̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Chris Smith

Record gift from estate of sound pioneer Ray Dolby

ts657 — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge announced today the gift of £35 million from the estate of Ray Dolby, founder of Dolby Laboratories and its world-renowned Dolby Noise Reduction, Dolby Surround, and successor audio signal processing technologies, which have revolutionised the audio quality of music, motion pictures, and television worldwide.

̽��ֱ��gift to Pembroke College is the largest gift to a Cambridge College in modern times and will make possible the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Court. ̽��ֱ��gift is also the largest single gift so far in the £2 billion fundraising campaign for the ̽��ֱ�� and Colleges of Cambridge that launched in October.

Ray Dolby, who died in 2013 at the age of 80, received his PhD from Cambridge in 1961 as a Marshall Scholar and was a graduate student and Research Fellow at Pembroke College. It was in Cambridge that he met his future wife Dagmar and studied at the ̽��ֱ��’s world-renowned Cavendish Laboratory of Physics.

In 1965, he founded Dolby Laboratories in London and invented the Dolby System, an analog audio encoding system that forever improved the quality of recorded sound. He moved the company in 1976 to San Francisco, where it has been headquartered ever since and where it unveiled its new 16-storey headquarters in September.

Dagmar Dolby said: “ ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge played a pivotal role in Ray’s life, both personally and professionally. At Cambridge, he gained the formative education and insights that contributed greatly to his lifelong groundbreaking creativity, and we also began a wonderful lifetime together there.”

̽��ֱ��Vice-Chancellor, Professor Leszek Borysiewicz, said: “Ray Dolby’s bequest is an eloquent statement of his devotion to the ̽��ֱ�� and all that it meant to him. This gift will create a spectacular setting in which future students will benefit from the ̽��ֱ��’s education and begin to make their own mark in the world of innovation, as Ray did with such notable impact.”

̽��ֱ��Master of Pembroke College, Chris Smith, said: “Pembroke is extraordinarily grateful to Ray and Dagmar Dolby for their generous support for the College’s expansion and all that it will mean to future generations. As our students receive their own formative educations and contemplate the world before them, they could be in no more appropriate setting than the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Court.”

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ��’s current fundraising campaign will focus on Cambridge’s impact on the world and will feed into the dynamic environment of the Cambridge technology cluster, helping to drive innovation and entrepreneurship. More than £590 million has already been raised, including this gift, and 30,000 donors have already given to the campaign.

Other notable gifts by Americans – announced previously – include the following: $27 million (£17.5 million) by Bill and Weslie Janeway for the Faculty of Economics and Pembroke College; and, $25 million (£16.4 million) by Jamie Walters and Dr Mohamed El-Erian for Queens’ College and the Faculty of Economics. Dr El-Erian is Co-Chair of the campaign.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ��'s long history as a catalyst for scientific innovation spans its close links to the Cambridge’s high-tech cluster and to the San Francisco area and Silicon Valley, as Ray Dolby’s legacy demonstrates.

Multi-million pound legacy to create a new 'Ray and Dagmar Dolby Court' at Pembroke College

This gift will create a spectacular setting in which future students will benefit from the ̽��ֱ��’s education and begin to make their own mark in the world of innovation

Vice-Chancellor Professor Leszek Borysiewicz

Pembroke College

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Dr Christopher Smith awarded Society of Biology Science Communication Award

bjb42 — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:33:47 +0000

̽��ֱ��Society of Biology Science Communication Awards recognise and reward communication work carried out by biologists to inform, enthuse and engage the wider community. ̽��ֱ��audiences vary from school children to patients to the general public and projects ranged from written articles to art displays. Overall the judges were looking for a programme of activities that have brought good quality science to non-academic audiences in engaging ways that are likely to foster a lasting interest in biology.

̽��ֱ��award recognises outstanding science communication work conducted by UK biologists, and Dr Smith’s innovative approach secured him the top prize in the established researcher category.

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Science Night Returns to Radio 5 live

gm349 — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:11:26 +0000

Crammed full of all the latest news and developments from the world of science, the three hour programme will be broken down into a Brain Hour, a Space Hour and a Tech Hour and will feature some of the world’s leading scientists.

Brain Hour

Dr Chris speaks to Professor Ruth Ross from the ̽��ֱ�� of Aberdeen who has been pioneering research into the effects of cannabis on the brain including why some of the newer versions of the drug, the so-called ‘super-skunk’, cause psychosis. Plus, UCL brain expert, Professor Eleanor Maguire explains her discovery into how London taxi drivers adapt their brains to pass the Knowledge; and Oxford ̽��ֱ��’s ‘Clock-Doc’, Russell Foster will be talking about how the body clock ticks, why night-workers are at increased risk of developing diseases like cancer and diabetes, and why we get jet-lag.

Space Hour

In the second hour, one of the team behind the Curiosity Mission to Mars will talk about how the ground-breaking project is progressing two weeks on from the landing, and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory scientist Chris Davis will give an insight into his research into the Sun and how its behaviour affects the Earth. ‘Stargazing Live’ Oxford cosmologist Andrew Pontzen will also be along to explain the latest news emerging about the Big Bang theory and what we’re learning about the structure of the universe, and Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� space scientist Dominic Ford will discuss his work on the SKA, the most powerful telescope ever conceived that will enable astronomers to see back almost to the beginning of the Universe.

Tech Hour

For the final hour of the programme, Dr Chris is joined by Michael Macy, a sociologist from Cornell ̽��ֱ��, who has analysed the words in millions of Twitter messages worldwide to assess people’s moods and how they alter across the day and year. One of the team will tap into their musical capabilities with the help of a computer programme created by Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� computer scientist Dr Sam Aaron that allows anyone to make music without having to play an instrument, Birmingham biotechnologist Lynne Macaskie will explain how she’s developing modified micro-organisms that can clean-up radiation around Fukushima, and New York researcher Sheila Nirenberg describes her discovery of the neurological code used by the retina to decode what we see; her results look set to revolutionise retinal implants that can restore sight in some forms of blindness.

In addition to the three themed hours, Dr Chris and the Naked Scientists will be conducting experiments live on-air. Listeners will be treated to finding out: whether it’s possible to power an mp3 player with a pineapple; if there’s a way to get a cork out of a wine bottle without a corkscrew; and why the tone changes when frothing the milk for your coffee.

Commenting on the programme Dr Chris Smith said: “ ̽��ֱ��first Science Night was a big success, we were inundated with calls, texts and emails from listeners who wanted to get involve with the discussion. There are so many exciting developments in science at the moment, it’s great that we can give 5 live listeners access to some of the scientists leading on these ground-breaking projects.”

On commissioning Science Night 2, 5 live Deputy Controller and Commissioning Editor, Jonathan Wall said: “I was delighted with the feedback from our first ever Science Night, the content that Chris and the team covers is fascinating. ̽��ֱ��live experiments really stand out for me, and I’m excited to hear what they’ve come up with this time.”

In the build-up to Science Night 2, 5 live listeners can send in their science questions to chris@thenakedscientists.com, and Dr Chris and the Naked Scientists will try an answer as many as possible during the programme.

Science Night 2 will broadcast on BBC Radio 5 live on Sunday 19 August from 7.00pm.

You can listen to BBC Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra via DAB radio, online at bbc.co.uk/5live, Digital Freeview, Sky, Freesat, Virgin Media and 909 & 693 AM.

Story courtesy BBC 5 live.

Following the huge success of BBC Radio 5 live’s inaugural Science Night last December, the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Dr Chris Smith and his fellow ‘Naked Scientists’ will return to present Science Night 2 on Sunday 19 August from 7.00pm.

There are so many exciting developments in science at the moment, it’s great that we can give 5 live listeners access to some of the scientists leading on these ground-breaking projects.

Dr Chris Smith

Image Ben Valsler

Possible to power an iPod with a Pineapple?

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Dr Chris Smith

bjb42 — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Public engagement with science is top of Dr Chris Smith’s agenda. His trailblazing approach to making scientific issues interesting, interactive and informative to the general public has gained recognition within the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and beyond.

Juggling his full-time role as a clinical virologist based in the ̽��ֱ��’s Department of Pathology, Dr Smith is the founder of ̽��ֱ��Naked Scientists(www.thenakedscientists.com), a media-savvy group of physicians and researchers from the ̽��ֱ�� who use radio, live lectures and the internet to strip science down to its bare essentials, and promote it to the general public. Their award-winning BBC weekly radio programme reaches a potential audience of six million listeners across the east of England, and also has an international following on the web. In addition to the radio show, the group has organised Naked Science at Borders, a public lecture series enabling the community to attend informative presentations given by some of the UK’s most celebrated scientists.

As a recent winner of the Biosciences Federation Science Communication Award, Dr Smith’s vision ‘is to help people enjoy science as much as we do and, at the same time, to have fun.’

Dr Smith’s work with ̽��ֱ��Naked Scientists is well supported by the research sponsors, including a £400K grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for public engagement.

It’s said you always remember a good teacher. Who helped to set you on your academic career path?

When I was at school I had a fantastic chemistry teacher, Mr Pockley, and biology teacher, Mr Lawrence. There you go – I can immediately remember the two people who really set me in the direction of science. They were brilliant because they were encouraging, positive and enthusiastic. Most importantly, when you asked hard questions they didn’t say ‘You don’t need to know that’, they gave you the answer. I think that’s the key because if you’re a curious kid and you get used to having your appetite assuaged then you continue to build on the desire to have more knowledge.

What would others be surprised to learn about you?

Despite appearing very confident on the outside, I am wracked with insecurity all the time. What I mean by that is I’m a worrier. I actually think it’s very useful to be a worrier because you can anticipate what might go wrong and how to get around problems before they arise. It means you can steer a path through obstacles but it does make for a few sleepless nights!

Who or what inspires you?

Brilliant scientists who work really hard, make amazing discoveries and have a good sense of humour at the same time inspire me. ̽��ֱ��best lectures and talks I have attended are those given by speakers who are not only engaging but also funny. ̽��ֱ��ability to capture an audience’s attention and hold them in the palm of your hand is inspiring. This is a quality I’ve always striven to emulate – I don’t think I’m quite there yet. A sign that someone really knows their subject is if they can have fun with it at the same time as educating and entertaining people.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

A very good friend of mine said to me ‘You’re only on this planet once. Life is not a rehearsal.’ Up until then I’d been a ‘try-and-do-everything’ kind of person. I realised that life is too short and that you have to pick and choose a bit. I was finding that decision quite hard to embrace but this advice made me realise that you have to think of yourself rather than what others want you to do, say or believe all the time. That’s when I began to really branch out and do things to make myself and the people I care about happy rather than do what everyone expected me to.

If you could wake up tomorrow with a new skill, what would it be?

To clone myself so there would be enough of me to do all the things that I’d like to achieve. If I could clone myself, I’d also probably win a Nobel Prize, which has its benefits too!

What motivates you to go to work each day?

Quite simply, I love what I do. I’m happy to stay here all night if I have to. I’m very creative and I love making something tangible and real – something to show for what I’ve done. When our radio programme comes together, I know that I’ve done the best job I can, and the number of downloads show that people enjoy it – that’s what does it for me.

What will the future look like in 2050?

I think we’ve probably enjoyed a golden age up until now. We had almost limitless energy in terms of fuels and been relatively free from the terror threat that is looming today. I also think the population has been smaller so the Earth’s had a few more resources to go around. But by 2050 we will have probably reached crunch point and I think the world will be a very restricted place. People will think they are free but in actual fact, we’ll be tied up in bureaucracy, everyone will have an ID tag and people will probably be exterminated for living too long! I think the world is better now than it will be then – I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Public engagement with science is top of Dr Chris Smith's agenda. His trailblazing approach to making scientific issues interesting, interactive and informative to the general public has gained recognition within the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and beyond.

Life is not a rehearsal.

Dr Chris Smith

̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge

Dr Chris Smith

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page.

Yes