On 26 May Robert will be delivering the inaugural Bleehen Lecture at the Old Divinity School, St John’s College Cambridge. He will be speaking on The Science of God. The lecture is named after Professor Norman Bleehen who was the first Cancer Research Campaign professor of clinical oncology in the University of Cambridge and a fellow of St. John’s College.
Congratulations to Fern Britton and all the other cyclists accompanying her on her mammoth 1100 mile ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End. There is still time to sponsor Fern who is raising money for the Genesis Research Trust to help fund research into the causes of miscarriage.
Robert will be delivering a public lecture in Newcastle on Thursday 14 May. This is a dual initiative of Newcastle College and the Literary and Philosophical Society with the aim of benefiting the public through facilitating free lectures by leading thinkers. The theme of the current lecture series is “On the Edge”. Please note that the lecture is now fully booked.
We were delighted to hear that Utterly Amazing Science has been shortlisted for the Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize 2015.
The Society awards a prize each year to the best book that communicates science to young people. The prize aims to inspire young people to read about science and promotes the best science writing for the under-14s.
Publishers across the UK submitted their best recent books and an adult shortlisting panel has narrowed down the choice to a shortlist of six.
The winning book will be selected entirely by groups of young people from schools and youth groups around the UK. Each group forms a Judging Panel that looks at all the shortlisted books and chooses a winner.
Read more on the Royal Society’s website.
Imperial College Union Debating Society’s first public debate of the year saw students debate Lord Professor Robert Winston and Bioengineering Senior Lecturer Dr Jennifer Siggers on the motion “This house believes that religion is harmful to the progress of science” in front of a packed lecture theatre. Read more in the College’s newspaper, Felix.
Robert will be delivering the annual Stephenson Lecture at Dartford Grammar School. The lecture, named after the late Head of Science at the school, Dr Brian Stephenson, will be given to around 200 pupils of the school.
Professor Robert Winston talks to James Bezer of Imperial College London’s student newspaper, Felix, about the vote to allow ‘three-parent babies’. Visit the Felix online newspaper to read the full article.
In the next issue, James asked Robert for his views on the role of scientists in Parliament. To read the article in full, visit the Felix website.
Following the Government’s decision to grant a licence for mitochondrial transfer to be used in the hope of preventing mitochondrial disease, Robert spoke with Zeinab Badawi on BBC World’s HARDtalk.
“We are not here to supplant the work of God,” he told HARDtalk.
Lord Winston, a professor of science and society at Imperial College London and an IVF pioneer said: “We are, of course, capable of imitating God. That’s a good thing to do. We use our God-given intelligence to try to avert horrible diseases – that is very different from saying ‘the human is now rather below what we need, we want superhuman,'” he said
“Enhancing humans in my view and in most scientists’ views is not a wise decision,” he added.
Country Life Magazine asked Robert to talk about his favourite painting.
‘Historians suggest that Federico is always painted from the left side because of disfigurement after losing his right eye in combat. The missing bridge of his nose is mysterious – after the injury, did he have the bridge removed surgically, to retain peripheral vision from his left eye for combat? The puzzling kyphosis, the humpback deformity depicted in various portraits, is hardly ever mentioned. Dr Antoni, the New York osteologist, argues this resulted from the weight of his armour. I am grateful to Karen Watts at the Royal Armouries museum who says his chest armour would have weighed around 26kgs; his helmet perhaps 1kg. Quite heavy – but 15th Century armour was carefully fitted being supported most evenly around the body. And painted from the left? Some neuroscientists opine that left dominant portraits are often of individuals unconsciously wishing to show their sensitive side (controlled by the right cranial hemisphere). Perhaps Montefeltro was a bruiser, but he ensured that Urbino be noted for courtesy, refined manners and its civilisation.’
Robert visited York Union for a Q&A with students covering a range of topics from his work in IVF to his views on mitochondrial transfer. To read full coverage of the evening, see the student newspaper, Nouse.