̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Hannah Critchlow

Magdalene College hosts Discovery and Public Perspective debate

hcf38 — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 11:55:52 +0000

These are just some of the questions that will be debated by a panel of Lord Robert Winston, Sally Bridgeland, Dawid Konotey-Ahulu CBE, Dr Hannah Critchlow and Magdalene College Student Outreach Ambassadors at an event on 19 October. Discovery and Public Perspective is being held as part of Magdalene College’s triennial festival, which this year has ‘Perspectives’ as a theme.

“This feels like a really timely discussion, especially during this period of human history dominated by advances in Artificial Intelligence,” said Dr Critchlow.

“We’ve got a fantastic panel of guests who all bring particular experiences and points of view, alongside the Magdalene College Student Outreach Ambassadors.

“I’m really looking forward to a lively debate about the relationship between discovery and perspective”.

More about the panel

Lord Robert Winston is Professor of Science and Society and Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College London. In the 1970s he developed gynaecological surgical techniques that improved fertility treatments. He later pioneered new treatments to improve in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and developed pre-implantation diagnosis. This allowed embryos to be screened for genetic diseases and has allowed parents carrying faulty genes to have children free of illnesses such as cystic fibrosis.

Sally Bridgeland is an actuary with extensive experience in innovation, risk management and responsible investment across investment management and pensions. She was CEO of the BP Pension Scheme in 2007-14 after 20 years with Aon Hewitt working as a consultant and in investment research. Sally’s passion for maths education is evident in her work as a member of the Royal Society’s Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) and as Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board for the Centre for Mathematical Cognition at Loughborough ̽��ֱ��. Sally is an Honorary Group Captain in 601 Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, introducing diverse ideas to the way that the Senior Leadership Team of the RAF think and work.

Dawid Konotey-Ahulu received a CBE in recognition for his work in setting up the 10,000 Black Interns Initiative. ̽��ֱ��award was for services to diversity and inclusion as this initiative seeks to significantly improve the employment chances of talented Black interns across 24 sectors within the UK, including the financial services sector. Dawid, a former barrister and investment banker, also founded Mallowstreet.com, the social media platform connecting the pensions and insurance industry.

Dr Hannah Critchlow is an internationally-acclaimed neuroscientist, broadcaster and author at Magdalene College. Her expertise lies in Consciousness, Intelligence and Decision Making and she has spoken to a number of audiences including government officials, public and business leaders. Her book ̽��ֱ��Science of Fate made ̽��ֱ��Sunday Times Bestseller list, receiving international press coverage and translated into eight languages.

̽��ֱ��Magdalene College Outreach Ambassador Scheme was set up in 2022 with undergraduate students returning to their local primary and secondary schools to deliver interactive sessions on their research and studies to help inspire the next generation.

Registration details

̽��ֱ��event is being held from 17.30 - 18.30 on 19 October at Magdalene College and is open to the public and free to attend. To register, go to the Magdalene College website

How do we balance curiosity, research progression and public concern? How does culture shape the direction of discovery for researchers? How do we increase diversity in research to help future innovation more widely reflect societal needs? And how do the perspectives of young people change whilst at university?

Speakers at the Magdalene College Discovery and Public Perspective debate

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Cambridge researchers at the Hay Festival

Anonymous — Wed, 17 May 2023 08:43:07 +0000

Four Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� academics will speak at the Hay Festival 2023 as part of the Cambridge Series.

A-Level students pick Cambridge brains

ta385 — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 11:12:55 +0000

Nathan Clark, Noel Fombanu and Lydia Rutherford, 17-year-old students from Lodge Park Academy in Corby, spent their Easter break interviewing leading academics about their research to create audio blogs about neuroscience and modern life.

Having tapped into Cambridge Neuroscience’s cutting-edge research, Lydia, Nathan and Noel asked members of the public for their personal views to broaden the debate.

Lydia, who interviewed Professor Trevor Robbins about drug abuse and dependence, said

“We all had preconceptions about what the researchers would be like. However we were all pleasantly surprised; instead of mad scientists who used terms we couldn’t comprehend … They relayed their knowledge in ways that were accessible which made the interviews very relaxed.”

Listen to Lydia’s audio blog below

Nathan, who interviewed Dr Emma Cahill on the topic of memory and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), said

“Memory is a very important subject as it is part of everyday life so therefore affects every-one. It was also interesting to learn about PTSD because now I know how to aid people with similar problems in the future.”

Listen to Nathan’s audio blog below

Noel, who interviewed engineer Dr David Franklin about the role that neuroscience has to play in robotics, said

“Dr Franklin knew a lot about his field and even allowed me to experience some of the machines that he was working on.”

Listen to Noel’s audio blog below

Dr Hannah Critchlow, who develops and runs public engagement projects with members of Cambridge Neuroscience, said

“It was a pleasure to work with these talented students and watch them interrogate my colleagues with such intelligence and confidence. Lydia, Nathan and Noel not only got to grips with complex research but also mastered the art of interviewing – no mean feat. Their blogs are fascinating.”

̽��ֱ��David Ross Educational Trust establishes educational initiatives and supports other organisations to inspire young people to reach their potential.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is committed to widening participation both at the ̽��ֱ�� itself and in higher education more generally. In 2013-14, the collegiate ̽��ֱ�� delivered 4,000 access events which led to almost 200,000 interactions with school learners and teachers. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ��’s widening participation programme includes college and departmental open days, one of the UKs largest residential summer schools, subject masterclasses, Higher Education Taster Days, a student shadowing scheme and school visits.

Is drug addiction hereditary? Why do emotions dominate our earliest memories? Are robots a threat to humanity? These were just some of the thorny questions posed by A-Level students to Cambridge neuroscientists at a recent outreach event organised with the David Ross Educational Trust.

It was a pleasure to work with these talented students and watch them interrogate my colleagues.

Dr Hannah Critchlow, Cambridge Neuroscience

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For image use please see separate credits above.

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