All posts by Sally Perry

Dr Patricia Hunt : ‘The Unique Properties of Water’

Monday 9th March starting at 7pm

The speaker for March will be Dr Patricia Hunt from the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London. Patricia is a Reader in Computational and Theoretical Chemistry with her own Research Group.

She will be talking about ‘The Unique Properties of Water’.

Her talk will be based on a talk she took part in on the Radio 4 programme ‘In Our Time’.

Water has unsuspected properties new to science such as creating 14 different forms of ice.

Dr Robert Fear: Earth’s Aurora and Space Weather

Monday 19th January starting at 7pm

Our first speaker is Dr Robert Fear who is Head of Space Environment Physics Group in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Southampton University.

He will be talking about Earth’s Aurora and Space Weather which has become an important subject because of its effects on the many satellites now orbiting the earth.

His research concentrates on the magnetosphere, ionosphere and the aurora at the poles.

Barry Arnold on Chocolate – Science and Serendipity

Monday 9th June starting at 7pm.

Barry Arnold one of our members will be giving a talk on “The Chocolate Story – Science and Serendipity”.

Barry worked for the Mars Confectionery Company for many years, both in the cocoa plantations and in research and development here in the UK.

He has a detailed knowledge of why so many of us like chocolate and of the scientific approach to understanding its appeal!

[Barry gave a short version of this talk at the Flash Talks in April. Though only a few people came to the April meeting there were some very interesting subjects and a lot of discussion. In fact it was so successful, that four new people who came along, immediately joined the Café and there was a request to repeat the evening.]

Dr. Katrin Deinhardt on Home of memories and more

Our next event is on Monday 12th May starting at 7pm.

It is the European year of the Brain and the British Science Association have made the Brain their theme for May.

The speaker will be Dr. Katrin Deinhardt, Lecturer in Neuroscience, Centre for Biological Sciences, Southampton.

The title for her talk is “Home of memories and more – discovering the wonder world of the healthy brain” Katrin will discuss some general facts and properties of the brain, and of “memory”, and talk about big challenges and recent advances in trying to understand it.

Prof Chris Rhodes: Why bother with Fracking?

Our next event is on Monday 20th January starting at 7pm.

www_ukberri_netThe speaker will be Professor Chris Rhodes who is now an independent consultant dealing with energy and environmental issues.

He came to talk to us before in September 2011 about when the oil runs out.

As always, the talk starts at 7pm and takes place in the Regency Room of the Shanklin Conservative Club.

A donation of at least £3 on the door is requested to cover room hire and speaker costs.