Computing for the future of the planet
Royal Society, London, 2nd MarchWhile computing power has transformed our world, the global population is on course to top 9 billion by 2050—and the future is looking unsustainable. What if machines could be harnessed to reduce our environmental impact? There could be networked sensors around the globe, able to deploy accurate, timely information about resources. And, as with internet shopping, could shifting more of our lives online conserve the planet? Andy Hopper, head of Cambridge University’s Computer Laboratory, delivers this year’s Bakerian lecture, a top-class annual exposition on the physical sciences that dates back to 1775.
British Science Week
Venues countrywide, 10th to 19th March
See science buskers in Reading, learn to make archaeological sketches in Leicester or watch short films inspired by quantum physics in Glasgow—these are the kind of events that take place during the 10-day nationwide fest of British Science Week. Keep an eye out for low-key local events, such as demo days in primary schools, where kids can have hands-on experimental fun. There is also the opportunity to join the citizen science project Penguin Watch, to catalogue pictures of penguins and their habitats. Some places, such as Sheffield and Cambridge, will be holding concurrent science festivals; the former is bound to pull in punters with an event entitled “Brewing Beer: Science, Art or Magic?” If you like your ale, you already know the answer.
Royal Society, London, 2nd MarchWhile computing power has transformed our world, the global population is on course to top 9 billion by 2050—and the future is looking unsustainable. What if machines could be harnessed to reduce our environmental impact? There could be networked sensors around the globe, able to deploy accurate, timely information about resources. And, as with internet shopping, could shifting more of our lives online conserve the planet? Andy Hopper, head of Cambridge University’s Computer Laboratory, delivers this year’s Bakerian lecture, a top-class annual exposition on the physical sciences that dates back to 1775.
British Science Week
Venues countrywide, 10th to 19th March
See science buskers in Reading, learn to make archaeological sketches in Leicester or watch short films inspired by quantum physics in Glasgow—these are the kind of events that take place during the 10-day nationwide fest of British Science Week. Keep an eye out for low-key local events, such as demo days in primary schools, where kids can have hands-on experimental fun. There is also the opportunity to join the citizen science project Penguin Watch, to catalogue pictures of penguins and their habitats. Some places, such as Sheffield and Cambridge, will be holding concurrent science festivals; the former is bound to pull in punters with an event entitled “Brewing Beer: Science, Art or Magic?” If you like your ale, you already know the answer.
