Category: Science Group

The June 16^th meeting was led by John Tedstone ably supported by Terry Hill. 28 members ventured out on a very warm day.

John’s topical presentation about the current state of our water supplies and the rise in pollution of waterways and the sea due to untreated discharges led to some lively discussions.

Shades of ‘Mrs Merton’s heated debate with participants putting forward a case for or against what the water companies should or should not be doing even if it wasn’t their personal belief.

Discharging into the Trent

Our trip to Magna has been cancelled so we will meet at the John Godber Centre on Friday 21^st July 10am to 11.30 this month

We have a change of room as the main hall is in use – We will be in The Bailey Room (downstairs)

We have a guest speaker- Mr Ian Allen

 Ian is a local expert, photographer and data collector of dragonflies and damselflies which are beautiful, graceful flying wetland creatures, belonging to the Odonata order of insects. They’re incredibly ancient, and date back to prehistoric times when giant versions the size of eagles roamed the skies. We will learn more on the 21st

We will take a summer break in August and reconvene on Friday September 15^th at 10.0am JGC.

David Rose

Bob McEwen led the session essentially around a theme of thinking and problem solving.

Some of the tasks were theoretical thinking problems and Bob also introduced some of a practical nature .Working in small groups we began to use (initially subconsciously) some of the keys to problem solving including:

Communication:  Actively listening to each other: Analysing the problem/situation

Creativity: Dependability: Decision making and the beginning of Team-building

Overall it was an enjoyable, active and fun learning session.

We then watched a short video and a PowerPoint about Brackenhurst College which is now part of Nottingham Trent University. We are making a visit to Brackenhurst on July 21^st for a tour a talk and lunch.

Next Meeting Friday 15^th June 10.am

John Tedstone will be discussing Pollution with a focus on water, rivers and the sea.

This month we considered the life and work of Leohnard Euler.

Born in Switzerland he was a brilliant mathematician, physicist, astronomer, logician, engineer, and music theorist.

He is considered to be one of the greatest mathematicians that ever lived.

He wrote a definitive book on teaching Maths and he believed any man or woman can have perfect numeracy.

An activity followed which involved the solving of some algebra problems with varying degrees of success.

It was good to see the group having a go putting to use dormant maths skills learnt in the past.

We finished with a short video about the re-wilding of wolves in Yellowstone USA.

Friday, April 21^st 2023 meeting

We return to the theme of sustainability with a focus on the fashion/clothing industry.

Is it possible for manufacturers to produce high quality, environmentally friendly and sustainable clothing?

How does reusing and recycling material help to reduce the negative impact of cheap throwaway garments?

More information will be sent to group members before the meeting.

David Rose

The first part of our meeting was led by John Tedstone .

Last year John delivered a presentation on the proposed barrage across the Severn Estuary to produce electrical energy from the power of the tides.  This was followed by lively small group discussions on the advantages and disadvantages of such a scheme.

This month he unveiled the ambitious plan to do similar across The Wash linking Hunstanton in Norfolk to the Costa del Skegness in Lincolnshire.

The last time we thought about this topic:   There were good cases for and against building a barrage for energy supply and security

•BUT – we voted unanimously in favour, even though the natural environment and wildlife could be adversely affected

Our question today was – Do we still think the same? Overall we did as the tides are constant and reliable.

Part 2

In part 2 we looked at how we have contributed to some living things becoming extinct and how we can take steps to save some of our endangered species.

This was concluded with a short video of David Attenborough highlighting things we ought to do to protect habitats and the environment for living things including Homo sapiens.

Next Month Friday 17^th March – 10am John Godber Centre

The life and work of: Leonhard Euler (1707–1783 He was a brilliant mathematician, physicist, astronomer, logician, engineer, and music theorist.

It will include a practical demonstration and a chance for you to try some algebra!

David Rose

At our January meeting we were pleased to welcome two of the academic staff from Nottingham Trent University.

Dr Amy Twigger Holroyd who is an Associate Professor of Fashion and Sustainability in the School of Art & Design. She leads research projects at the intersection of fashion, making, design and sustainability. She also contributes to BA and MA teaching and supervises PhD students.

Dr Katherine Townsend a researcher, educator, practitioner and Professor in Fashion and Textile Practice in the Fashion, Textiles and Knitwear department in the School of Art and Design. She is a PhD supervisor who contributes to postgraduate and undergraduate teaching.

The theme of their presentations was sustainability in fashion and a focus on reusing and reshaping discarded clothing/material. They described some of the research and community projects around reuse and sustainability that they are currently involved in. It was a lively session with lots of interesting questions from the members.

It may be a cliché, but the mantra “buy less and buy better” is key when we consider that a staggering 100 billion garments are being produced globally every year. Before making a purchase, maybe we should ask ourselves three all-important questions:
‘What are you buying and why? What do you really need? Will you wear it at least 30 times?’

Thanks to Christine Vincent for arranging this link with the university.

Friday, 17th February Meeting
John Tedstone will follow up his presentation about the Severn Barrier with a current very ambitious proposal to erect a barrier to produce energy across the Wash.

In part 2, a change of topic when I will go full David Attenborough to consider animal extinction, re wilding and facts about some endangered species.

David Rose