8th May 2019

Redefining Pain

How a concept, such as pain, is defined shapes what is thought, said and understood about it, and so directly informs how individuals and society respond to it. Jo Etherton from the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences at the University of Essex is a Physiotherapist who has worked with people experiencing complex and persistent pain ‘problems’ in a variety of settings. In this talk she takes her clinical experiences as a point of departure to explore current debate about the how pain is defined and conceptualised in modern health care while touching upon some contemporary pain research and a dash of pain history.

10th April 2019

Deciphering Food Labels

Every day, we make hundreds of decisions about food, based on information we’re told about its quantities: it could be ‘low in calories’ or have ‘20% of your energy needs’. How do we make sense of this information to judge accurately what we’re eating, and whether it is enough or too much? In this talk, Dawn Liu, Postgraduate Research Student from Department of Psychology will discuss experimental findings in how subtle changes in the language of food quantities affect the way we interpret, pay attention to, and evaluate food. Are we making rational and practical food choices, or are we irrationally biased by the way these quantities are presented? Research suggests that we are neither as smart or stupid about food as we might believe.

13th March 2019

Sport – a dress rehearsal for life!

Sport is in many ways, a dress rehearsal for life; be it receiving feedback, learning about one’s roles, responsibilities, obligations, and expectations; developing discipline, organisation, and communication; or experiencing highs and lows, victory and defeat. As a social context capable of impacting others’ rights and wellbeing, sport also represents an important setting for the development of ethical thought and action (Bandura, 1991). However, sport, as of itself may not be a teacher. Instead, sport may simply provide opportunities for teachable moments. It is how we think and act in these moments, that, over time, shape who we are.

In this talk, Dr. John Mills from the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences at the University of Essex will explore some contemporary research around sport and sports coaching, with the view of introducing and highlighting the role sport can play in developing both the person and the player.

13th February 2019

How do bacteria evade antibiotics?

The fight against antibiotic resistance has become one of the most critical global issues in the last years. Resistance is a particular issue with many bacteria, such as Salmonella, possessing a double membrane envelope which is pretty impenetrable to most antibiotic molecules. Bacteria of this type (known as Gram-negative bacteria) have evolved highly-specialised nano-machines called efflux-pumps to expel antibiotics out of the cells. Understanding the structural mechanisms of these nano-machines is crucial for our ability to block their function and for the design of novel and better antibiotic compounds.

Dr Vassiliy Bavro from the School of Biological Sciences at University of Essex, who is actively involved in antimicrobial research, will present some of his latest findings. During this session we will discuss the principal mechanisms involved in antibiotic resistance and the new approaches currently developed to combat them, with a special focus on efflux-pumps.

9th January 2019

Habits:

Can’t Live With Them. Can’t Live Without Them

Professor Sheina Orbell from the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex will explore the scientific basis of habits. Habits are ubiquitous in daily life. It has been estimated that about fifty percent of all the activities a person undertakes in a given day might be considered habits. Habits enable us to get dressed, get to work, or make a cup of tea while thinking about something else. They also explain why we might open the fridge door and reach for the wine as soon as we arrive home, or continue to eat chocolates beyond the point of satiety.

What are habits, and how do our deliberate actions differ from our habituated actions? How do we acquire habits? Why are habits so useful and why are they so very difficult to change? This talk will consider the answers to these questions and provide some tips for harnessing the science of habit to create new habits.

12th December 2018

The Meaning & Value in our Relationships in Uncertain Times:

Has Brexit had an impact on your relationship? – Would a Spanish Flu outbreak change how you feel about your romantic partner?

Dr Veronica Lamarche from the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex will discuss the role relationships play in managing feelings of uncertainty and vulnerability. Whether natural or man-made, the world can sometimes feel like a confusing, and dangerous place. As social creatures, most people rely on close relationships as an important source of meaning and security. But does it work this way for everyone? This talk will draw on experimental findings to explore how a world turned upside down can shift the way some people feel about their close relationships – for better or for worse.

7th November 2018

Why Data Sharing is Good!

Data science improves our world

You may find it annoying that businesses, search engines and social media platforms use what they know about you to send you advertisements. However, did you know that other information or ‘data’ about us (such as census and survey data) can benefit society? In a joint event between Café Scientifique and the Festival of Social Science, Chris Coates, from the UK Data Service at the University of Essex, will look at how researchers use social, economic and population data to gain insights into how we live which can lead to policies that change our lives for the better. When conducted responsibly, this type of research can be a way of making our voices heard, and can help to make a better and fairer society.

10th October 2018

Are we still evolving?

Dr Jordi Paps, Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Essex will consider this tantalizing question. Evolution has produced the current and past diversity of life forms on the planet, including humans. The advent of medicine and technology has changed how humans confront the challenges of the natural world, and the recent developments of genomics and genome editing have pushed further our control over nature and our own biology. Are these technologies nullifying the effect of evolution, or are Humans still evolving? We will try to answer this question and many others during this talk.