Glasgow Skeptics

In this talk, we will take a look at the science behind films like "The Martian” - in particular, the contingency planning that has been done for long duration space missions between NASA and ESA. This relies on work from the Apollo missions but also draws on wider sources from science fiction and C16 voyages; it will also describe more recent issues that arise when commercial organisations such as SpaceX take the lead in human exploration of the cosmos. About the speaker Professor Chris Johnson is Head of Computing at the University of Glasgow. He has worked with ESA and NASA on mission planning for long duration space flight and, in particular, on strategies for coping with systems failures. He heads the Glasgow Cyber Defence Labs and has more than 200 peer reviewed publications. === Doors at 7.15, kickoff at 7.30 This is event is free to attend, although we will be asking for donations at the end of the talk. Participants are under no obligation whatsoever to donate, however please rest assured that the money we collect doesn't end up in anyone's pocket - it is used to fund our overhead costs, and travel/accommodation for our speakers who come from further afield. === Accessibility: As per the policy of the Admiral Bar, access to the venue “can only be provided to patrons who are sufficiently mobile and capable of independently evacuating premises, or with the minimum of assistance”. Unfortunately, this leaves the basement inaccessible to most wheelchair users.

So we don't have an official Glasgow Skeptics event on this date ... but our friends over in Cafe Scientifique have got something to tickle your fancy instead. The topic this month: Pulsars, Prizes and Physics For more information about Café Scientifique: Visit their website: http://www.gla.ac.uk/events/cafescientifique/ The talk is free - although they do ask for donations Accessibility: The talk is on the top floor of the store. There is a lift available for those unable to use the stairs.

HBO's mini-series Chernobyl recently became the highest rated TV show ever on IMDb, bringing new-found attention and insight into the disaster. But, did they accurately depict the facts, and particularly the after-effects? The Fukushima disaster is also hitting the headlines again now with talk of space for storing radioactive water running out by 2022. In this talk we will take a look at both the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters - and Nuclear energy in general. Let's see how bad (or not) things really are! About the speaker: George is a Lecturer and Researcher in the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment at Glasgow Caledonian University. His teaching and research interests include Renewable Energy, Conventional Energy Sources, Energy in Buildings, Energy Sustainability, Life Cycle Analysis, Energy Systems and the Environment, Quantitative Research Methods. He teaches at various levels ranging from undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD and ProfDoc students and his background is in Physics, Renewable Energy Technology with a PhD in Solar Energy. He is leading the Power and Renewable Energy Systems research group and currently supervises 3 PhD and 1 ProfDoc student. He is a fellow of the higher education academy (FHEA), is involved in various public outreach events such as the Glasgow Science Festival, SmartSTEM, Primary Engineer and Explorathon and is also a science communicator with the STEM ambassador programme and an e-mentor for high school pupils. Twitter - @gloumakis === Doors at 7.15, kickoff at 7.30 This is event is free to attend, although we will be asking for donations at the end of the talk. Participants are under no obligation whatsoever to donate, however please rest assured that the money we collect doesn't end up in anyone's pocket - it is used to fund our overhead costs, and travel/accommodation for our speakers who come from further afield. === Accessibility: As per the policy of the Admiral Bar, access to the venue “can only be provided to patrons who are sufficiently mobile and capable of independently evacuating premises, or with the minimum of assistance”. Unfortunately, this leaves the basement inaccessible to most wheelchair users.

Within the last decade there has been an explosion of new therapeutic options for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The challenge is to identify those patients that will respond to classical drug regimes, and those that need to go directly on to the newer therapeutic options. We will discuss exciting precision medicine research from the University of Glasgow that aims to identify “biomarkers” for the stratification of patients to the treatment that they are most likely to respond to. We aim to remove elements of 'trial and error' from treatment in favour of more precise medicine. * No tickets required ... just show up! About the speaker: Professor Carl Goodyear studied molecular biology at the University of Glasgow and graduated with honours. He then gained a PhD in molecular immunology. Upon completing his PhD, he moved to the US and worked in the Department of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego where he eventually held the position of Assistant Professor. During this period, he was awarded a Cancer Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship, became a National Blood Foundation Scholar, and received several awards including the National Blood Foundation David B. Pall Prize for Innovative Research in Transfusion Medicine and an Arthritis Foundation Investigator Award. In 2006 he was awarded a prestigious Arthritis Research UK Fellowship and returned to work in the UK at the Institute of Infection Immunity and Inflammation in the University of Glasgow. His research is currently focused on understanding immunopathogenesis of disease (i.e., Rheumatoid Arthritis & Osteoarthritis) and translating this knowledge into viable therapeutic agents for patients. He leads a Translational Immunology programme that provides the critical interface between clinical and basic science, with a specific focus on precision medicine. In parallel, he is also the Director of the GLAZgo Discovery Centre, a collaboration between the University of Glasgow and AstraZeneca to drive innovative academic/industry research. Professor Goodyear has published widely in the areas of immunobiology and rheumatology. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in 2016 and is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, University of Newcastle and Visiting Professor at the University of the West of Scotland. === Doors at 7.15, kickoff at 7.30 This is event is free to attend, although we will be asking for donations at the end of the talk. Participants are under no obligation whatsoever to donate, however please rest assured that the money we collect doesn't end up in anyone's pocket - it is used to fund our overhead costs, and travel/accommodation for our speakers who come from further afield. === Accessibility: As per the policy of the Admiral Bar, access to the venue “can only be provided to patrons who are sufficiently mobile and capable of independently evacuating premises, or with the minimum of assistance”. Unfortunately, this leaves the basement inaccessible to most wheelchair users.