Science & Philosophy Groups
Peter Chapman
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
Every 4th Monday 10 – Noon at The Spaul room, Thomas Clarkson Centre.
What do we do?
The group has been discussing issues in philosophy for over two years.
Some members have followed Bryan Magee’s excellent The Story of Philosophy. However, this book does not cover the most recent phase of the English language and European philosophy, so the newly constituted group is starting to explore these recent ideas and hoping to find a book that will help us with focus and detail. Our own ideas are always in view.
This group is full but there is space in Group 2
Peter Chapman
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
Third Thursday of the month at 1:45pm to 4:15pm (this includes time to set up and clear away the tables and chairs)
We meet in the Spaul Room at the Thomas Clarkson Centre. There is a small fee to cover the cost of room hire.
What do we do?
The philosophy groups focus on the turning points in Western Philosophy from its rise in Ancient Greece to the Present Day. We also work on the assumption that there are branches of philosophy and we try to think about these in turn. We have recently started to think about comparing Western and Eastern philosophy. We use a variety of books. The most recent book we use is: Life – A User’s Manual: Life Advice from the Great Philosophers, by Julian Baggini, Penguin, 2020.
We have space for more members.
For more details please contact Peter the group leader.
John Wilkin
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
Fortnightly lectures restart on Monday’s – see schedule
Please contact John, Group Leader for the Zoom link
What do we do?
Group members tune in to live online lectures organised by CSAR (Cambridge Society for the Application of Research www.csar.org.uk).
Each lecture stands alone and may also be watched after the event via the CSAR video library.
Some members meet online using Zoom immediately after the lectures to discuss the content.
New members welcome.
Talks Coming Up:
- Monday 31st October: Dyslexia, Rhythm, Language and the Developing Brain. By Professor Usha Goswami, CBE FRS FBA, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge
- Monday 14th November: Hydrogen-Electric Propulsion for a Clean Aviation Future by Sergey Kiselev of ZeroAvia. How the combination of water and sunlight or wind, alongside cutting-edge innovation, can fuel our future air travel and save the industry from an existential crisis. In this lecture, Sergey Kiselev will address some of the key engineering challenges that ZeroAvia is addressing to unlock this vital technology to power commercial green flights by 2025.
- Monday 28th November: An Overview of Rolls-Royce SMR. By Tom Peacock: Component Lead, Steam Generator & Heat Exchangers Rolls-Royce SMRA component engineer’s perspective on RR SMR’s power station design that will offer clean, affordable energy for all.
This subject will be of very topical interest, as the government is talking about tackling our energy shortage by building a new nuclear power station each year, and the only way this could be achieved would be by using these SMR’s (small modular reactors).
Graeme Bell
The group organiser details are only available to logged in members
When do we meet?
First Wednesday of the Month from 14.00 to 16.00
We aim to have 9 meetings a year, 3 per term.
Venue: Thomas Clarkson Centre, Fursland Room
What do we do?
New Members very welcome and open to all. We, of course, need presenters who will give talks to our members. But if you just wish to listen to broaden your knowledge, don’t worry. You’re just as important to the Group.
Upcoming talks are:
- September 2023: Fibonacci and the Golden Ratio
- October 2023: Astrophotography
- November 2023: Development of Aero Engines
- December 2023: No meeting
- January 2024: The Pros and Cons of Domestic Heat Pumps
- February 2024: How to Prepare a Weather Forecast
- March 2024: The improbability of Being a Giraffe
- April 2024: No meeting
Details of the Summer term talks will appear later.
This is a group for anyone interested in Science and Technology.
Come along, learn more, make friends and have an entertaining afternoon.
Group members give illustrated presentations on any scientific, mathematical, medical, veterinary, technical or engineering subject thought to be of interest. Related topics e.g. Biographies are welcome.
Talks last about 50 minutes.
You don’t have to be an expert to make a presentation. If a topic takes your fancy, and you are prepared to do some desk research, you will produce something we can all enjoy.
In the past, we’ve had talks on:
- Chemical Bonds
- Diesel Emissions
- Robert Fitzroy
- Bury St Edmunds
- …and much, much more…
The Autumn talks are free; there is no charge for members.
Please contact Graeme, Group Leader for more details.
