Leamington Cafe Scientifique

Vaccine Optimisation Technology
2021-10-18 19:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | St Patricks Irish Club, 4 Adelaide Road, Leamington Spa, CV31 3PW
Dr Phil Gould, Associate Head of School Enterprise and Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Coventry University

Vaccines 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.

The 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.

Dr Gould’s team are focusing on optimising vaccines for a wide range of human and animal vaccines not just those associated with COVID-19.

Clinical Trials: Past, Present and Future
2021-09-20 19:30 - 21:00 | St Patricks Irish Club, 4 Adelaide Road, Leamington Spa, CV31 3PW
Jon Bishop, Senior Biostatistician, Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit, University of Birmingham

Clinical 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.

Building Leaves: How Close Are We to Artificial Photosynthesis?
2021-07-19 19:30 - 20:30
Dr. Sebastian D. Pike, Royal Society University Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick

Dr 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.

Introduction to Quantum Computing
2021-06-21 19:30 - 21:00 | St Patricks Irish Club, 4 Adelaide Road, Leamington Spa, CV31 3PW
Matija Pretnar, University of Ljubljana

We 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.

As 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.

What 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.

This 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.

What is Engineering Education and does it work?
2021-05-17 19:30 - 20:30
Dr Rebecca Broadbent, Teaching Fellow, College of Engineering and Physical Science, Aston University

Engineers 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.

The Climate and Money
2021-04-19 08:00 - 17:00
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.

Learning from Nature: The role of biomimicry in solving problems and developing new products
2021-03-15 19:30 - 20:30
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.

AI in Visual Art
2021-02-15 19:30 - 20:30
Dr Aniko Ekart, Reader in Computer Science, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Aston University

The 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.

Dr 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.

Whatever have glial cells done for us?
2021-01-18 19:30 | Online via Zoom
Prof Nick Dale, Ted Pridgeon Professor of Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences University of Warwick.

Nick 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.

Can we make a realistic and ethical laboratory model of chronic lung infection?”
2020-12-14 19:30 | On line via Zoom App, Riverside Walk, Adelaide Rd, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AH, United Kingdom
Dr Freya Harrison, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick
Freya 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.
Tonight’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.

Biochar - the potential benefits
2020-11-16 19:30
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.

Donna is currently Research Assistant, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University

Brought 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.

Biochar 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.

Tracking Environmental Pollution
2020-10-19 19:30 - 21:00 | On line via Zoom App, Riverside Walk, Adelaide Rd, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AH, United Kingdom
Profs Bob Lee and John Colbourne

Globally, 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.

Funding Research
2020-09-21 19:30 - 21:00 | On line via Zoom App, Riverside Walk, Adelaide Rd, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AH, United Kingdom
Leah Fitzsimmons University of Birmingham

Vitsoe factory visit is postponed (this date is just a placeholder)
2020-09-03 15:30 | Vitsoe, Old Warwick Road, Royal Leamington Spa, CV31 1NT
(this date is just a placeholder)

Visit to the new factory of Vitsoe, featuring outstanding energy efficiency, along with graceful appearance. There’s also an attractive museum of Braun products over the years.

The visit will consist of a brief tour, an explanation of the company and this new building, and Q and A, with refreshments provided by Vitsoe. Parking is available. Proceeds from the ticket price will be donated to Motionhouse, the dance company that uses part of the building for training and rehearsals.

This visit is postponed, we will reschedule when possible

No Meeting in August
2020-08-17 08:00 - 17:00

5G Network pluses and minuses
2020-07-20 19:30 - 21:00
Professor Steve Fergusson
The talk covers the application, technology, safety and politics of 5G networks and the Internet of Things. Potential applications are legion, the technology is awesome, safety issues have spawned criminal actions and the politics have become geopolitical. Many claim that 5G will be the technical basis of future societies and therefore justifies both close scrutiny and restrictions on who can supply. As with any new technology, predictions of its impact and potential benefits are tricky to get right.
There can be little doubt however that its promise of a massive increase in communications capacity is likely to be transformative. Recent events have shown the importance of widely available broadband. Its replacement by near-ubiquitous ultra broadband from 5G could be even more so.
Steve’s career was based in Coventry with the same organisation as it went through changes of name and ownership: GEC, GPT, Marconi, Ericsson. He did extensive overseas travel as he worked on the initiation and design of many transmission products for connecting up the digital telecommunications network. This included work on standards, research, conference presentations, publications and technology scouting. For much of his career he worked with optical fibre systems that form a key part of the internet. His role with Ericsson included work with developers of mobile phone systems and he has retained an interest in that area after retirement. He has been an advisor to banks and various UK government committees and is a Visiting Professor at Aston University in Birmingham.

Toward a zero carbon future. Chris Goodall.
2020-06-15 19:30
Chris Goodall’s recent book, What We Need To Do Now, presents an outline plan for a zero carbon Britain. He looks at energy supply, the food system, heavy industry, clothing and many other parts of the economy. The book tries to show that decarbonisation is both possible and that it can be engineered to benefit the less well-off members of UK society’. More background here

The great wave across Doggerland – how Britain survived the Storrega tsunami.
2020-04-20 19:30 | On line via Zoom App, Riverside Walk, Adelaide Rd, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AH, United Kingdom
Professor Robin Allaby, University of Warwick

The Lost Landmass of Doggerland
The North Sea floor was a landmass until about 8000 years ago called Doggerland, with Mesolithic communities and megafuana roaming freely. Sea levels rose episodically, and eventually tha land disappeared. A key event in this process was a catastrophic tsunami 8150 years ago caused by the Storegga slide off the coast of Norway. It has been believed that this is the event that made Britain an island, but so far evidence for the tsunami has only been found in the North around Scotland and the North Atlantic. As part of a large ERC consortium we are studying the inundation of Doggerland, and at Warwick we are using sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) to reconstruct those lost environments of Doggerland to try to understand what was there, and what happened to it. Excitingly, we have found the first southern evidence of the Storegga tsunami off the coast of East Anglia which shows the sedaDNA traces of the catastrophe, but also that it was not the end previously supposed.

Digital Manufacturing, 3D Printing and robotics.
2020-03-16 19:30 - 21:00 | On line via Zoom App, Riverside Walk, Adelaide Rd, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AH, United Kingdom
Todd Williams, University of Warwick and Printed Electronics Ltd.
Todd Williams has a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA in technological entrepreneurship. He has worked on jet engines for the F22, a structural test lab for the International Space Station, and on business cases for geostationary satellites. He has founded or joined start-ups in aerospace, automotive, software, and now flexible digital manufacturing. Pertinent to tonight’s subject he has worked on many industrial 3D printing projects.
“I will talk about 3D printing, robotics, and design tools, all of it is coming along now, even scanning, however it isn’t quite there yet. In my start-up company (Functional Structures Limited) I am looking to develop a system that will manufacture a simple electronic device in one go; circuit board, wires, connectors, and 3D printed enclosure. This uses 3D printing, digital manufacturing, and robotics to make a complete device in small or large batches. It is the right time to start trying to do these things. The question for me is who would buy them, hence my interest in discussions around the wider market issues.”

Feb 17th. Artificial Intelligence. Dr Peter Lewis; University of Aston.
2020-02-17 19:30 - 21:00 | On line via Zoom App, Riverside Walk, Adelaide Rd, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AH, United Kingdom
We are entering into a world where many of the machines that we are developing, using, and working with on a day-to-day basis behave in ways that we neither understand nor can fully control. The complexity associated with so-called intelligent systems, and how they work, is fast surpassing human understanding, yet this complexity is often where their value lies. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that ‘trust’ has become a hot topic in AI, but what does it mean to trust a machine? Can machines really be trustworthy? How might we make trust decisions, given the nature of machines? And should this be the same as the way humans make decisions when deciding whether to trust other people or animals, or is it more like the informal way we might talk of trusting a car to start on a cold morning? I will construct a thought experiment: ‘what is it like to trust X’, where X may be any of the wide variety of things animate, inanimate, human, animal, vegetable or mineral, that are both found and built by people. I will propose and illustrate an integrated model for trust decisions, and illustrate how it varies between kinds of objects that we might be considering trusting in a particular context.
Peter’s research aims to understand how to create autonomous, socially intelligent systems that perform higher-level cognition like self-awareness. He is interested in where AI meets society, and how to help that relationship work well. Peter has made significant contributions to the field of self-aware computing, including the foundational book Self-aware Computing Systems: An Engineering Approach, in 2016. More broadly, his research is often inspired by biological, social and psychological processes, and has been applied in smart camera networks, interactive music, manufacturing, cloud computing, and IoT. He is Director of the £1.7m Think Beyond Data initiative, which provides an artificial intelligence R&D capability to SMEs across the Midlands of England. Peter also co-founded the software house Beautiful Canoe, a social enterprise whose vision is to develop the technology leaders of the future. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the International Conference on Autonomic Computing and Self-Organizing Systems (ACSOS) and an Associate Editor of IEEE Technology & Society Magazine.

The world of logistics; Professor Ed Sweeney,
2020-01-20 19:30 - 21:00 | On line via Zoom App, Riverside Walk, Adelaide Rd, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AH, United Kingdom
Professor Ed Sweeney, Professor of Logistics and Systems, and Director of the Aston Logistics & Systems Institute at Aston University.
Products and services reach the final user through complex global networks of companies and processes. Economic and societal well-being in the 21st Century is critically dependent on the logistics systems that underpin these supply chains. This lecture introduces the fascinating – but often invisible – world of logistics using a variety of examples to illustrate the key elements. It also explores how the effective application of engineering principles and concepts – particularly design and systems thinking – can help to address some of mega challenges facing logisticians and other supply chain professionals.
Ed Sweeney is Professor of Logistics and Systems, and Director of the Aston Logistics & Systems Institute at Aston University. In this capacity he leads a multidisciplinary group of academics with interests in logistics, transport, supply chain systems and allied fields. Ed was previously Director at the National Institute for Transport and Logistics (NITL), based at the Technological University of Dublin (TUD) in Ireland. He joined NITL in 1998 from the University of Warwick in the UK where he was a lecturer in manufacturing systems engineering at the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) from 1988. Ed has worked and lectured in over 50 countries in Europe, North America and Asia, and has held Visiting Professorships and other part-time positions at several institutions worldwideOpen publish panel
