Cheltenham Science Festival 2019 - Neuro-Calendar

Events by date

Tuesday - 4th June

• 11:30 - 12:30, The Huddle – Dementia Friends
  Learn about dementia and some of the ways in which you can help those living with it. This is an informal session featuring activities and discussion.
• 20:30 - 21:30, The Crucible – Making Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side
  Criminal psychologist Julia Shaw takes a fascinating journey into the darker side of the human condition, showing us that the same dispositions that make us capable of heinous crimes may also work to our advantage.
• 20:30 - 21:30, Town Hall, Main Hall – Conspiracy Theories: The Truth Is Out There
  Social psychologists Karen Douglas and Daniel Jolley and presenter Dallas Campbell dive into the fascinating world of conspiracies, as they attempt to unravel the mystery and intrigue surrounding these tall tales.

Wednesday - 5th June

• 14:00 - 15:00, Cheltenham Ladies' College, Parabola Arts Centre – Mastering Memory 
  Ginny Smith looks at how memories are stored, how this process can go wrong and how the brain changes as we age.
• 18:00 - 19:00, Cheltenham Ladies' College, Parabola Arts Centre – Cutting Edge: Defying Dementia
  Alzheimer’s disease specialist Julie Williams and psychiatrist Ivan Koychev discuss the latest breakthroughs and discoveries that are helping to prevent, diagnose and treat dementia more effectively.
• 18:15 - 19:15, Town Hall, Pillar Room – Workplace Bullies
  Psychologist Binna Kandola, journalist Hannah Devlin and scientists and campaigners Emma Chapman and Jess Wade will discuss with Hana Ayoob how to redesign our workplaces for the future.
• 20:30 - 21:30, The Crucible – The Gendered Brain
  Neuroscientist Gina Rippon uses cutting-edge research to unpack the stereotypes that bombard us from our earliest moments, shattering the myths and urging us to move beyond a binary understanding of our brains.

Thursday - 6th June

• 16:00 - 17:00, Town Hall, Main Hall – Nodding Off: The Science Of Sleep
  Consultant neurologist and sleep disorders specialist Guy Leschziner and sleep physiologist Stephanie Romiszewski explore what happens in our nocturnal brains and what role sleep plays in our waking lives with Ginny Smith.
• 19:30 - 20:30, Town Hall, Pillar Room – Borrowed Time: The Science Of Ageing
  Science writer Sue Armstrong and Melrose Stewart, scientific advisor for Channel 4’s Old Peoples Home for 4 year Olds, investigate why age makes our skin wrinkle, why wounds take longer to heal and why words sometimes escape us at crucial moments in conversation.
• 20:45 - 21:45, Helix Theatre – Unconscious Bias: Born Prejudiced?
  Intergroup relations expert Aneeta Rattan and neuroscientist Kris De Meyer discuss the causes and impact of our biases and consider how we might overcome biased attitudes and behaviour in order to move towards a more diverse and inclusive society.

Friday - 7th June

• 13:00 - 14:00, The Huddle – A Very Short Introduction to… Dyslexia
  Outlining strategies and interventions which strive to help people with dyslexia today, Margaret Snowling introduces groundbreaking research that attempts to uncover potential causes and helps understand its effects.
• 15:30 - 16:30, The Crucible – Get Motivated
  Psychologists Ian Taylor and Fuschia Soiros and BBC Breakfast presenter, journalist and triathlete Louise Minchin delve into the fascinating science of success with All in the Mind’s Claudia Hammond.
• 20:45 - 21:45, The Cube – Love Factually
  From the dopamine-fuelled start of a relationship to the companionate love that underpins something more longstanding, join Lliana Bird and Laura Mucha for this nosy-parkers guide to who, how and why we love.

Saturday - 8th June

• 11:45 - 12:45, Cheltenham Ladies' College, Parabola Arts Centre – The Power of Positivity
  Neuroscientist and psychologist Elaine Fox talks to broadcaster Claudia Hammond about the power of positive and negative thinking and considers whether we can teach ourselves to be more emotionally resilient.
• 18:30 - 19:30, Cheltenham Ladies' College, Parabola Arts Centre – The Science of Fate
  Neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow dives into the fascinating world of free will and explores why your future might be more predictable than you think.

Sunday - 9th June

• 10:00 - 11:00, The Huddle – Mental Health Mates: Walk & Talk
  Meet Mental Health Mates for a relaxed and friendly gathering to chat about your experience with mental illness without fear of judgement. You do not have to be diagnosed with a mental health issue to join the walk – everyone is welcome.
• 12:00 - 13:00, Town Hall, Main Hall – Matt Haig: Notes On A Nervous Planet
  After years of anxiety and panic attacks, bestselling author Matt Haig began to look for the link between what he felt and the world around him. He shares his personal reflections on how we can feel happy, human and whole in the twenty-first century with broadcaster Claudia Hammond.
• 14:00 - 15:00, Town Hall, Main Hall – You Got This
  Journalist and campaigner Bryony Gordon and psychologist and body image specialist Phillippa Diedrichs explore what has led to this crisis of confidence and consider how we can improve self-esteem whatever our age with broadcaster Claudia Hammond.
• 16:30 - 17:30, Cheltenham Ladies' College, Parabola Arts Centre – Mental Illness: What's To Blame?
  Considering everything from our online lives to rising poverty rates, writer Matt Haig, mental health researcher Praveetha Patalay and psychologist Suzi Gage explore whether modern life is doing unprecedented damage to our mental health and discuss what can be done to break the cycle.
• 17:30 - 18:30, Helix Theatre - How To Win An Argument
  Broadcaster and comedian Timandra Harkness, presenter of BBC Radio 4 series How To Disagree, joins Academy of Ideas director Claire Fox and psychotherapist Gurpreet Singh as they try to convince you that disagreement is good, we just need better ways to argue.
• 20:00 - 21:00, Town Hall, Main Hall - What's Your Type?
  Merve Emre explores the hidden origins of the Myers Briggs personality tests and their language of extrovert vs. introvert, thinking vs. feeling, which has inspired online dating platforms, Buzzfeed quizzes and job applications alike.