September 2014 talks
These are our three speakers for our next public lecture on 11 September.
Dr Bojan Tamburic
Microalgae are simple photosynthetic organisms that can produce the sustainable fuels of the future as well as next-generation pharmaceuticals – but how does it all work and what are the challenges?
Dr Dominic Hare
We often marvel at the wonders of the human brain, how it can adapt, change, repair and learn. However, for diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, the brain itself just might be its own worst enemy. Modern medicine has extended our lives stretching the brain to the limit and wearing it out from decades of use. A combination of age, our genetic makeup and the world around us all serve to turn the cells within our brain against themselves, and it’s something we just might set ourselves up for when we’re children.
Dr Alison Beavis
Gunshot residue analysis can provide valuable information about whether somebody has recently discharged a firearm. However, concern over the health and environmental impacts of heavy metals has seen an increase in the prevalence of lead free ammunition. This has the potential to compromise the effectiveness of current forensic techniques for gunshot residues analysis which target the metallic components of ammunition such as lead. Methods of analysis that can detect other components of gunshot residues are emerging as necessary alternatives when lead free ammunition is encountered in forensic case work.
