Professor John McGeehan Director of the Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences in the School of Biological Sciences at Portsmouth University will be talking about “Engineering a Plastic eating enzyme for Plastic Bottles”

This talk is about the latest successful research into the degrading of plastic bottles.

The Regency Suite is above the Conservative Club in Shanklin in Palmerston Road just off the High Street.

The nearest car parks are in Landguard Road and Orchardleigh Road, both only two or three minutes walk to the Conservative Club. Parking is free after 6pm.

As we have to pay a rent for the facilities, we have to ask for a donation of at least £3 on the door to make sure we cover all our expenses. i.e. the rent, cost of speakers’ travel expenses and a meal, plus overnight accommodation if needed.

On Monday 4th June (a week earlier than usual) one of our members – Tanja Rebel – is going to talk about “The Eco-Philosophical Journey”

Up until the 19th century, Natural Philosophy was the term used for the study of nature and it was the birth mother of what we today call science. This talk look at how anthropocentric bias in Philosophy and later Science have contributed to the current Planetary Crisis and conversely how a new form of Philosophy and Science might contribute to the solution. It will visit a number of Eco-philosophical schools of thought – from Ecoholism to Deep Ecology – which started to emerge in the second half of the 20th century and which could help us form a constructive way forward to a more ecocentric worldview.

One question to be raised is whether nature has value in itself. Another is whether scientific solutions can solve our current predicament or whether the answer lies in a change of outlook and life style. Are we ready for a Paradigm Shift?

Eco philosopher
Tanja Rebel is a teacher of Philosophy and Religious Studies with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and a Masters Degree in Ethics, Religion and Society.

Her Dissertation focused on Eco-Philosophy and Global Ethics. Tanja regularly holds talks on Eco-Philosophy at a variety of venues.

Taking place on Monday 14th May (7pm) Professor Craig Storey, Professor of Geology at the University of Portsmouth will present How do continents form?

The surface of Earth is made of oceans and continents, which are formed by different types of rocks.

What can we learn about our planet, life and economic resources from studying the continents? These are some of the questions I will address and discuss.

The Regency Suite is above the Conservative Club in Shanklin in Palmerston Road just off the High Street.

The nearest car parks are in Landguard Road and Orchardleigh Road, both only two or three minutes walk to the Conservative Club. Parking is free after 6pm.

As we have to pay a rent for the facilities, we have to ask for a donation of at least £3 on the door to make sure we cover all our expenses. i.e. the rent, cost of speakers’ travel expenses and a meal, plus overnight accommodation if needed.

The talk on 9th April (7pm) will be by Dr Anna Williams from the School of Applied Sciences at Huddersfield University where she is Principal Enterprise Fellow in Forensic Anthropology and Assistant Director for Forensic Science and Justice.

Dr Williams will be talking about ‘The Need for a Body Farm in the UK’

She spoke at the British Science Association Science Festival last September in Brighton. It was a very interesting talk explaining the advantages of a body farm, and it is not in the least bit ghoulish, but quite scientific. There are no descriptions of decomposing bodies so don’t be afraid to come along.

The Regency Suite is above the Conservative Club in Shanklin in Palmerston Road just off the High Street.

The nearest car parks are in Landguard Road and Orchardleigh Road, both only two or three minutes walk to the Conservative Club. Parking is free after 6pm.

As we have to pay a rent for the facilities, we have to ask for a donation of at least £3 on the door to make sure we cover all our expenses. i.e. the rent, cost of speakers’ travel expenses and a meal, plus overnight accommodation if needed.

The speaker on Monday 12th March (7pm) is Professor Paul White from the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at Southampton University.

He will be talking about ‘The Behaviour of Marine Mammals’, including how they communicate and hunt.

The Regency Suite is above the Conservative Club in Shanklin in Palmerston Road just off the High Street.

The nearest car parks are in Landguard Road and Orchardleigh Road, both only two or three minutes walk to the Conservative Club. Parking is free after 6pm.

As we have to pay a rent for the facilities, we have to ask for a donation of at least £3 on the door to make sure we cover all our expenses. i.e. the rent, cost of speakers’ travel expenses and a meal, plus overnight accommodation if needed.

Monday 12th February starting at 7pm.

Dr Michelle Hale, Head of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Portsmouth University will be talking about the importance of marine phytoplankton in controlling climate change.

She has a lot of pictures from research she has conducted whilst at sea in the Arctic and elsewhere.

Monday 15th January starting at 7pm.

The speaker will be Dr Neil Gostling a Senior Teaching Fellow from the department of Biological Sciences at Southampton University.

His talk is ‘What is Evolution by Natural Selection?’

Neil is an evolutionary-developmental biologist by training and a palaeontologist by research. He has won a Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences Teaching Award and has been shortlisted for a Vice Chancellor Teaching Award.

The Regency Suite is above the Conservative Club in Shanklin in Palmerston Road just off the High Street.

The nearest car parks are in Landguard Road and Orchardleigh Road, both only two or three minutes walk to the Conservative Club. Parking is free after 6pm.

As we have to pay a rent for the facilities, we have to ask for a donation of at least £3 on the door to make sure we cover all our expenses. i.e. the rent, cost of speakers’ travel expenses and a meal, plus overnight accommodation if needed.

On Monday 13th November, starting at 7pm.

Professor Geoff Pilkington heads a brain tumour research centre at Portsmouth University.

He is a professor of cellular and molecular neuro-oncology. His team is working to find new drugs and develop innovative treatments, and ultimately find a cure.

The centre’s pioneering work includes isolating the defective mitochondrial DNA within cancer cells to change their behaviour, to stop them growing and spreading, and to make them less resistant to drugs.

The following talk will be on Monday 15th January 2018 starting at 7pm.

Professor Robert Nicholls of Southampton University in the Department of Engineering and the Environment will be joining us in October.

He will speak on “Engineering to ameliorate the problems of coastal flooding”.

Come and hear him talk and take part in the Q&A on Monday 9th October from 7pm.

The speaker will be Professor Neville Stanton in the Department of Engineering and the Environment at Southampton University you will be speaking about Highly Automative Vehicles (Driverless Cars).

He conducts research into the effects of automation on human tasks which has mainly focused on the development of vehicle automation in road transport.

Much of the initial research has been conducted in a driving simulator, which has subsequently led to test track and on-road trials.

Come along and hear him talk on Monday 25th September 2017 from 7pm.