What’s On for Priory 6

The Week of Monday 27^th February

For the week beginning 27th February Mr Salmon has again selected another wonderful array of events ranging from life without electricity to diamonds and chocolate.  For further information, please see Mr Salmon.

Monday 27^th February

40 Years on from the first Kremer Prize: 6.00pm, Royal Aeronautical Society.  Free and friendly.

John Edgley will discuss and compare the progress that has been made in Human Powered flight in the 40 years since the first Kremer Prize was won by Paul MacCready for the figure of eight flight made by Gossamer Condor. He will look at how current design has developed, and how new materials have made an impact.  https://www.aerosociety.com/events-calendar/40-years-on-from-the-first-kremer-prize/

Tuesday 28^th February

Life Without Electricity: 6.00pm, Gresham College  at the Museum of London.  Free.

Storm Desmond brought unprecedented floods to Lancaster in December 2015 and electricity supplies were cut off and not fully restored for six days. The disruption revealed how dependent on electricity modern city life has become. What happens when power, communications, and transport are all disrupted, when shops cannot function, and when most people cannot find out what is happening? https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/living-without-electricity#Mcm8zXDLCGiRifM0.99

Mind-Altering Drugs in History and Culture: 5.45pm, UCL Chemistry Dept; very friendly.  Good speaker.

Using rarely-seen images drawn from the High Society exhibition he curated at the Wellcome Collection and his accompanying book, Mike Jay will explore the spectrum of mind-altering substances across the globe and throughout history. He will trace the story from the traditional use of plant intoxicants to global trade and the development of pharmacy, and examine how the cultural meaning of ‘drugs’ has been altered in the process

https://www.soci.org/Events/Display-Event?EventCode=SLON280217

Wednesday 1^st March

Magnetic stimulation of the brain – reaching the parts other stimulators cannot reach: 6.30pm, Institute of Physics.  Free, need to book.  Nerves carry signals around the body and can be electrically stimulated for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. However, the brain is difficult to stimulate because of the high electrical resistance of the skull. Magnetic stimulation uses large pulses of magnetic field to induce currents directly in the brain. A UK invention, the technique is now widely used throughout the world. Tony Barker will describe the history of the technique, its physics principles, some clinical applications, and give a practical demonstration.

Mr Salmon took part in research on this as a control subject. It is very weird…

http://www.iop.org/activity/branches/south_east/lse/calendar/index.html#/?i=1

Thursday 2^nd March

Guilty until Innocent….: 6.00pm, Gresham College at the Museum of London.  Free.  May be pretty disturbing. The issue of Shaken Baby or Natural Cause, using a case study involving a bereaved parent, the transformation of a family home into a crime scene, with the pregnant mother facing a murder trial and her baby removed at birth. Exoneration and reunification, despite a jury acquittal, did not happen until the Family Court’s decision. The lecture will explore how such a decision was arrived at and the impact it has had on our understanding of Non Accidental Injury (NAI) versus undiagnosed rickets and Vitamin D deficiency that can mimic gross abuse.  https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/guilty-until-proven-innocent#IJSRrT6BIzjseamf.99

Computing for the future of the planet: 6.30pm, Royal Society. Free.

A challenge is how to use the power of computing to deal with the problems facing the world. In his talk, Professor Andy Hopper will present a framework for the role of computing in dealing with sustainability of the planet. https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2017/03/bakerian-lecture/

Friday 3^rd March

Diamonds and Chocolate: New Volcanic Process Discovered : 6.00pm, Geological Society at Burlington House. Friendly! Kimberlite volcanism. Looks rather technical, but this is how we get diamonds……. Dr Thomas Gernon

http://www.geologistsassociation.org.uk/lectureabstracts.html#march17

Biased science: 7.00pm Royal Institution. Cheap. Four scientists explore the way our brains can be biased without our conscious knowledge and how this affects the world of science. http://www.rigb.org/whats-on