Café Scientifique
Café Scientifique is an informal evening of lively discussion revolving around the contemporary scientific issues of the day. Each meeting begins with a short talk from an invited science-related speaker. This is followed by an hour of open discussion. Everyone is welcome to come and express their views, or to just enjoy a drink and listen. No scientific knowledge is assumed and everyone can participate.
Café Scientifique takes place on the first Wednesday of every month at City Screen in York at 7.30pm and has featured a wide variety of subjects from chocolate making to Egyptology.
Forthcoming Cafe Scientifiques
Unfortunately there are currently no Cafe Scientifique events planned for April, May and June whilst Science City York is in the process of recruiting a new events coordinator.
Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. We will keep you updated as to future events.
Previous events
Wednesday 5 March
‘From Field to Fork’
Julian Davies, Stockbridge Technology Centre, discusses developments in horticultural production.Wednesday 5 December
Fighting Malaria with a Medicinal Herb
Dr Maggie Smallwood
Programme Manager
CNAP Artemisia Research Project
Centre for Novel Agricultural Products
Department of Biology, The University of York
Malaria continues to be a global public health problem, killing between one and three million people every year and undermining development in some of world's poorest countries. What's worse, the malarial parasite has become immune to most of the medicines used for treatment. The fight against this deadly disease now largely depends on a drug extracted from the aromatic herb Artemisia.
However, these new medicines are too expensive for many, largely because the Artemisia crop is little changed from its wild and weedy origins and yields of the active ingredient are low. Find out how the latest genetic technologies are being used to fast-track the plant breeding of Artemisia, producing high-yielding, non-genetically modified varieties that will help to make one of the world's most important anti-malaria drugs more affordable to those in need.
Wednesday 7 November
Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine:
Social, economic and ethical considerations
Professor Andrew Webster
Director of the UK Stem Cell Initiative and Head of the Department of Sociology, The University of York
This presentation discusses the latest state of play within the UK and more widely in regard to stem cells research. It looks at the main social science research that is being undertaken in this area and asks what sort of clinical, economic and bioethical implications might the field of embryonic stem cell research have for patients, regulators and citizens more generally. The talk will be of interest to those who want to see beyond the media 'hype' of stem cells research.
Professor Andrew Webster is Director of the UK Stem Cell Initiative funded by the principal social science research council, the ESRC. He is also Head of SATSU and of the Department of Sociology at the University of York.
Wednesday 12 September
Liquid Crystals - lip gloss to LCD televisions
A special cafe as part of the BA festival of Science taking place at the Mansion House
Liquid crystals are found everywhere, from soaps and detergents to flat-screen LCD televisions. Internationally renowned experts from the local region Professor Gray, CBE, FRS, Professor Raynes, FRS and Professor Goodby will take you through the development of liquid crystals and their use in modern-day equipment such as mobile phones, televisions, satellite navigation systems.
Wednesday 4 July
Middle World: A tale of pollen, proteins and Proust…
Dr Mark Haw from the University of Nottingham
On the morning of June 12th 1827, in a house on the corner of Soho Square, central London, a Scots botanist made a discovery that would eventually change our understanding of matter and life. That botanist, Robert Brown, originally intending to study plant pollination, ended up seeing into the heart of matter—and observing one of the secrets of life. So what connects pollen, plastics, proteins, DNA, time, entropy, atoms, Einstein, a suicide in an Italian hotel, a scandalous Parisian affair, nanotechnology, rice pudding, and global stock markets? The answer lies in the ‘middle world’: where matter on a microscopic middle scale, bigger than atoms, smaller than everyday visible objects, is caught in a strange restless dance. That peculiar dance of middle world matter, as first investigated by Robert Brown that summer of 1827, is vital in understanding everything from washing up liquid to proteins. And it may even hold a clue to the daddy of scientific questions: the origin of life.
Wednesday 6 June
Nuclear Fusion: Solution to the Energy Crisis?
Dr Roddy Vann from the University of York
We live today in a world that is short of energy. The Middle East, which supplies most of our oil, is in political turmoil and in any case supplies are running out. In the meantime, the atmosphere has the highest carbon dioxide content since well before the dinosaurs were around, which has lead to noticeable global warming. (Or has it?!) This talk will provide some background on this "energy crisis", and will outline how nuclear fusion (not to be confused with fission!) might provide us with a way out.
Wednesday 2 May
A Wireless City – do we need it?
Darrell Hooper from Science City York
Broadband is becoming a very familiar medium within homes, businesses and schools. Users are now discovering its benefits and potential while they’re out of the home to find directions, information on local services as well as access to the internet and email . As more and more ‘Wi-Fi’ cities emerge, is there demand for free wireless internet access within York’s historic walls? Is technology becoming too invasive in our everyday lives? Come and listen to an industry expert present the pros and cons of outdoor broadband services and add your views to feed the debate.
Wednesday 4 April
Science Horizons
Your chance to tell us what you think, and the sort of future you want.
The Refectory Kings Manor, Exhibition Square (next to the Art Gallery)
Science Horizons is a national series of debates about new technologies, and their likely effect on society and the future as a whole. Scientists, Engineers and other experts across the country will examine which areas of science and technology they think will have the biggest impact in the future in this Government-funded survey. But experts don’t have all the answers. They can’t always predict which particular developments will emerge and they can’t say how such developments will be used by individuals and society. Your contribution to the discussion is highly valued and this event provides an ideal opportunity to make your views count.
During April’s Café Scientifique, a number of speakers from the Environment Department and SATSU from the University of York will lead a discussion on Climate Change and the emergence of New Technologies. Facilitators will record views from people across York and the surrounding area and report their findings to Science Horizons, assisting in compiling a national viewpoint of the future of Science and Technology.
For this special event there is a change of location from the regular Café Scientifique venue and one free drink will be provided for participants.
Wednesday 7 March 2007
The Carbon Challenge
Jayne Lomas BA(Hons) Dip Arch RIBA
English Partnerships
The Carbon Challenge has been launched by Government to accelerate the construction industry’s response to climate change. Jayne will outline what the Carbon Challenge is and discuss how this can be achieved through the creation of zero and near zero carbon communities. These zero carbon developments achieve no net carbon emissions from all energy uses in the home and so the amount of energy taken from the national grid is less than or equal to the amount put back through renewable technologies. How can this contribute to living a truly Sustainable lifestyle and will it affect our standard of living?
Wednesday 7 February 2007
Intelligent Design v Evolution
Dr Simon Hardy from the University of York
There is much evidence that evolution has occurred to give us the diversity we see in nature even if we do not fully understand its mechanisms. But if Natural Selection cannot explain some organ or process, is Intelligent Design a possible alternative as a cause of biological diversity? Should it be taught in school science lessons alongside Evolutionary Theory? Dr Simon Hardy will lead the discussion on what the arguments are for Intelligent Design and why these cannot be tested experimentally, as well as discussing some of the scientific arguments against Intelligent Design.
2006
Wednesday 6 December
People and Animals in the Yorkshire Dales – the long view
Professor Terry O’Connor from the University of York
The cherished landscape of the Yorkshire Dales is in part the outcome of millennia of co-existence between people, their livestock, and populations of wild animals. How much do we know about that long story? Did farming have a significant impact on the fauna of the Dales deep into prehistory? How did animal populations respond to earlier climate changes? The remains of animals found in archaeological deposits in the Dales are yielding a fascinating and often surprising story that shows how different the Dales have been in the past, and which can make a useful contribution to today’s debates about conservation and ‘rewilding’.
Wednesday 1 November
The Physics of Woodwinds
Professor Peter Main from the University of York
All musical instruments are wave generators. The woodwinds generate sound waves in an air column coupled to the atmosphere. What is the source of these waves? How do we control the frequency so we can play in tune? How is it possible to get so many notes out of a little pipe? A comparison of the flute, clarinet, oboe and saxophone shows how each uses the physics of waves in its own distinctive way.
Wednesday 4 October
Tsetse Control: The Role of Science in Development
Dr Martin Warnes from Manchester Grammar School
Dr Warnes will describe the application of scientific method to develop sustainable control of tsetse and African Trypanosomiasis in Zimbabwe. The restraints on development caused by parasitic disease, and the limitations to scientific solutions in the third world, will be discussed.