Science Club Events - 02/11/2017

Biosciences Science Club Series - Autumn 2017
02 November 2017 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Science communication - How to make it engaging & accurate

Caitlin Fikes

(Associate Editor, Biosphere)

We are delighted to welcome Caitlin Fikes to our Science Club series. Caitlin is a writer and associate editor with the wildlife-science magazine Biosphere.

Abstract

Scientists are increasingly asked to increase outreach activities and engaging the public with stories about their research. However, with today’s instant-communication world oversaturated with snippets and soundbytes that are often not fact-checked or reviewed, it’s more important than ever that scientists know how to tell their own stories in a way that is both accurate and interesting and builds public trust in scientists and their work.

I aim to provide examples and tips how to do so – to empower researchers at any stage in their career to effectively engage an audience through passion, humour, and creativity. This presentation will give tips and pointers of how to turn a scientific article into an engaging story, how to avoid the pitfalls of press releases and would give examples of real-life #scicomm heroes and their keys to success. There will also be enough funny Tweets, comics, and sharks guaranteed to keep any student's attention. 

Hope to see many of you - everyone most welcome to attend!


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

BioMaths Colloquium - 20/10/2017

BioMaths Colloquium Series - 2017/18

20 October 2017 - 3pm Maths Seminar Room

(room 224 Talbot Building 2nd floor)

Patterns, cellular movement and brain tumours

Dr Thomas Woolley

(Department of Mathematics, Cardiff University, UK) 

Our first BioMaths Colloquium Series for the 2017/18 academic year features a seminar by Dr Thomas Woolley from the School of Mathematics at University of Cardiff (UK).


Abstract

I present three pieces of work that illustrate the power of mathematics as a tool for understanding biology. Although the applications appear to be disparate the underlying mathematics is very similar. I begin by looking at theoretical and experimental pattern formation, with emphasis on whisker formation in mice. Here, reaction-diffusion equations are used to provide insights into how the wavelength of the whiskers are controlled. 
   Next, I consider the phenomena of blebbing cells. Initially, I use a diffusion equation to understand the motion of muscle stem cells and illustrate how young cells fundamentally move differently to old cells. This is then extended to include solid mechanics, which allows us to link the structural properties of the cell to their motion. 
   Finally, reaction-diffusion equations are used to understand the formation of brain tumours. Critically, the cells move at different speeds in white and grey matter, including this information can lead to very different migration patterns of the tumours. 

The discussions will continue over biscuits and tea/coffee after the seminar. 

Hope to see many of you!

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 12 October 2017

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2017
12 October 2017 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Potential Oscillators and Keystone Modules in Food Webs

Dr Taku Kadoya

(National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan)

Photo by David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes

We are delighted to be treated to a double seminar today, thanks to Dr Taku Kadoya, researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (Japan). Taku is a quantitative ecologist interested in how the interactions of life histories and behavioral responses of animals with landscape structure determine their abundances and population persistence. Particularly, Taku has a special fondness for dragonflies (Odonata).

Abstract

Food web module theory predicts weak interactions can govern stability by acting as “keystone interactions” that prevent collapse. However, this connection between weak interactions, derived from modular theory, and keystone species, derived from empirical result, is not yet well understood. In this talk, I will show that indeed these two research results are connected by a simple mathematical example and propose a simple framework to pull apart complex whole webs into smaller sub-webs, and to identify where weak interactions may be placed to mediate stability.

Hope to see many of you - everyone most welcome to attend!


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here

Biosciences Seminar Speaker 12 October 2017

Biosciences Seminar Series - Autumn 2017
12 October 2017 - 1pm - Zoology Museum

Embracing variability: The adaptive capacity of aquatic ecosystems

Prof Kevin McCann

(University of Guelph, Canada)

Photo by David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes

We are delighted to welcome Professor Kevin McCann, Professor at the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph (Canada), to start our Biosciences Autumn Seminar Series. Kevin started as a mathematician but then went back to University to train into how to apply mathematics to ecology, which then lead to him becoming now one of the leading researchers on community ecology and food webs (e.g. see here). Research in Kevin's lab focuses currently on understanding the structure and function of food webs, combining theory, lab and field-based approaches. A special focus is on aquatic systems (currently lakes and seagrass food webs), but his research branches out to work with soil, forest and desert food web ecologists.

Abstract

Here, I will discuss variability and the structure of food webs. I will start by arguing that underneath nature's baroque complexity in food webs lies a gross repeatable structure (i.e., a fundamental food web module) that fosters stability through informed individual behavioural responses. With this argument, I then examine how and why this fundamental structure changes empirically in aquatic food webs across spatially and temporally changing conditions. 

Hope to see many of you - everyone most welcome to attend!


For the list of forthcoming seminars see here