Venue: Kirkstyle Hotel, Biggar High St
The Kirkstyle Café, 72 High Street Biggar, 7 for 7.30pm
Our monthly Science Cafés are an extension of the Biggar Science Festival, running on
the 3rd Thursday evening during the winter months. Invited guests will talk or lead
discussions on a wide range of topics from the sciences, technology, engineering and
mathematics. They are aimed at an adult/older teen audience who may be
professionals, students or teachers - or simply people interested in learning more about science.
Mathematics in Action | December 19th
Speaker: Prof. Tim Miller
Maths in engineering, science, history, music and everyday life and even a little philosophy. The aim is to deepen our mathematical roots by reflecting on common applications having varying levels of sophistication.
Will there be another large tsunami in Scotland? | January 16th
Speaker: Millie Bompardm PhD
This talk focuses on the history of the Storegga Slides, a series of large submarine landslides from the Norwegian Continental Margin, and how they have generated destructive tsunamis capable of reaching Scotland. The talk explore the processes responsible, the timing, and potential triggers of these events, and whether it could happen again.
The Trials and Tribulations of Precision Medicine | February 20th
Speaker: Simon Fisher, PhD
It is increasingly possible to collect billions of data points on a person, in particular regarding their genetics. Theoretically, this can be useful in predicting disease and selecting drug treatments. This talk aims to explain what is meant by "precision medicine" explore its potential transformative effect on society, and suggest why we are struggling to translate knowledge to bedside.
Can your DNA make the batteries of the future? | March 20th
Speaker: Davide Michieletto, PhD
Given hundreds of paper clips and a 15 metre rope, would you be able to build a robot? Surprisingly, DNA can do it. Scaled down 10,000 times, 2 meters of DNA are packaged in a cell nucleus, 20 times smaller than the width of your hair. Come find out how DNA has been packaged by life and possible applications in drug delivery and DNA batteries.