Otley Science Festival: AI, Technology Evolution and Ethics - meet the CEO of the British Computer Society Rashik Parmar

We live in a world where computer technology is everywhere, impacting almost every aspect of our lives and this year it seems we can’t escape the latest (r)evolution: “Artificial Intelligence”. But what does it mean, where is technology taking us and who cares about how we get there?

Otley Science Festival: When Antarctica Was Green - with Dame Prof Jane Francis

Although Antarctica is now covered by ice and snow, life was very different during past warm climates 100 million years ago – Antarctica was green.

Fossil plants (leaves, wood, pollen, seeds and flowers) preserved in rocks from Antarctica show that the land was once covered in lush green forests that flourished in warmer climates, even though the continent was over the South Pole. Dinosaurs lived in t he forests, now preserved as fossils.

Otley Science Festival: The Science of the Singing Voice with Prof Dr Helena Daffern

“The Human Voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but it is the most difficult to play” - Richard Strauss.

Every voice is unique . Beyond enabling humans to communicate uniquely through speech, your voice is also a powerful and versatile musical instrument. T o understand how the voice works we must combine knowledge of physiology, acoustics and psychoacoustics (how we perceive acoustic signals based on our hearing system and brain) .

Otley Science Festival: From Grain to Glass, The Science behind Beer – with Ilkley Brewery

An evening of beer exploration. 

Ilkley Brewery has been expertly crafting beer for 15 years, and boasts a team of highly qualified technical brewers. It’s no surprise their beers consistently win national and global awards – there is a lot of science that goes into every drop, as well as passion. 

Otley Science Festival: Science Cafe

Our regular Science Cafe returns once more with a veritable cornucopia of science. 

Each speaker has a quarter of an hour to talk, then you, the audience, take over. Whether you want to grill the speaker about generalities or pose a particular problem, the floor is yours. Our cafe is just the place to sample some new science-and something from the bar!

Students in fulltime education FREE.