June 2008
Food for Thought
3 June 2008, 19:00 - 20:30
From fair trade to organic, today’s food fanatics face bewildering choices. Can food be a good deal for producers and for the environment? Should organic status take into account food miles? Consider food sustainability from different perspectives.
Future Visions
4 June 2008, 19:00 - 20:30
Arthur C Clarke’s writings inspired generations of scientists and engineers. But did he and other science fiction writers really influence the science and technology around us? Come along as we look at how science fiction can become science fact.
Sorted Sounds
5 June 2008, 19:00 - 21:00
Is there so much music choice you can’t decide what to listen to? Meet engineers developing new search systems for the music junkie generation. Trial software that ‘X-rays’ music to match your mood, and feed into the development of new software in this interactive evening of sound sorting.
Stolen Identity
10 June 2008, 19:00 - 20:30
Social networking sites are crammed with personal data about us. Can we be confident about sharing our vital stats online? Get clued up about the risks your online identity poses and find out what can be done to protect it.
Water for Life
11 June 2008, 19:00 - 20:30
From droughts to floods, the world is waking up to increasingly frequent water crises. But what does the future hold for this thirsty planet? Join us as we dive into the issue and ask how we should be protecting our most precious resource.
Body Shopping
12 June 2008, 19:00 - 20:30
Has the human body become a commodity? Are transplantation, IVF and medical research turning our tissues, genes and organs into the currency of the future? Join us as author Donna Dickenson explores what’s on sale in the ‘body shop’.
Virtuoso Stress
17 June 2008, 19:00 - 21:00
Musicians experience huge mental and physical stress during performances. Watch engineers monitor classical musicians’ rising blood pressure and heart rates rise as they perform live. And find out how this information can help you with performance anxiety and stress management.
Dinner@Dana: Copying Nature
18 June 2008, 18:30 - 20:30
Imagine if we could hang by one toe from the ceiling like geckos, or create a material with the same patterns as butterfly wings. Jonathan Wood talks about biomimetics and how exploring nature can help us come up with ground-breaking technologies.
Feeling Frisky?
19 June 2008, 19:00 - 20:30
Are human beings naturally faithful? Are women more monogamous than men? Come and find out about the facts behind fidelity and hear how we shape up compared with the rest of the animal kingdom.
Frozen
24 June 2008, 19:00 - 21:00
How does the abused become the abuser? Bryony Lavery's play tells of a mother's loss of her young daughter, and a psychiatrist's efforts to understand the serial rapist who killed her. Watch Fresh Glory Productions perform excerpts from the play and discuss the issues involved.
Building on Quicksand
25 June 2008, 19:00 - 20:30
What would a dramatic shift in climate mean for the cities we live in? Inspired by Superfusionlab’s installation Snow City, we discuss how architects and urban planners could redesign our landscape to react or adapt to extreme changes in tomorrow’s weather.
Crime Scene Crackdown
26 June 2008, 19:00 - 20:30
Visit our ‘crime scene’ as forensic science experts reveal the new and controversial research that could give investigators more clues than ever before. But will it mean a crime-busting breakthrough or a worrying invasion of our privacy?