Programme

Covers the impact of Artificial Intelligence  and will look at the simpler approaches to Machine Learning.

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Oct 10th

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The global steel industry emits around 2.6bn tonnes CO2 a year, representing 8% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions.   5% of said global steel output is from European producers. As a means of reducing these emissions, in order to limit global warming, the steel industry is undertaking a number of projects to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. One such approach is to substitute fossil fuels with hydrogen.  Earlier this year, Tim visited Ovako Steel in Sweden, to see their recently commissioned 20MW electrolyser plant capable of producing 8 tonnes of hydrogen per 24 hours, using power generated by renewable and nuclear energy. This is used to replace propane gas in Ovako’s re-heat furnaces. At Ovako, the hydrogen is simply used for heating. Tim will also look at methods of producing steel using hydrogen as an alternative to the coke-based blast furnace which, on a global average, emits 1.88t of CO2 for every tonne of steel produced.

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Christmas Lunch at The Findon Manor Hotel, Findon, West Sussex at £35.00 per head.

Bookings to George Woollard on georgec2507@outlook.com

A cluttered and noisy sky.

65 years ago the Soviet Union placed the first satellite in space. There are now around 6,500 satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO), the region up to 2,000 km above the ground, and their deployment is accelerating. 2019 saw the launch of Starlink, a satellite constellation built and launched by SpaceX, a system that on its own could soon have more than 30,000 spacecraft deployed. With other operators we could see up to 300,000 satellites in LEO by the end of this decade.

This is nothing less than a step change in our use of space. And like most paradigm shifts, it will have significant consequences. A key example is how it will affect the science of astronomy and our view of the sky. Some estimates suggest that as many as 1 in 10 ‘stars’ visible could be satellites, and professional and amateur astronomers alike now face significant challenges to our work. As a result our community has mobilised, working at a national, international and global level to tackle a complex problem, and to try to find a balance between the positive results of boosting communications and the impact on the space environment. 

Robert will set out the problem, what it means for scientists and the wider public, and what we can do about it.

The presentation will: · Briefly describe the use of flight simulation by commercial airlines · Introduce the main components of the simulator and identify key differences from military aircraft simulators · Discuss the pros and cons of simulation versus simulation of cockpit avionics · Give a brief history of technology progress in the simulation host computing engine · Give an overview architecture of the Boeing 787 flight simulator · Provide an overview of simulator use in pilot training · Recap the key points ·

Time permitting, present an overview of the small arms training devices which were derived
from aspects of flight simulation technology

The Professor of Behavioural Pharmacology at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London will give a glimpse into his fascinating career studying the effects of drugs on the brain and behaviour.

Ian gained his pharmacy degree in London in the swinging sixties, a time when both recreational and medical interest in the psychotropic effect of drugs was rapidly expanding. With a keen interest in psychology, he was particularly drawn to understanding how drugs influenced behaviour and left the UK to take up an opportunity to study nicotine with a research team at the prestigious Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York), focused on drug effects on learning and memory.

Though highly unfashionable at the time, nicotine and tobacco research is where Ian built much of his global renown. He will share in his presentation how this expertise led to relationships with tobacco companies, and his experience of their underhand dealings in concealing data and corrupting the academic community as the risks of nicotine and tobacco use became apparent.

Ian will also give insights into a lifetime’s research into misused substances, their risks and potential benefits, and how his findings have gone on to influence drug development in the pharmaceutical industry and further understanding of drug dependence.