We Won an Award!

2 events, speakers from 4 faculties, working with the national Speakezee live talks launch, the University of Southampton Southampton Science and Engineering Festival and the all number of people involved in ‪#‎Southampton‬'s citywide celebrations of International Women's Week, working with the amazing The Science Room @ The Art House - collaboration was indeed what made this a possibility!

A massive thank-you and congratulations to all were involved and to all those who came to both events!

‪#‎IWD2016‬ ‪#‎seston‬ ‪#‎sciroom‬ ‪#‎sciroomdayandnight‬

Speakezee Events in Southampton

Welcome, welcome, one and all!

On Saturday 12th March there are TWO fantastic Speakezee events happening in Southampton!

During the day, Speakezee+ will be taking place as part of the University of Southampton Science & Engineering Festival - the event is free and especially for secondary students & their families.

In the evening, Speakezee Presents...Southampton! will incorporate three fantastic talks and an intriguing discussion - get your tickets here!

Follow the links or scroll down to posts about the individual events - in the meantime, below are some beautiful posters!

(Don't forget to check out other great International Women's Week events in Southampton here and look to the sidebar for other Speakezee events around the country.) 

#sesoton

Speakezee+ : a unique Southampton event!

Evolution, Vaccination and an Electronic Journey – Researchers Speak to Local Pupils at Southampton Festival

Local secondary school students and their families are to attend talks and discussions on cutting edge research, given by the researchers themselves at the Southampton Science and Engineering Festival on Saturday 12th March at the University of Southampton, Highfield Campus.

As part of a nationwide launch of public lectures and discussions, ‘Speakezee Presents…’ events are taking place all over the country - but only in Southampton is there also a unique event aimed specifically at secondary school pupils, ‘Speakezee+’! 

At each session, running at 12pm and 2pm, three fantastic researchers will engage you in their fascinating work and give an insight into the ups and downs of their personal journeys as scientists. After each talk you will have the opportunity to ask them your questions about science, engineering, what it’s like to be a researcher or whatever you’d like to know!

There will be an introduction from Jess Spurrell, PhD student in cryogenic engineering, showcasing some of her favourite female scientists and engineers throughout history. Then our speakers Dr. Judith Lock, Adriana Wilde and Dr. Mike Head will take over and answer your questions on topics as diverse as evolution, medicine and computer science.

What are the long-term effects of parents on the next generation? How can we better understand behaviour to enhance animal welfare? Why was the MMR vaccine linked to autism? How can computer science take you on a journey across three continents? Can your smartphone be used to help you learn?

Turn up on the day or book tickets for this FREE event via the University of Southampton Science and Engineering Festival website: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/per/university/festival/science-and-engineering-day.page 

The event is being run as part of Southampton’s citywide International Women’s Week celebrations.

The Speakers

 

Dr. Judith Lock

Evolutionary Biology

How do the effects of parental care transmit across the generations? Are good intentions translated to good consequences in the long term? How can we use our knowledge of behavioural ecology to improve animal welfare? These are the sorts questions that drive Judith Lock in her research, which she would like to share with you, along with her personal experiences as a researcher.

Adriana Wilde

No place like HOME… or how did I end up here?  

Let Adriana take you on her personal journey in computer science, that takes you to places in Europe, Australasia and South America! On the way you will see a parallel computer, hear how human activity can be recognised using sensors that your smartphone has, as well as how these are used in learning. A personal account of how women can excel in STEM* – and continue to do so!
 

Dr. Mike Head

Vaccines, and why MMR really doesn’t cause autism

This talk will briefly take you through the evidence surrounding the MMR vaccine, Andrew Wakefield’s fraudulent paper, and the huge amount of research pointing out there is no link there. The MMR vaccine is safe and effective, and here you’ll be introduced to the how’s and why’s around this curiously controversial topic.
 

*STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths

Speakezee Presents...Southampton!

Climate, Colds and Black Holes – Public Lectures Coming to Southampton

Including ‘Where does unconscious bias STEM from?’ – A discussion led by The Science Room

 

Join us for an evening of stimulating talks and friendly discussion – open to all!

As part of a nationwide launch of public lectures and discussions, ‘Speakezee Presents…’ is coming to Southampton on Saturday 12th March at Richard Taunton College. Three fantastic researchers will engage you in their fascinating work and give an insight into the ups and downs of their personal journeys as scientists. 

In the light of the recent excitement over gravitational waves, our featured speaker, Professor Marika Taylor, will present the story of black holes: what evidence we have for their existence, how they form, and what they mean for the future of physics. Taylor studied under Professor Stephen Hawking at Cambridge before coming to Southampton.

Southampton PhD students Natt Day and Lin Haskins will also share their work on the common cold and climate change. Breathing is an essential part of everyday life but it also exposes us to all manner of viruses – what keeps us healthy? What happens when it doesn’t work? Humans are having a profound impact on the environment but climate change debate often loses sight of the underlying physics – how can models helps us better predict the future? Could they help us avoid – or recover from – major climate change?

The evening will finish with a discussion led by The Science Room (usually at the Art House). Join our panel of researchers in discussing unconscious bias and its effect on diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Are STEM subjects really as white, male and straight as they are portrayed? What barriers do female, BAME and LGBTQ scientists have to overcome and why? What are the effects of this on the STEM community and society as a whole?

The event is being run as part of the University of Southampton Science and Engineering Festival and is part of the city’s International Women’s Week celebrations.
 

Tickets are available through eventbrite for £7.50 (£5 concessions) and include light refreshments!
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/speakezee-presents-southampton-climate-colds-black-holes-tickets-22042947048

#sesoton

The Speakers

 

Professor Marika Taylor

Black holes: Unlikely sources of enlightenment

In the last century, black holes have moved from being a disputed idea at the edge of physics to playing a central role in our understanding of the cosmos. They are also thought laboratories that illuminate theories of the fundamental laws of physics, and researchers are busier than ever trying to make sense of what they mean. Marika Taylor will present the story of black holes: what evidence we have for their existence, how they form, and what they mean for the future of physics.
 

Natt Day

An ode to the epithelial barrier: the unsung hero in your fight against the cold 

Breathing is an essential part of everyday life—something we all do without having to think about it. But every single time we breathe in, we run the risk of inhaling a whole host of viruses that can cause us to become ill—but it’s a risk we’re all having to take. So why is it we don’t walk around constantly sniffling/coughing/spluttering from the latest cold we’ve caught? Look no further than our front-line soldier in the fight against the common cold: the epithelial barrier. In this talk, I’ll be exploring how this unsung hero keeps the cold out and what happens when this barrier isn’t strong enough to fight viruses off. 

Lin Haskins

Climate change: Where we are and what models can tell us

Humans are having a profound impact on the environment, resulting in a fascinating array of readjustments and feedbacks. In order to mitigate the most severe consequences we need to understand the underlying science. State of the art computer simulations are used to explore climate dynamics and make predictions about how the earth system may respond to further emissions. However, the climate change “debate” often loses sight of the physics that governs the climate system. Lin Haskins will discuss the role of climate models in predicting future climate patterns, and modelling abrupt climate change events. She will also explore what can be done to prevent, or recover from, major climate change.