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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230918T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230918T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20230119T204029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230826T171458Z
UID:1342-1695065400-1695070800@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Is Net zero worth fighting for? Climate change in the age of emergency
DESCRIPTION:Dr Graeme Hayes\, School of Social Sciences and Humanities\, Aston University \n\n\n\nNet zero is everywhere. The UK has pledged to reach net zero by 2050; the NHS\, by 2040; Birmingham City Council’s ‘route to zero’\, by 2030; Birmingham Airport’s ‘flight to net zero’\, by 2033. Extinction Rebellion demands the UK reach it by 2025. In contrast\, the Net Zero Scrutiny Group of backbench Conservative MPs (along with others on the political right) wants the government to abandon the target\, claiming it makes the UK uncompetitive. Recent decisions by the Sunak government over oil and gas leases in the North Sea\, decisions which are also supported by the opposition\, suggest that either net zero is heavily contested\, is on the verge of being abandoned\, or perhaps never meant very much anyway. Meanwhile\, as individual citizens\, we are encouraged to make our own carbon footprint calculations\, and change our behaviours and choices so that we too can reduce or ‘offset’ our emissions. \n\n\n\nIn this talk\, Graeme will discuss competing narratives of supply and demand\, resource use and keeping it in the ground\, time and emergency. He’ll talk about what net zero means and what it doesn’t mean\, what it tells us about climate change and what it leaves unsaid\, why calculating carbon footprints is helpful and also why it isn’t\, and argue that net zero is a terrible idea which could probably only be made worse by abandoning net zero. \n\n\n\nHe’ll end by asking exactly where this leaves us – and what the role of protest and collective citizen action might be.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/is-net-zero-worth-fighting-for-climate-change-in-the-age-of-emergency/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230717T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230717T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20230205T215651Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230717T164559Z
UID:1349-1689622200-1689627600@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Using trees for energy and materials: unpacking sustainability concerns
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Patricia Thornley\, Director\, Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute\, Aston University \n\n\n\nA is for apple … T is for Tree \n\n\n\nFrom our earliest years we are introduced to trees: in the classroom; in fairy stories of magic treesand deep dark woods; in the natural world around us (climbing\, swinging\, gathering leaves andconkers). They are deeply ingrained in our landscape\, our heritage\, our lives. \n\n\n\nSo when people suggest that we cut down trees or use them differently we rightly get annoyed.Something inside tells us that it “just isn’t right” …. Or is it? Climate change is a huge global problemand trees can be a key part of our response to and adaptation for climate change. Smart use of treescould help us achieve lower global temperatures in the long term\, but the problem (and solution)are dynamic and some of the scientific insights around carbon can be counter-intuitive. \n\n\n\nPatricia Thornley has been studying the role of trees and plants in combatting climate change forlonger than she would like to remember and will share the latest scientific knowledge on how treesinterface with climate change and what the carbon consequences really are of cutting trees down. \n\n\n\nBut there is more to life than carbon and we will also discuss the wider environmental\, economicand social impacts of our sometimes fragile co-existence with the trees that are likely to outlive usand possibly outpace our efforts to mitigate carbon emissions.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/uk-government-biomass-strategy/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230619T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230619T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20230104T190753Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230709T174108Z
UID:1314-1687203000-1687208400@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Lab-based meat
DESCRIPTION:Dr Eirini Theodosiou\, Senior Lecturer\, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences\, Aston University \n\n\n\nJason Thomas\, Senior lecturer\, School of Psychology\, Aston University \n\n\n\nThe demand for animal-based foods will increase by 70% in 2050 to feed the predicted 9.8 billion people. Yet currently\, 800 million people worldwide suffer from hunger and malnutrition\, the livestock industry is responsible for 12-18% of the total greenhouse gas emissions and the leading direct driver for deforestation\, and increased meat production and factory farming are the top most likely causes of the next pandemic due to the extensive use of antibiotics and increasing emergence of zoonotic diseases. \n\n\n\nCultivated or lab grown meat offers a safer\, more sustainable and animal cruelty-free alternative for consumers. It is a relatively new food technology and much work still needs to be done to make it affordable and on a massive scale. Cultivated meat research at Aston University focuses on the ‘scaffolds’ needed for the animal cells to attach to in order to create the meat mass\, as well as the psychological and practical barriers to its acceptance and consumption. Dr Eirini Theodosiou and Dr Jason Thomas explore what is cultivated – or lab-produced – meat and what factors can influence consumers on buying it and eating it.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/lab-based-meat/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230515T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230515T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20221218T141908Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230709T174104Z
UID:1309-1684179000-1684184400@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Increasing diversity in research participation: recruitment and retention strategies
DESCRIPTION:Professor Petra Wark and Funmi Ladeinde of the Centre for Healthcare and Communities\, Research Institute for Health & Wellbeing at the University of Coventry. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nMany human research studies lack diversity\, which limits our understanding of the factors that contribute to disease in groups who don’t usually participate. As a result\, it becomes difficult to apply research findings to develop effective disease prevention strategies and public health policies that benefit everyone. \n\n\n\nWe need to include everyone in our research efforts to help in formulating more effective disease prevention strategies\, creating fair health policies\, and better identifying the care\, service\, and health needs of different groups. \n\n\n\nPetra and Funmi will talk about ways to involve groups that are generally not represented in research that require people to engage with researchers over time.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/increasing-diversity-in-research-participation-recruitment-and-retention-strategies-2/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230417T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230417T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20230320T180707Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230709T174057Z
UID:1371-1681759800-1681765200@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:The Media spinning of nutrition science plates - Can we believe the stories we read?
DESCRIPTION:Dr Duane Mellor\, Senior Lecturer\, Aston Medical school \n\n\n\nNutrition is an area of apparent disagreement among the public and experts. It is also an area which has seen a rapid increase in the number of publications in the past 40 years. With the advent of online media and social media platforms\, the volume of news has also increased. Duane considers five types of nutrition research and how press releases linked to publications might be reported by the media. We will explore examples taken from nutrition-related articles published in the areas of in vitro work\, animal data\, epidemiology\, clinical trials and data modelling publications which had press releases deposited in online repositories (EurekAlert! and AlphaGalileo).
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/the-media-spinning-of-nutrition-science-plates-can-we-believe-the-stories-we-read/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230320T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230320T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20230205T220744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230709T174042Z
UID:1351-1679340600-1679346000@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Sustainable cooling and the cold chain for food and vaccines
DESCRIPTION:Cooling accounts for over 7% of global GHG emissions and is the fastest growing GHG contributor in the world. Globally\, 12% of the total food produced is lost due to the lack of cold chain. Likewise\, 20% of temperature-sensitive vaccine products are damaged due to broken cold chains. The cold chain is also a key player in ensuring food quality and safety. Temperature-controlled processing\, distribution and storage\, often based on inefficient equipment and protocols\, have a significant environmental impact. Conventional cold chains are energy intensive and often use high-GWP refrigerants. To achieve climate change mitigation and adaptation globally\, a resilient and low-carbon food and pharma cold chain is needed. How it could be achieved has significant implication for the economy\, industry\, social wellbeing\, and energy system resilience. It is essential to combine techno-economic\, environmental\, social and policy aspects in an integrated approach for the design and evaluation of decarbonisation solutions for the cold chain for food (from farm to fork) and vaccine (from manufacture to arm). \n\n\n\nIn this talk\, Dr Xinfang Wang of the University of Birmingham will present the work undertaken by the team of the Centre for Sustainable Cooling at the University of Birmingham\, including a whole-systems framework to assess the demand of food cold chain up to 2050\, considering the technology\, infrastructure\, environment\, policy\, behaviour\, finance and business models.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/sustainable-cooling-and-the-cold-chain-for-food-and-vaccines/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230220T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230220T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20220929T194627Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221115T093857Z
UID:1272-1676921400-1676926800@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:From Pharaohs to Fairer Health – A rapid exploration of lateral flow diagnostics
DESCRIPTION:Dr Alex Baker of University of Warwick will consider the role of lateral flow testing. The talk will include: \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\nLooking at how people diagnosed pregnancy before modern medicine\n\n\n\nDiagnosing COVID-19\n\n\n\nHow LFDs work and the science behind current LFDs\n\n\n\nThe problem with this approach and our alternative
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/from-pharaohs-to-fairer-health/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230116T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230116T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20230107T213459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230108T221235Z
UID:1316-1673897400-1673902800@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:The Opioid Crisis - how a small pharmaceutical company fuelled a health emergency
DESCRIPTION:The Pharmaceutical industry has made a huge contribution to improving the quality of many lives with advances continuing to be made in tackling diseases that were once considered incurable. However\, the industry often attracts criticism over the profits that it makes\, and the adverse reactions that occur in some patients. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nJohn worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 35 years. During the time that he lived in Connecticut in the United States\, a company from that state\, Purdue Pharmaceuticals\, were responsible for fuelling the opioid crisis\, which has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the US from the misuse of pain killing drugs. What happened\, and could it happen again?
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/the-opioid-crisis-how-a-small-pharmaceutical-company-fuelled-a-health-emergency/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221121T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221121T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20220929T194906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221102T224604Z
UID:1274-1669059000-1669064400@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Science in the GP Surgery
DESCRIPTION:Dr Cornelia Juengst\, University of Warwick \n\n\n\nHave you ever wondered what your doctor hears when listening to your chest? \n\n\n\nHow does a diseased heart sound different from a healthy heart? And why? \n\n\n\nWhat does your doctor see when they look into your ear – and what does it mean? \n\n\n\nHow does sound get transmitted from the air around us to the auditory systems in the brain? And how can your GP assess hearing problems? \n\n\n\nIf you want to find out more about the beauty of human anatomy and physiology as it presents in the GP practice\, then please join us for this interactive presentation by Cornelia Juengst\, a GP of 15 years and a Senior Clinical Teaching Fellow at Warwick Medical School.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/clinical-examination/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221017T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221017T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20220929T195310Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221012T152536Z
UID:1276-1666035000-1666040400@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Searching through the stars: finding Earth 2.0
DESCRIPTION:Dr Marina Lafarga-Magro of the University of Warwick will discuss her work searching for habitable exoplanets\, and why it matters. \n\n\n\nAre we alone? The idea of life beyond Earth has fascinated and inspired humanity for millenia. However\, it was only three decades ago that the first planets outside of our own solar system were discovered. Since then\, the number of these extra-solar planets\, more commonly known as exoplanets\, has increased to over 5000. All these exoplanets that are found orbiting stars other than our Sun are extremely diverse. We have found extremely hot planets where it rains iron\, puffy planets with very low densities\, and frozen icy planets. So far\, we have not found anything resembling our own solar system. \n\n\n\nDespite having found and studied over 5000 of them\, exoplanets can rarely be observed directly. Their host stars are too bright and outshine any light coming from the planet itself. Moreover\, most of them are too far for our telescopes to resolve them. Therefore\, to detect these exoplanets\, we rely on looking for changes in the light coming from their host stars. In this talk\, I will explain how we are able to find and characterise exoplanets indirectly. I will focus on the two most successful methods used so far\, namely\, the transit photometry and the Doppler spectroscopy methods. After going through the basic concepts behind these two techniques\, I will explain how we are getting close to finding an Earth 2.0\, and why this matters.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/exoplanets-and-habitability/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220926T203000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220926T220000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20220322T162850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220914T205948Z
UID:1204-1664224200-1664229600@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Extracting useful products from toxic blue-green algae
DESCRIPTION:Dr Aneika Leney\, School of Biosciences\, University of Birmingham \n\n\n\nLake slime\, or blue-green algae\, is found in many lakes/rivers/oceans worldwide. It is increasing due to global warming and causing huge problems\, as it can produce toxins that kill fish and wildlife. Dr Leney’s team are taking this algae and extracting proteins from it. These proteins are blue and are used as natural food colorants. The proteins also transmit low levels of light efficiently so have potential uses in applications such as more efficient solar panels.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/extracting-useful-products-from-toxic-blue-green-algae/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220718T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220718T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20220106T213642Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220510T210540Z
UID:1168-1658172600-1658178000@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Air Pollution- A Global Emergency
DESCRIPTION:Dr Om P. Kurmi\, Associate Professor in Epidemiology and Healthcare Research at Coventry University will present a talk on how air pollution is affecting both children and adults\, being responsible for over 8 million deaths annually.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/air-pollution-a-global-emergency/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220620T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220620T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20220320T100329Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220515T190257Z
UID:1202-1655753400-1655758800@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Bioengineering: building physiologically relevant tissue models to investigate diseases
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Pranav Vasanthi Bathrinarayanan\, who is a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham School of Chemical Engineering will cover the different organ/tissue models that he has built. These include the respiratory tract\, blood vessels\, bone mineralisation and some immune system work. Pranav will discuss how different natural and synthetic materials can be used to investigate biological diseases and how engineering/computational work has become infused with biology.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/bioengineering-building-physiologically-relevant-tissue-models-to-investigate-diseases/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220418T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220418T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20211221T110808Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220413T182007Z
UID:1157-1650310200-1650315600@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Machine Learning for Smart Manufacturing of Lithium-ion Batteries
DESCRIPTION:Mona Faraji-Niri\, Research Fellow\, University of Warwick \n\n\n\nLithium-ion batteries are the key component of many portable devices in our daily lives\, they play asignificant role in electrification of transportation systems such as electric vehicles\, e-bikes\, and e-scooters. The manufacturing of Lithium-ion batteries particularly for electric vehicles is very time andresource consuming due to the large number of parameters involved in each step of the manufacturingprocess. Mona\, who is an Assistant Professor in WMG\, University of Warwick will cover the details ofthe battery manufacturing processes in her presentation and address some of the currentchallenges. She’ll show how an in-depth understanding of manufacturing parameters obtained via AIcan help reducing the production time\, cost\, and carbon footprint.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/machine-learning-and-optimisation-of-battery-manufacturing-processes/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220321T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220321T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20211204T152531Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211204T152554Z
UID:1142-1647891000-1647896400@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Innovations in Cardiac Pacing
DESCRIPTION: Dr Roger Beadle\, Consultant Cardiologist
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/innovations-in-cardiac-pacing/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220221T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220221T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20220106T211438Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220106T211459Z
UID:1161-1645471800-1645477200@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Failing to Succeed
DESCRIPTION:The vital role of testing and failure in the development of products. How have famous and infamous failures enabled the development of new products and even new sciences. From the failure of the Comet aircraft to the wobbly Millennium bridge\, what are the lessons we can learn from failure and why should we be encouraging more failure. Presented by Dr Brian Price\, College of Engineering & Physical Sciences\, Aston University.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/failing-to-succeed/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20220117T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20220117T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20211204T153026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220114T213900Z
UID:1145-1642447800-1642453200@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Microplastic Pollution and its Detection
DESCRIPTION:Dr Katie Reilly\, Research Fellow\, University of Birmingham \n\n\n\nMicroplastics are a pervasive pollutant globally\, and have been found in all environments studied to date. However\, the available data for microplastic ingestion and interaction with organisms in the environment is varied and a lot of work has focused on larger animals such as marine mammals or birds to understand how these plastics could be having an effect. To further our understanding of individual and ecosystem level risks\, laboratory exposures can be undertaken to understand how microplastics can be affecting key species\, and how they are being impacted. Daphnia\, or water fleas\, are a great model species for this as they have historically been used to test other key pollutants such as chemicals to understand risk. In addition\, they are a keystone species for freshwater ecosystems\, and provide a key trophic link between algae and higher-level organism\, such as fish. Exploring some of the current research at the University of Birmingham\, we can use Daphnia to look at the environmental risk of plastics\, and some of the ways that the field of research is developing and growing as we understand more of the underpinning principles of the problem.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/microplastic-pollution-and-its-detection/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20211115T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20211115T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20210429T190959Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210429T191742Z
UID:1017-1637004600-1637010000@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:The Fungal Kingdom
DESCRIPTION:Dr Rebecca Drummond\, Birmingham Fellow\, Institute of Immunology & Immunotherapy\, University of Birmingham \n\n\n\nDr Drummond covers the size and scope of fungal species on Earth and how we use them in day-to-day life (e.g. production of alcohol\, food and antibiotics)\, and fungal infections and their impact on our world.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/the-fungal-kingdom/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20211018T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20211018T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20210429T191603Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210429T191754Z
UID:1024-1634585400-1634590800@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Vaccine Optimisation Technology
DESCRIPTION:Dr Phil Gould\, Associate Head of School Enterprise and Innovation\, School of Life Sciences\, Coventry University \n\n\n\nVaccines save millions of lives per year. Unquestionably\, the current COVID-19 pandemic is a timely reminder of what can happen in a population that has no immunity to a pathogen. Diseases like polio\, diphtheria and smallpox which caused significant child mortality are now managed\, with smallpox eradicated due to vaccines. \n\n\n\nThe safe and efficient production of vaccines is paramount to human health and the pharmaceutical industry. Phil’s research has led him to develop a technology platform to improve the efficiency of viral vaccine manufacture. The technology is designed to be used by manufacturers to optimise steps of production that involve growing virus to be used for the vaccine. This will result in higher yields\, reducing costs for the manufacturer and decreasing their manufacturing times. Importantly improving yields allows wider distribution of vaccines to the public\, which is essential in pandemics such as the one we are experiencing. \n\n\n\nDr Gould’s team are focusing on optimising vaccines for a wide range of human and animal vaccines not just those associated with COVID-19.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/vaccine-optimisation-technology/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20210920T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20210920T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20210429T191647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210904T110518Z
UID:1023-1632166200-1632171600@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Clinical Trials: Past\, Present and Future
DESCRIPTION:Jon Bishop\, Senior Biostatistician\, Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit\, University of Birmingham \n\n\n\nClinical trials play a key role in advancing medicine and this has been reinforced during recent times due to the COVID19 pandemic. This talk will give the audience an insight into the development of clinical trials over the years from one of the first clinical trials conducted by James Lind in the 1700s through to the next generation of trials.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/clinical-trials-past-present-and-future/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20210719T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20210719T203000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20210303T083158Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210429T191716Z
UID:986-1626723000-1626726600@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Building Leaves: How Close Are We to Artificial Photosynthesis?
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Sebastian D. Pike\, Royal Society University Research Fellow\, Department of Chemistry\, University of Warwick \n\n\n\nDr Pike cover the background of photoexcitation\, the challenges of the process\, current state-of-the-art materials and devices and how his group at Warwick are developing new molecular components for this process.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/building-leaves-how-close-are-we-to-artificial-photosynthesis/
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20210621T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20210621T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20210506T182358Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211204T152230Z
UID:1030-1624303800-1624309200@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Introduction to Quantum Computing
DESCRIPTION:Matija Pretnar\, University of Ljubljana \n\n\n\nWe often read in the media that quantum computers are fast because quantum superposition allows them to be in multiple states at once\, enabling them to explore all the possible solutions in a single step. \n\n\n\nAs we shall see\, things are not that simple because\, in the end\, we can observe only one randomly chosen result\, which is likely not going to be the one we need. After all\, with all the possible solutions out there\, what’s the guarantee that the one we want is the one randomly chosen by the quantum computer? So we want to be able to increase the probability of getting the solution we want from among all the possible paths. \n\n\n\nWhat can be done is to use interference to cancel out all the undesirable paths and unwanted solutions. Although we still end up with a randomly chosen path\, it is a path chosen from among the ones we want. \n\n\n\nThis event will be held at Saint Patrick’s Irish Club\, with Matija presenting to us via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent out the Sunday before for those of you  who would prefer to join remotely.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/introduction-to-quantum-computing/
LOCATION:St Patricks Irish Club\, 4 Adelaide Road\, Leamington Spa\, CV31 3PW
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20210517T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20210517T203000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20210124T122123Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210124T123226Z
UID:955-1621279800-1621283400@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:What is Engineering Education and does it work?
DESCRIPTION:Dr Rebecca Broadbent\, Teaching Fellow\, College of Engineering and Physical Science\, Aston University \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nEngineers have the power to shape the world and improve people’s lives\, however engineering firms continue to warn of a shortage of engineers that poses a threat to business.  With many professional bodies and independent organisations setting up engineering education strategies\, have we taken enough time to monitor the engineering education landscape and find out what is effective?  This talk will ask you to consider your personal definition of engineering and how your articulation of engineering may impact the aspirations of future generations.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/what-is-engineering-education-and-does-it-work/
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20210419T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20210419T170000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20201220T163852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210402T170630Z
UID:929-1618819200-1618851600@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:The Climate and Money
DESCRIPTION:Café Scientifique member John Stott looks at evidence for the relationship between the climate problem and money. As an engineer\, his initial reaction to the climate problem was to see it as problem about carbon pollution\, so the way to go was to find alternatives to fossil fuels and make energy use more efficient. It was a problem for science and engineering to solve. But as time passed\, he came to see the climate problem as more of a money problem and this talk aims to show evidence for this proposition and to an extent how it is related to social issues. In addition\, being a talk about money\, the role of banks cannot be ignored\, so some information about this is included. You may be surprised by by some of the content.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/the-climate-and-money/
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20210315T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20210315T203000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20201220T160432Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210104T171739Z
UID:925-1615836600-1615840200@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Learning from Nature: The role of biomimicry in solving problems and developing new products
DESCRIPTION:Inspiration from nature can lead to innovative solutions to design problems. Learn how observing natural forms has led to the design of faster Olympic swimwear\, solved problems with the windshields of high speed trains and allows us to draw water from the desert air. Presented by Dr Brian Price of the College of Engineering & Physical Sciences\, Aston University.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/learning-from-nature-the-role-of-biomimicry-in-solving-problems-and-developing-new-products/
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20210215T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20210215T203000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20201220T163317Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210202T195357Z
UID:927-1613417400-1613421000@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:AI in Visual Art
DESCRIPTION:Dr Aniko Ekart\, Reader in Computer Science\, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences\, Aston University \n\n\n\nThe quest for machines capable of performing creative activities began with the invention of the computer. Producing aesthetically pleasing visual art is certainly one such creative activity. Broadly speaking\, there are two approaches: with and without a human in the loop. While in the first kind\, the aesthetic appreciation is driven by the human\, in the second\, some automatic models of aesthetics are used. In this presentation\, Dr Ekárt explains her team’s blended way: a bit of both for a better chance of success. This journey of AI for visual art will be illustrated with many visual examples\, some of which you might like. \n\n\n\nDr Anikó Ekárt is a reader in Computer Science at Aston University\, where she is also Director of Research Degree Programmes for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. After obtaining a PhD from Eötvös Loránd University\, Budapest\, she held research positions at the Computer and Automation Research Institute\, Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest\, and a lectureship in Computer Science at University of Birmingham\, UK. Her research is focussed on theory and application of artificial intelligence techniques\, and in particular genetic programming and evolutionary computation. Areas of application range from health to engineering\, art and economics. She enjoys exploring established and new artificial intelligence methods as well as virtual reality for creating aesthetically pleasing images and experiences. 
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/top-tips-to-keep-you-safe-online/
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20210118T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20210118T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20201203T200000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210104T172804Z
UID:899-1610998200-1610998200@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Whatever have glial cells done for us?
DESCRIPTION:Prof Nick Dale\, Ted Pridgeon Professor of Neuroscience\, School of Life Sciences University of Warwick. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nNick studies chemical signalling in the central nervous system\, with particular interests in: developing biosensor technologies to measure neurotransmitter release in real time\, the control of breathing\, the control of body weight and application of biosensors to clinical diagnosis of ischaemic pathologies. His research has led to identification of important roles for specialised glial cells in the control of breathing\, and the control of food intake.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/monday-18th-january-professor-nick-dale/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20201214T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20201214T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20200209T194112Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201002T171332Z
UID:500-1607974200-1607974200@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Can we make a realistic and ethical laboratory model of chronic lung infection?”
DESCRIPTION:Dr Freya Harrison\, School of Life Sciences\, University of Warwick \nFreya uses her background in microbiology and evolutionary ecology to research how bacterial pathogens interact and evolve during chronic infections. She is especially interested in the long-lived\, biodiverse lung infections that affect people with the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis\, or people with chronic wound infections such as diabetic foot ulcers. These infections are unique environments for bacteria\, and Freya’s group try to make accurate representations of infected lungs and tissues in the lab so they can better understand how bacteria interact and evolve during infection\, and to provide better testing platforms for antibiotics and new antibacterial therapies. Freya is also a founder member of the interdisciplinary AncientBiotics consortium\, which seeks to identify\, reconstruct and test infection remedies from medieval medical books in the hope of finding new treatments for chronic infections. \nTonight’s talk will focus on the group’s efforts to mimic cystic fibrosis lung infections in the lab. People with cystic fibrosis contract lung infections in which different species of bacteria come together to form slime-encased multicellular “biofilms” that clog the airways and protect the microbes within from attack by antibiotics\, or by the host’s immune system. It can be very hard to predict\, from standard diagnostic lab tests\, which antibiotics might be able to penetrate biofilm defences and kill bacteria. Further\, pathogenic microbes can work together to cause damage to the lung tissues and to protect each other from antibiotics. To better understand how cystic fibrosis lung infection develops\, we use lung tissue from pigs slaughtered for meat to build realistic lung biofilms in the lab. In this way\, we hope that we can find the Achilles’ heel of debilitating and often lethal lung infection – and help researchers work on many different aspects of lung infection microbiology without the need for experiments on live animals.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/can-we-make-a-realistic-and-ethical-laboratory-model-of-chronic-lung-infection/
LOCATION:On line via Zoom App\, Riverside Walk\, Adelaide Rd\, Leamington Spa\, CV32 5AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20201116T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20201116T193000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20200209T195854Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201002T171302Z
UID:512-1605555000-1605555000@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Biochar - the potential benefits
DESCRIPTION:For our November Zoom meeting\, Donna Udall will lead a discussion on “Biochar – the potential benefits” . The topic is of great relevance as the farming and horticultural community seeks ways to improve the soil in the light of global warming\, not to mention our departure from the EU which will radically change the basis of government funding for farmers.\n\n \nDonna is currently Research Assistant\, Centre for Agroecology\, Water and Resilience\, Coventry University\n \nBrought up on a hill farm in Mid-Wales producing lamb and beef\, and with undergraduate degrees in both business and finance and plant science\, Donna now combines her pragmatic farming and business background with plant and soil science knowledge.  For her current project she has secured funding for the Farmers\, Growers and Gardeners Biochar Experiment.\n\n\nBiochar is a form of charcoal intended for use in soils.  It’s initial value is that it is a means to store carbon in the soil\, where it may be useful\, and out of the air – where it is harmful.  From a soil benefit point of view\, the claim is that it can alter the physical\, chemical and biological nature of soil such that it returns significantly higher yields when applied with other amendments – but is this true?  Donna Udall will take you through the benefits of biochar and how it can alter the physical\, chemical and biological nature of your soil and crop system to sometimes provide some benefits in terms of yield.  We also take a look at the outcomes of some trials to find out where it did work – and where it didn’t.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/tab/
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20201019T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20201019T210000
DTSTAMP:20260501T050146
CREATED:20200209T195800Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201002T171218Z
UID:510-1603135800-1603141200@www.leamingtoncafesci.org
SUMMARY:Tracking Environmental Pollution
DESCRIPTION:Profs Bob Lee and John Colbourne \n\n\n\nGlobally\, pollution kills three times more people than AIDS\, malaria and tuberculosis combined\, accounting for one in four deaths in the poorest countries. How can polluters be so destructive in a world that has exceptional scientific capabilities and governed by laws to defend people’s rights to a healthy environment? Professors Robert Lee and John Colbourne argue that laws have not kept pace with scientific developments useful for establishing causation between exposure to pollution and harm\, while science has ignored applications to establish causation between polluters and the victims of pollution. They propose an achievable solution to environmental injustice that is born out of interdisciplinary collaboration and coordination. Both science and law are necessary to achieve environmental justice. Robert Lee is Professor of Environmental Law\, and John Colbourne is Professor of Environmental Genomics at the University of Birmingham.
URL:https://www.leamingtoncafesci.org/event/tracking-environmental-pollution/
LOCATION:On line via Zoom App\, Riverside Walk\, Adelaide Rd\, Leamington Spa\, CV32 5AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Monthly meeting
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR