visitors have a safe and enjoyable Festival experience.
http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/
How conscious is my dog? Can robots become conscious? Are people in a vegetative state conscious? Philosopher Professor Tim Crane and neuroscientist Dr Srivas Chennu look into our minds and wrestle with the meaning of what it is to be conscious. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/brain-body-and-mind-new-directions-neuroscience-and-philosophy-consciousness-limited-returns#sthash.3SRwCI7i.dpuf
You may have been told your 'heart-age' or your 'lung-age', but what does this mean? Professor David Spiegelhalter shows how we can use statistical analysis to assess your 'real age', and how to work out how much younger (or older) your good (or bad) habits can make you. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/how-old-are-you-really-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.3lpXd71e.dpuf
Each year, 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer and 8 million people die of the disease. These numbers are increasing and will reach 22 million annual worldwide cancer diagnoses by 2030. Professor Richard J Gilbertson discusses this enormous challenge and how patients, healthcare professionals and the research community work together every day to kill cancer. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/killing-cancer#sthash.GJFvLyA3.dpuf
Technology doesn’t grow on trees… does it? In fact, biology makes its own versions of batteries, displays and processors, using very tiny nanoscale components. Could mimicking biology improve our own technology and eliminate pollution at the same time? Join nano-biophysicist Chris Forman and find out. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/can-ipods-grow-trees#sthash.n6Mhnu1K.dpuf
What is intelligence? What is learning? Can we build computers and robots that learn? How much information does the brain store? How does mathematics help us answer these questions? Professor Zoubin Ghahramani takes us on a journey exploring these questions and leading us to the field of machine learning: the invisible algorithms underlying many of the tools we now use everyday.
Professor Ghahramani highlights some current areas of research at the frontiers of machine learning, including our project on developing an Automatic Statistician, and speculate on some of the future applications of computers that learn.
Zoubin Ghahramani is Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Cambridge, and the Cambridge Liaison Director of the Alan Turing Institute. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/intelligence-and-learning-brains-and-machines-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.gbscsa4C.dpuf
As Big Data Chief Architect at Deloitte in the City, Chartered Engineer in France, MIT and Stanford Ignite, Adrien Arculeo will share some of the insights he has gleaned from the Big Data projects he has led over the past seven years. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/big-data-missing-link#sthash.OIUcsa0I.dpuf
We live in a world surrounded by computers, and increasingly also robotics. But how do we get these machines to do what we want? Find out with Philip Garsed and Rachel Garsed in this fun and interactive demonstration, as they try to program their (suspiciously life-like...) robot to carry out a simple task. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/how-train-your-robot-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.9ktz2qFw.dpuf
Turing’s imitation game (also known as the Turing test) involves trying to tell the difference, in conversation, between a human and a machine. Professor Kevin Warwick from Coventry University discusses results from practical Turing Tests involving both machines and hidden humans which show how some of the top philosophers and computer scientists have made misidentifications when acting as interrogators. Actual examples will be given of machines performing very well and fooling interrogators. In the presentation there will be the opportunity to try the test for yourself and see if you can spot the difference.
But there is a lot more to the Turing Test than meets the eye. In terms of communication, it’s not just about how well machines can perform, it also shows how humans are sometimes not as good as we may think. Often humans are quirky or difficult and can themselves be identified as being machines. If you don’t know much about the Turing Test then all will be explained here. If you think you ‘understand’ all about it then hopefully this will make you think again by bringing you up to date with the very latest in machine performance.
Attendance Warning: Machines that think are preferred to humans with closed minds. Presented with Cambridge University Press.
Professor Kevin Warwick is Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University, England, where he is responsible for the University’s research portfolio. His own main research areas are artificial intelligence, biomedical systems, robotics and cyborgs. Due to his research which involved himself as a self-experimenter he is frequently referred to as the world’s first Cyborg. Kevin was born in Coventry, UK and left school to join British Telecom, at the age of 16. At 22 he took his first degree at Aston University, followed by a PhD and research post at Imperial College, London. He subsequently held positions at Oxford, Newcastle, Warwick and Reading Universities before joining Coventry.
Kevin is a Chartered Engineer who has published well over 600 research papers and his experiments into implant technology led to him being featured as the cover story on the US magazine, ‘Wired’. He has been awarded higher doctorates (DSc) both by Imperial College and the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague. Kevin has also been awarded Honorary Doctorates by 8 UK Universities and an Honorary Doctorate from Saints Cyril & Methodius University, Skopje. He was presented with The Future of Health Technology Award in MIT, was made an Honorary Member of the Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, and received The IEE Senior Achievement Medal, the IET Mountbatten Medal and in 2011 the Ellison-Cliffe Medal from the Royal Society of Medicine. In 2000 Kevin presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, entitled “The Rise of the Robots”. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/turings-imitation-game-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.tuBmaCuM.dpuf
Looking at the upwardly growing skyline of London, it’s easy to identify the two materials best-loved by civil engineers: steel and concrete. Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, large amounts of energy have been expended on these two materials, and they represent a far greater burden on our total carbon footprint than most people realise. In addition to being energy-intensive, steel and concrete are heavy. If we consider instead the building blocks of the natural world, we see materials that are lightweight and that are produced with relatively low energy input under ambient temperature and pressure conditions. The building blocks of nature are completely recyclable, and a relatively small number of building blocks can be put together in a wide variety of ways to make materials for very different functions Dr Michelle Oyen explores these building blocks and look at examples in nature of how we might rethink how we build our future cities. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/biomimetic-materials-re-thinking-how-we-build-stuff#sthash.XFLjOCC1.dpuf
Organ transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients in end-stage kidney disease and the only option available to patients suffering from heart, liver or lung failure. The Department of Surgery at Cambridge University and Addenbrooke’s Hospital have been at the forefront of transplantation since its inception. Professor J Andrew Bradley is a world leader in the field of transplant surgery, he is Professor of Surgery at Cambridge University, an honorary Transplant Surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, and has been President of the British Transplantation Society, the Society of Academic and Research Surgeons, and the British Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Professor J Andrew Bradley will take us from the beginnings to transplant surgery through to the cutting-edge procedures in use today. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/organ-transplantation#sthash.uRcP1tNi.dpuf
Artificial intelligence could be of great benefit to society, producing innovative discoveries and providing humans with more leisure time. However, workers are concerned that, more and more, jobs are being taken over by artificial intelligence. We can see this in the context of the current trend for robots to work in car factories and driverless trains, and also in the future trend for driverless cars. The questions are will artificial intelligence be superior to the human brain? Can artificial intelligence ever be as creative as the human brain? And will artificial intelligence contribute to the benefit of society? We have four outstanding speakers, Dr Hermann Hauser, Dr Mateja Jamnik, Professor Trevor Robbins and Professor Alan Winfield, in the fields of information technology, robotics and neuroscience to discuss the implications of supercomputers and machine learning to promote artificial intelligence for overtaking the human brain. This event, organised by Professor Barbara Sahakian, will be moderated by Tom Feilden, Science Correspondent for the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4.
Hermann Hauser: http://www.amadeuscapital.com/hermann-hauser/ Mateja Jamnik: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mj201/ Trevor Robbins: http://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/directory/profile.php?Trevor Alan Winfield: http://people.uwe.ac.uk/Pages/person.aspx?accountname=campus%5Ca-winfield Tom Feilden: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/correspondents/tomfeilden Barbara Sahakian: http://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/directory/profile.php?Barbara University of Cambridge Science Festival: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/ - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/will-artificial-intelligence-be-superior-human-brain-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.ngPTf0kW.dpuf
When Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, he was only fifty and most of his publications lay ahead. The rest of his life can be seen as a one long research programme exploring the implications of his evolutionary ideas, and in particular their implications for one species - humans. He is most famous for showing that people are related to other animals, but he did much more than that: he showed that all animals, including us, are related to all other living things – to plants. The story of Darwin’s discovery of carnivorous plants – plants that eat – and also of plants that sleep, and plants that move, has all the ingredients of a blockbuster: beauty, seduction, deceit, and mass murder – or 'tremendous slaughter' as Darwin called it. It also has chloroform, cobra poison, and a lot of curiosity. And it is in Darwin’s private letters and notebooks that the fun really happens.
Presented with Cambridge University Press. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/curiosity-chloroform-and-cobra-poison-what-darwin-did-next#sthash.QQ6w2twU.dpuf
Is the key to effective conservation, collective knowledge? Dr Mike Rands, Professor Bill Adams, Dr Juliet Vickery and Dr Matt Walpole discuss whether combining knowledge enables us to deliver transformational approaches to the understanding of biodiversity and the wealth of natural capital it represents.
Supported by Science AAAS. Followed by a reception, open to all attendees.
Panel members Dr Mike Rands, Executive Director, Cambridge Conservation Initiative, University of Cambridge Professor Bill Adams, Moran Professor of Conservation and Development, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge Dr Juliet Vickery, Head of International Research, RSPB Dr Matt Walpole, Director of Partnerships and Development, UNEP-WCMC - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/knowledge-nature#sthash.LBXla1la.dpuf
Join evolutionary biologist and broadcaster Ben Garrod as he explores the animal kingdom from the inside out, from the smallest skeleton on Earth to the biggest. In his talk on super-strong deer bones and elephants on tiptoes, Ben also discusses how he ended up on the other side of the planet, looking for the largest dinosaur ever. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/im-just-big-boned-search-worlds-largest-bones#sthash.yNmHbAJb.dpuf
Sharks have roamed the oceans for millions of years and they’ve evolved into masses of awesome species. Prepare to be amazed by everything from sharks with beards to tiny glowing sharks you could hold in your hand. Join avid shark-spotter Dr Helen Scales to explore these ocean wonders and find out why we shouldn’t be scared of shark-infested waters. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/shark-tales-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.63ca9NXa.dpuf
he spectacular science of chocolate. The BBC’s Gastronaut Stefan Gates and UCL’s Prof Andrea Sella present the most delicious show on earth, full of meltingly edible multidisciplinary science. There’ll be sensory perception, crystallisation and rheology aplenty, and quite possibly an Eiffel Tower made from chocolate.
See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/chocolatology-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.kEFWuFVr.dpuf
While mathematicians are undoubtedly brilliant, there are still questions they can't answer. Every mathematical question is a puzzle and there'll be plenty of puzzles for you to chew on while mathematician Katie Steckles introduces questions that still leave mathematicians stumped, from simple-sounding number and shape problems to mind-bending fundamental questions. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/maths-greatest-unsolved-puzzles-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.0IclHIqX.dpuf
Can we build a machine that can solve any problem? How can we break a code others believe unbreakable? Why do leopards have spots and zebras stripes? These questions were all answered by Alan Turing. Mathematician James Grime explores Turing's childhood fascination with maths and how it led to the breaking of the infamous Enigma cipher. Including a demonstration of an original WWII Enigma Machine! - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/alan-turing-and-enigma-machine-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.98ApfdJB.dpuf
Your iTunes playlist may reveal more about you than you think. Science shows that the music we choose to listen to is not random. In fact, there is evidence that both our musical taste and abilities are tied to our personality and the way that we think. Dr David Greenberg explores how our preferences for musical genres and attributes map onto five different personality traits and three thinking styles. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/what-does-your-musical-taste-say-about-your-personality-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.AJacowwn.dpuf
Do you think you make rational decisions? Think again... Ginny Smith turns your understanding of your brain upside down - and may even improve your decision-making!
We'll be asking you to take part in some 'tricks of the mind' so please bring along an Internet-enabled device so you can play along with the show. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/your-irrational-brain-how-we-really-make-decisions-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.9is5z5xj.dpuf
Clever solutions find inconvenient truths: a history of the ARM Architecture, and the lessons learned while building it.
Richard Grisenthwaite, Lead Architect and Fellow at ARM, will talk about how the ARM architecture and the computing ecosystem it enables has changed in the 25 year history of ARM Ltd. Aimed at a technical audience, this talk looks at how the architecture has been influenced, sometimes in unexpected ways, by the changing environment and fashions, of the computing industry. It draws out some general lessons of the process of balancing the developments in hardware and software learnt from the progression of ARM to be one of the most popular architectures in the world. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/clever-solutions-find-inconvenient-truths-history-arm-architecture-and-lessons-learned-while#sthash.Z85IjX9P.dpuf
Solar photovoltaics have spread widely in recent years as costs have plummeted. They makes up less than 1% of the electricity market today but could be the world’s cheapest energy source by 2030. Dr Paul Coxon explores how the solar revolution began, how solar cells work, and how scientists are now harnessing natural structures and materials to make them more efficient.
Dr Paul Coxon is a physicist in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses light capturing materials and has developed new low-cost methods to produce extremely black silicon surfaces for anti-reflection coatings in photovoltaic cells. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/solar-energy-past-present-and-future-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.nljWw6V8.dpuf
Smartphones are increasingly powerful, sensor-rich, and personal devices. Could they also help us to become happier and healthier? In this talk, I will briefly discuss how scientists have been using smartphone sensors to track how we behave, and designing systems that use these inferences to help us become healthier.
Dr Neal Lathia is a computer scientist. His research focuses on using data that the devices in our daily lives create to help us monitor, infer, and change our behaviours. This research has lead to analysing data about our health, travel habits, and online ratings. You can find more information about Neal on http://nlathia.github.io/. - See more at: http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/events/happier-and-healthier-smartphone-data-limited-returns-available-door#sthash.6jooxUxr.dpuf