All posts by Simon Perry

Prestigious award brings great pride to Isle of Wight Cafe Sci

Pam Ash, who with her husband John founded and arranges the Isle of Wight Cafe Scientifique events, has been honoured with an highly-prestigious award for her volunteering.

Pam Ash and JohnThe British Science Association (with whom the Island’s Cafe Sci is associated with) issues but one Sir Walter Bodmer Award per year, so receiving it is really is pretty special.

It’s given to recognise the person that is judged to have shown outstanding contribution to volunteering, which after five years to IW Cafe Sci cannot be in doubt.

Pam will receive the actual Award, from Sir Walter Bodmer, at the Volunteers’ Reception at the 2015 British Science Festival, held in Bradford in September this year.

Below is a brief sample of what Pam said on hearing the news of the award. A full write up is also available.

“I really enjoy organising the programme for the Café; thinking up a programme for the year, finding speakers and hearing their talks.

“We now have over 300 members and are an established part of the Island’s cultural scene.”

Well done Pam and John – we hope you’re proud of what you’ve achieved.

Dr Elisabeth Falk: Intriguing Neutrinos: The Deep Secrets of Nature’s Ghosts

Lisa Falk photoDr Elisabeth Falk, Senior Lecturer in Experimental Particle physics (Physics and Astronomy), presented her talk about Neutrinos, one of the fundamental particles which make up the universe – Also, currently, one of the least understood.

Subatomic particles produced by the decay of radioactive elements, Neutrinos are special for many reasons – They have no charge, are incredibly light, travel at near light speed and travel through most other matter.

Following the introduction to what they are, Lisa detailed the challenges of detecting them (she’s been directly involved in these experiments), and the vast equipment that’s used.

Finally she talked about the DUNE project, the next stage in Neutrino detection.

Kind words for Q&A
As ever, Lisa’s talk was followed by a lively Questions and Answers session with the Isle of Wight Cafe Scientifique audience, that she described as “one of the best” she’d had.

Dr Lisa Falk: Presentation

Dr Lisa Falk: Presentation slides
To display full screen, click arrowed-icon on bottom right of panel.

Q&A with the audience

Professor Steve F King – The Standard Models In Particle Physics – 13 April 2015

Prof Steve KingSteve F King, Professor, School of Physics and Astronomy at University of Southampton, presented his ‘The Standard Models In Particle Physics’ talk, taking us all on a voyage back in time across the Universe to start of the Big Bang and the innermost workings of the atom.

After the background on the subject, he went on to discuss the Large Hadron Collider, ‘show us around’ and discuss the Higgs Boson.

Professor Steve F King: Presentation

Professor Steve F King: Presentation slides
To display full screen, click arrowed-icon on bottom right of panel.

Q&A with the audience

Prof Graham Mills – The Fate of Pharmaceutical Residues in the Aquatic Environment

Prof Graham MillsProfessor Graham Mills, Professor of Environmental Chemistry from the Department for Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at Portsmouth University presented about all of the chemicals that can get into water to pollute it.

A thorough introduction in to all of the possibilities, led to how pharmaceuticals that are passed naturally by humans are having measurable effects on fish and other lifeforms in water.

Very interesting. The most obvious take-away – Do not flush old medicines down the toilet, take them to the chemist to dispose of.

Prof Graham Mills: Presentation

Prof Graham Mills: Presentation slides
To display full screen, click arrowed-icon on bottom right of panel.

Q&A with the audience

Tidal Power by Dr Luke Myers

Monday 29th September at 7.00pm

Dr Luke Myers is a Lecturer from the Department for Engineering and the Environment at Southampton University and will be talking about “Tidal Power”.

His research is specifically about free stream tidal energy (much like wind turbines, but underwater) which is challenging especially when water, mechanical components and electricity are involved. What problems have to be overcome to produce effective Tidal Power?

Barry Arnold: The story of Chocolate: Science and Serendipity

Barry Arnold with chocolate slide - June 2014Barry has decades of experience in the chocolate industry and before his retirement, worked as head of cocoa R&D at the Mars Confectionery Company, both in the cocoa plantations and here in the UK.

He gave the Isle of Wight Cafe Scientifique audience the benefit of this considerable knowledge on 9th June 2104 to first run through the origins of chocolate as far back as the 15th century when Aztecs not only drank it as Xocolatl, but also used dried Cocoa beans as currency.

Barry Arnold's cocoa podIts arrival in England is put down to Sir Hans Sloane (of Sloane Square), who collected the beans from Jamaica between the 17th-18th century. He’s also credited with adding milk to drinking it.

The process
Bringing us up to date, Barry detailed the current sources of Cocoa beans and the process of growing, harvesting Cocoa pods, retrieving the beans from their husks and the fermentation process, including the chemical reactions that occur.

Barry Arnold's opened cocoa podDue to concerns with supply, Barry explained that the chocolate industry spent considerable efforts trying to understand the chemistry of chocolate – trying to locate the essence of its scent and flavour. Despite years of research, it still remains a mystery.

Finally Barry touched on Mars Symbioscience, who are using extracts of chocolate, extolling their health benefits.

Barry Arnold: Presentation

Barry Arnold: Presentation slides

Q&A with the audience

Dr. Katrin Deinhardt: Home of memories and more: Discovering the wonder world of the healthy brain

Katrin DeinhardtAs it’s the European year of the Brain, the British Science Association have made the Brain their theme for May.

Dr. Katrin Deinhardt, Lecturer in Neuroscience, Centre for Biological Sciences, Southampton, presented her talk, “Home of memories and more – Discovering the wonder world of the healthy brain”.

Katrin discussed some general facts and properties of the brain, and of “memory”, and spoke about big challenges and recent advances in trying to understand it.

Dr. Katrin Deinhardt: Presentation

Dr. Katrin Deinhardt: Presentation slides

Q&A with the audience