I'm out of hibernation to let you know that the Pint of Science festival will be upon us all from the 18th May. Combining two of my favourite things - science and beer!
Events are occurring all over the world so have a look to see if there's anything happening in your area.
Last year was a lot of fun so I decided to get involved with the Bristol group again. As you can see, there are a wide-range of topics being covered so there's hopefully something for everyone.
I might be biased but let me draw your attention to some talks I'm involved in this year. I decided to go outside my comfort zone and help with talks not solely focused on biology. Part of the reason for this was that I was jealous of not being able to see talks that caught my attention last year. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like my own field but I often find the other disciplines more curious - especially for general consumption (I'm not a physicist or material scientist!). So by getting involved in the Planet Earth talks, I knew I'd get to see something different.
On Monday 18th May, we have "Extreme Earth", where we have two experts discussing Volcanoes and Earthquakes. Why does molten rock come out of the earth in the first place? Are we any closer to accurately predicting "big" earthquakes? These are just some of the questions the speakers are hoping to answer. No one likes Mondays. so this is the perfect excuse to brighten the day - along with a great excuse to have a drink.
Tuesday's "Really Wild Show" promises to be an eye-opener on many levels. I have to admit I'm not a fan of wasps but it looks like Dr Seirian Sumner may be able to convince me they are anti-heroes if her tease of "Monarchies, Rebellions and wasps with ideas above their station" is any indication of the presentation itself. Then we have a talk that should put Wally/Waldo to shame as Professor Innes Cuthill discusses animal camouflage, how it works and how we can use it for art and military purposes. I've seen some of these slides and they look excellent - I really can't wait to hear them being discussed in full.
The final night on Wednesday is "climate change" - something we hear about a lot but often with a focus on the politics rather than the science. These talks will discuss the science of global warming and how studying previous climate change (the Earth has never been static with regards to climate) can inform future events and uncertainties.
So if you have time next week, we'd be happy to entertain you and if, for some reason, these talks don't win you over feel free to check out some of the other themes and talks on offer. I can see the benefits of mixing and matching topics too!
Plug over, back to getting everything ready.
