With concerns in our towns and cities about air quality, as well as the increasing threat of climate change - the shift away from diesel and petrol towards electric vehicles has started. Are they more environmentally friendly? Can our electricity system cope?  Find out the latest developments, and perhaps consider whether you are ready to […]

SpecialEffect is an Oxfordshire-based charity that puts fun and inclusion back into the lives of people with physical disabilities by helping them to play video games and access other forms of leisure technology. By using solutions ranging from modified joypads to eye-control, they create personalised set-ups that enable people to actively take-part to the very […]

Tuesday 27th November 2018* An introduction to fungi and their beneficial use in food, medicine and decision-making, as well as their detrimental impacts as pathogens of plants, animals and people. Then focusing on Aspergillus fumigatus, a decomposer and opportunistic human pathogen, and how the air sampling citizen science project #ScienceSolstice has been used to collect […]

The talk is a light hearted look at some aspects of physics linked to the life of the atomic and quantum physicist Niels Bohr. Ian Adsley was a student at Manchester and Cambridge Universities. Most of his career was spent in R&D with the Coal and Nuclear Industries – during which he won two Queen’s […]

**Unfortunately the talk by Professor Robert Lambourne scheduled for Tuesday 15th January has been postponed and will be rearranged for a future date**   Dr Geof Haigh, Technical Consultant – FiMoS Ltd Ever complained about poor mobile coverage? Ever got irritated when your mobile call drops? Ever been frustrated by slow mobile download speeds? This […]

Astronomy is generally thought of as "looking at the night sky". However, modern astronomy involves observing across the whole of the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma-rays, detecting magnetic fields and high energy particles from space, exploring the planets, asteroids and comets in the solar system, and most recently, measuring gravitational waves. Each of […]

Whether we realise it or not, chemicals are a vital part of our everyday lives. From the weed killer in your shed to the bleach under your sink, even the flavouring in your squash, chemicals are everywhere. With such a large industry it is inevitable that something will go wrong, and when it does it […]

Dr Peter Baker, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) - Gone in 60 Microseconds: The Muon's Journey from Mistaken Identity to Tool of the Sciences The muon is a fundamental particle rather like the electron, but 200 times heavier. This talk will describe its convoluted history, what we now know about the muon, and some of […]

**Unfortunately Mark Jarman is unavailable to speak at this month's Café Sci and Steve Spittle has kindly offered to stand in for Mark**    The space industry is undergoing its 4th revolution, and satellites are at its forefront. With 2,000 live satellites orbiting our world we are now gaining unprecedented information about the Earth around […]

The Evolving Universe - Professor Robert Lambourne This Cafe Scientifique examines our current view of the nature of the physical Universe, and the evolutionary process that enabled it to emerge from the hot, dense conditions of the Big Bang. The speaker, Professor Emeritus Robert Lambourne, directs the public programme in physical science for the Oxford […]

Keeping the lights on at an affordable cost in a low carbon world The costs of producing electricity from renewable energy have been falling rapidly in recent years.  This is good news as we move to a world where we must reduce the CO2 emissions associated with providing the energy services that the world requires […]

Pain and the opioid crisis - a community pharmacist perspective Rosie Adsley gives us an overview of the current treatment of pain and will also look at how the opioid crisis developed in the US and the current situation in the UK Rosie Adsley qualified as a pharmacist in 2008 and completed her PhD entitled […]

Spaceships in Oxfordshire Want to learn about the exciting space innovations taking place here in Oxfordshire? From rocket engines to satellites to applications... come explore with Stephen Ringler of the Satellite Applications Catapult what is going on in the UK Space Sector in 2019 and how it may even be affecting your everyday life.   […]

Translational Optometry: Turning Research Into Treatment In Genetic Eye Disease The first gene therapy for the eye has now been approved by NICE for use in patients. This talk discusses the processes involved in translating therapies developed in the lab into patient clinical trials and ultimately new treatments for patient use. The current gene therapy […]

Fusion Power: The Mission, an Engineer, and the Way Forward Dr Tom Barrett,  UK Atomic Energy Authority, Culham, Oxfordshire 17th December 2019 Fusion power has for decades promised to be humanity’s perfect energy source: safe, clean, abundant, sustainable and dependable as a baseload supply. Investment in experimental facilities has so far been focused on fusion […]

Developing New Tests for Cancer Using Single Molecule Imaging and Artificial Intelligence Dr Benjamin Davis is a machine learning scientist and senior scientific software developer at the STFC Central Laser Facility, Harwell Campus. He is working in a team developing novel single molecule imaging technologies to better understand the behaviour of cells at the molecular […]

Science & Music - Paul Steadman - Tuesday 18th February Ranging from the popular music of Ed Sheeran or Dua Lipa through to Jazz, flamenco to the more classical music of Debussy or Beethoven it is obvious that most people will like some form of music. What is less obvious are the links between music […]

Tuesday 21st April 2020Virtual Cafe Scientifique, 7pm for a 7.30pm start.Dr Rachel Quarrell, from Oxford Cafe Scientifique will be giving a talk on "Repurposing old drugs against new targets: science's flurry of activity against CoVid-19" Dr Rachel Quarrell trained as an organic chemist at the University of Oxford.  She wrote one of the first UK […]

Following on from the success of hosting our monthly Cafe Scientifique online, we are delighted Professor John Zarnecki will be our speaker this month.  Log in details will be emailed through our mailing list. Should you wish to be added to our mailing list please email cafesci@didcotfirst.org Tuesday 19th May 2020 | Professor John Zarnecki […]

"Electric Propulsion to replace Petrol & Diesel Engines in cars" - Transport power from food for people and horses, coal and oil in vehicle engines and electricity in the future. Peter Moss Graduated in Mechanical engineering at Imperial College, Apprenticeship with Rolls Royce, postgraduate study at Cranfield College of Aeronautics, and with British Leyland until […]