London is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that’s just peanuts to London.
Ok fine, that’s actually Douglas Adams talking about space – but you get the point. London is a big city with a lot going on. To the outsider (and to many insiders) it can feel difficult to really tap into everything that London has to offer. This is why we’ve put together an events calendar for October, featuring a variety of interesting talks and exhibitions – all for £10 or less.
In chronological order…
– On now: The Art of Innovation: From Enlightenment to Dark Matter at the Science Museum. The exhibition looks at the interaction between scientific progress and social change, how machinery has both influenced and threatened the human body, and how art and science have been used as tools that go beyond human senses to capture the unseen. (Free but booking required)
– 2nd October: Faster than Light? With Gresham College. Professor Katherine Blundell OBE explains how the speed of light was first measured, and how an obscure but brilliant patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland by the name of Albert Einstein deduced that the speed of light is the upper speed limit for everything in the Universe. (Free)
– 3rd October: Tell Me The Truth About Life: Cerys Matthews and Michael Morpurgo in Conversation at Foyles Charing Cross Road. Matthews and Morpurgo will open up on the selection of some of this year’s poems, and will lead an evening of readings and discussions showcasing their power and relevance. (£8)
– 3rd October: Have Women Achieved Professional Equality? With Gresham College. Professor Jo Delahunty QC asks what did the Sexual Disqualification Act achieve and what barriers to equality still remain? (Free)
– 4th October: ExMars and the Search for Life at the Natural History Museum. Join Museum planetary scientist Peter Grindrod and discover how the atmosphere and climate of Mars have affected the distribution of water, ultimately controlling the habitability of the red planet. (Free)
– 6th October: How the Moon got its Water at the Natural History Museum. We have known for a while now that there’s water on the Moon, but what we didn’t know was how it got there. (Free)
– From the 7th October: Royal Photographic Society: Science Photographer of the Year at the Science Museum. Discover hidden microscopic worlds and explore the ways in which science affects our daily lives in this exhibition of photographs selected by the Royal Photographic Society. (Free)
– 8th October: The Maths of Future Computing with Gresham College. Professor Chris Budd OBE looks at the types of problems computers can solve, as well as the future possibilities of quantum computing. (Free)
– 9th October: Space Psychology at the Wellcome Collection. 50-years on from the first moon landing, space tourism and missions to Mars are once again on the agenda. Join space psychologist Iya Whiteley to hear how we can prepare individuals for the immense mental challenges of these journeys. (Free)
– 9th October: A Celebration of the BBC National Short Story Award 2019 at Waterstones Tottenham Court Road. Waterstones hosts Lucy Caldwell, Jacqueline Crooks and Tamsin Grey who will be included in this year’s BBC National Short Story Award anthology. (£7)
– 11th October: Decolonising Science at the Science Museum. This one-day workshop will facilitate critical reflection on the connections between science and colonialism. (Free)
– 22nd October: Biometrics: How Unique are You? with Gresham College. How do biometrics help reduce crime and is it possible to have a biometric system yet not broadcast even more personal information than we do now? There are hosts of biometric systems but which ones work and which are little more than guessing? (Free)
– 28th October: Diwali on Trafalgar Square (DOTS). Join thousands of others to celebrate the Hindu, Sikh and Jain festival of lights during Diwali on Trafalgar Square. (Free)
