Café Scientifique Brighton
science for the sociable
 
Café Scientifique is an international movement

meetings are usually on the Third Tuesday of the month, at 7:30 for 8pm start.
usually at The Quadrant pub, Queens Road (near Clock Tower) BN1 3GJ

Meetings are FREE (although a contribution to expenses is appreciated)



Tuesday July 21st 2009

The Quadrant
Chris Cocking (London Metropolitan University)

“Crowd Behaviour In Emergencies: Don’t Panic!”

Coverage of mass emergencies (such as fires, terrorist attacks etc) is often full of accounts of mass panic. Traditional views of behaviour during such emergencies argue that those affected are prone to selfish and/or irrational behaviour as they flee from danger. However, over 50 years of research into this area has found a much more complex story. Far from mass panic occurring, those affected by emergencies are often co-operative and altruistic towards each other – even when amongst strangers, and/or in life-threatening situations. This talk will try to explain what happens in these situations and why, in psychological terms, as well as the implications this has for how the emergency services manage mass evacuations.

Forthcoming speakers
August, September                                             cafe closed
Tuesday October 20th
The Quadrant

Zoltan Dienes (University of Sussex)

"The Science of Hypnosis"
Tuesday November 17th
The Quadrant

Anil Seth (University of Sussex)

"Consciousness in Humans and Other Animals"

 www.anilseth.com
Tuesday December 8th  2009
The Quadrant

Rob Iliffe (University of Sussex)

“Natural theology: freewill, self-motion and the divine cosmos in the thought of Isaac Newton”

Few people are generally aware that Isaac Newton (1642-1727) believed that his most significant scientific research concerned the relationship between the mind and the body, rather than mathematical physics of the Principia.  By understanding how we moved our own bodies, Newton believed that we could understand both how God had created the world, and also how he intervened in the cosmos on a daily basis.  This private research embraced his early alchemical work as well as later work written up in drafts of the 'Queries' to the various editions of his Opticks.


Tuesday January 19th 2010
The Quadrant

Simon Goodwin (University of Sheffield)

"Are We Alone?  Looking for Life on Other Planets"
February 2010 Brighton Science Festival (date to be advised) Alasdair Beal

"Polymaths - who needs them?"

Polymaths - those brilliant people who range across all kinds of subjects - can be very entertaining but what have they done for science? Are they just dilettanti, 'jacks of all trades but masters of none'? The orthodox view is that real progress comes from the sustained efforts of specialists who concentrate their efforts on a limited area of research in order to make breakthroughs.
Alasdair Beal challenges this view and discusses the achievements of some of history's great polymaths, including the Italian Leonardo da Vinci and the Englishman Thomas Young.

Alasdair Beal is a consulting civil and structural engineer and also former journals editor for the Society for Interdisciplinary Studies.
March 2010 (date to be advised)

Louise Serpell (University of Sussex)

“How proteins change their shape: insights into Alzheimer's disease”

April 2010 (date to be advised)

Philip Moriarty (University of Nottingham)

“Scientific progress and the economic impact fallacy”

  

If you have any enquiries please email: Jim Grozier j.r.grozier@btinternet.com 

previous  topics  (going back to March 2004) click

other interesting local meetings    Philosophy in Pubs  Brighton Lit and Phil   Catalyst Club

last updated July 1st  2009;  maintained by Paul Tofts    www.cafe-scientifique-brighton.org.uk