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The British Science Festival in Birmingham
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We hope you find lots of events to intrigue, amuse and enlighten you and your family.
For more information about events such as audience level and people taking part click on the name of the event. Where events are bookable through the British Science Association, you can book by clicking on the shopping trolley next to the event entry. Where no shopping cart is shown, click on the event title for more information about how to book.
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THE HISTORY OF ELECTRICITY
14/09/2010 14:00-15:00
cost:
£ 3.00
Venue:
MB550, Aston University
Summary:
Electricity is a huge part of modern life - join us as we explore the significant stages in its discovery. Milestones include the Greek discovery of static electricity, the Chinese discovery of magnets and western discoveries of the interactions of electric currents and magnets. The scene was set for electricity to become an awesome benefit to our way of life.
BIRMINGHAM'S PHYSICS HISTORY
14/09/2010 16:30-18:30
cost:
£ 5.00
Venue:
MB108, Aston University
Summary:
Birmingham has played an interesting role in the history of physics. The physics department at the University of Birmingham under Rudolph Peierls provided much-needed expertise for the Manhattan project which was a precursor for the atomic bomb, while also developing the cavity magnetron, necessary for the development of radar, and later, the microwave oven. Come along and find out more.
PI-HUNTING: THE STORY OF A MATHEMATICAL OBSESSION
15/09/2010 15:00-17:00
cost:
£ 5.00
Venue:
MB518, Aston University
Summary:
Pi occurs in every branch of mathematics, and has fascinated mathematicians of many cultures since antiquity. 2010 is the 400th anniversary of the death of Ludolph van Ceulen, who calculated the first 35 decimal places of pi (and had these digits engraved on his tombstone). Learn how pi was named, and discover fascinating mathematics hidden in the digits of pi.
OUT OF AFRICA
15/09/2010 17:00-18:00
cost:
£ 3.00
Venue:
G11, Aston University
Summary:
Over 2 million years ago pre-humans in Africa had evolved to walk upright but were still essentially ape-like. When brain size and behavioural complexity increased humans came out of Africa. Join the Natural History Museum's Professor Chris Stringer to question some aspects of our evolutionary origins origins including interbreeding between 'archaic' and 'modern' humans.
PHILOSOPHICAL PIRATES: INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE IN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY BIRMINGHAM
16/09/2010 15:00-16:30
cost:
£ 3.00
Venue:
MB146, Aston University
Summary:
Industrial espionage is as old as time and involves the gathering of information about technological processes by deception or theft. Come and find out the piratical side of Birmingham's technological past and how Matthew Boulton and James Watt found themselves in possession of scientific knowledge, and valuable technological information which they wished to keep hidden from industrial spies.
MATTHEW BOULTON'S LEGACY
16/09/2010 17:00-18:45
cost:
£ 5.00
Venue:
MB564, Aston University
Summary:
Matthew Boulton's vision and curiosity helped drive the Industrial Revolution, and have huge relevance today. Come along and find out about his innovations, and investigate how his legacy has developed by exploring modern computer-aided design and manufacture. In 'coins', you can make moulds for chocolate money; in 'candlesticks' we adapt Boulton's silverware designs in laser-cut acrylic.
THE ROYAL SOCIETY AT 350
17/09/2010 13:00-15:00
cost:
£ 5.00
Venue:
MB461, Aston University
Summary:
The Royal Society is the world's oldest scientific society, and is celebrating its 350th anniversary this year. Join us to find out about its history from the early days when Newton and Hooke walked the halls to the present day when it continues to promote the best science and scientists.
IN YOUR DREAMS: SCIENCE AND THE CREATIVE IMAGINATION IN FRANCE (1880-1930)
17/09/2010 14:00-17:00
cost:
free
Venue:
Main Foyer, Muirhead Tower, University of Birmingham
Summary:
A selection of case studies showing how the imagination in France responded to paradigmatic shifts in scientific thinking at the start of the 20th century. From the Decadents to the Surrealists, the tales of Alfred Jarry and Villiers de l'Isle-Adam to Dada filmmaking, new technologies and ways of conceiving the material world, and man's relation to it, inspired fresh concepts of body and mind.
FROM STEIN TO STEINWAY: 200 YEARS OF THE PIANO
17/09/2010 14:10-15:00
cost:
free
Venue:
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
Summary:
How did the pianos of Beethoven's day differ from Chopin's or Rachmaninoff's? International concert pianist Kenneth Hamilton answers this question by presenting and playing Birmingham University's unique collection of historical instruments. Find out how mechanical and musical innovation went hand in hand, and hear a selection of pieces by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninoff.
MATTHEW BOULTON AND THE CELEBRATION OF INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY
17/09/2010 15:15-16:15
cost:
£ 3.00
Venue:
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham
Summary:
Birmingham manufacturer Matthew Boulton was conscious of his role in creating a new industrial society during the Industrial Revolution. His Soho factory was the world's largest when it was built, and with James Watt, he developed and manufactured steam engines. This talk examines Boulton as a contributor to a culture of modernisation which celebrated manufacturing and industrial technology.
THE GEOMETRY OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
17/09/2010 18:30-19:30
cost:
£ 3.00
Venue:
Thinktank Lecture Theatre
Summary:
James Watt pioneered the development of steam power, crucial to the industrial revolution and to the raising of living standards in the UK. His 'parallel motion', a linkage mechanism, was one important technical advance, allowing the force of the engine to act in both push and pull directions. Join us to examine the mathematics of linkages, both from historical and modern perspectives.
ROMANS, THE REGENCY AND THE GRANDFATHER OF SKYSCRAPERS: THE MANY FACES OF SALOP
18/09/2010 09:00-18:30
cost:
£ 3.00
Venue:
Aston University - coach pick up point
Summary:
This fieldtrip shows the varied history and archaeology of Shropshire. Visit Wroxeter Roman City, a tourist attraction for over 100 years; a guided walk at Attingham Park reveals medieval earthworks, the restored 18th century walled garden and traces of the early iron industry. At Ditherington, meet the grandfather of skyscrapers, the world's first metal-framed building. Hard hats provided.
FROM THE DARKNESS TO THE LIGHT
18/09/2010 10:00-16:00
cost:
£ 6.00
Venue:
Aston University - coach pick up point
Summary:
This excursion involves a spectacular boat trip into the limestone mines below Dudley's Castle Hill to witness the impressive workings at the heart of the Industrial Revolution and to hear about the geology and history of this spectacular site. It will also include a tour of the Wrens Nest National Nature Reserve, one of the UK's finest geological sites for fossils.
TOMORROW'S WORLD: PAST PREDICTIONS OF FUTURE TECHNOLOGY
18/09/2010 18:00-20:00
cost:
£ 3.00
Venue:
MB518, Aston University
Summary:
Ovens constructed from wartime radar equipment? Daily commute by gyro-copter? A hidden 'blazing world' behind the North Pole? Explore past visions of future technology, including clips from restored documentaries of the early twentieth century, and examples from Renaissance science fiction. As we unpick the tensions behind these visions, we invite you to submit your own ideas for the future.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE BULLRING: THE ORIGINS OF INDUSTRIAL BIRMINGHAM
19/09/2010 11:00-13:00
cost:
free
Venue:
Meet outside St Martin's Church, Saint Martins Square Birmingham, West Midlands B5 5BB
Summary:
Led by Dr Mike Hodder, Birmingham City Council's Planning Archaeologist, this walking tour takes us away from designer shops and bars to the medieval town, with its church, market, streets, burgage plots and waterways. Explore the mills and water-using industries of the River Rea, and examine how the canalside industries, street grids and town expansion shaped modern Birmingham.
WHY IS THE HUXLEY-WILBERFORCE 'DEBATE' SO WELL KNOWN?
19/09/2010 18:00-20:00
cost:
£ 3.00
Venue:
MB550, Aston University
Summary:
This year is the 150th anniversary of the discussion of Darwin's evolutionary theory between Wilberforce and T.H. Huxley held at our Festival in 1860. Since the late 19th century unhistorical accounts of this event have figured prominently in the polemics surrounding the relationship of science and religion. Explore how these myths were born and are perpetuated today.
THE LUNAR SOCIETY AND ITS RELEVANCE TO THE MODERN WORLD
19/09/2010 18:00-20:00
cost:
£ 3.00
Venue:
MB108, Aston University
Summary:
Author Patricia Fara, of the Department of the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, provides insights into the Lunar Society's achievements. Mohamed M El-Gomati, Professor at the University of York, and Deputy Chair of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation, will discuss the comparable challenges from the perspective of the Muslim world.
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