What we’re about
We are Science in Reading (formerly the Reading Branch of the BSA). We are involved in running, coordinating and promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) events across Reading and the surrounding area.
This group is sponsored by Thames Valley IVC (www.meetup.com/Thames-Valley-IVC). A friendly multi-activity club for graduates, professionals, and like minded people. \
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Reading Cafe Scientifique - Scraping sheep, mad cows & zombie deerZerodegrees Microbrewery & Restaurant Reading, Reading
Links to all the STEAM Groups + Social Media Link Tree
A friendly Science focused group entertaining the local community with the fascinating world of science – events from hands on workshops to engaging talks. Everyone welcome!
Our monthly meetups are held upstairs at Zero Degrees (9 Bridge St, Reading RG1 2LR) from 7pm.
So please do come along, grab a beer/food at the downstairs bar (the mango beer and wood fired pizza are epic) and enjoy a relaxed evening of talks + networking + beers.
7:00pm Arrivals
7:30pm Welcome and Introductions
7:35pm Scraping sheep, mad cows & zombie deer: prion diseases in the 21st century (Professor Patrick Lewis – The Royal Veterinary College)
8:20pm Comfort Break
8:30pm Q&A
9:00pm Networking
9:30pm EndMore Information
Scraping sheep, mad cows & zombie deer: prion diseases in the 21st century (Professor Patrick Lewis – The Royal Veterinary College)The prion diseases, a unique group of brain disorders caused by the spread of sticky lumps of protein, were first brought into the public eye by the Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as “mad cow disease”) epidemic in the 1980s. During the BSE epidemic tens of thousands of cows in the UK developed a fatal brain disorder, which was subsequently transmitted to humans in the form of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease. But prion diseases have been around for many centuries, with sheep, cows, deer, mink and camels all affected.
In this talk, Professor Lewis will cover the fascinating science behind what causes prion diseases, and provide an overview of where our understanding of these disorders stands in the 21st century.
Professor Patrick Lewis is a biochemist and cell biologist based at the Royal Veterinary College in London interested in the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases. For the past 25 years he has worked on Alzheimer’s disease, the prion disorders, and Parkinson’s disease – with most of Professor Lewis’s research focused on Parkinson’s, and in particular the contribution of the LRRK2 gene to neurodegeneration. Over the past ten years he has been increasingly incorporating bioinformatic analyses into these investigations, including protein network and expression data. Professor Lewis was previously a Parkinson’s UK research fellow at UCL, and is currently a Royal Society Industry Fellow with LifeArc technologies.
If you would like to get involved and support your local Science community please get in touch – email: scienceinreading [at] gmail.com or twitter: Science in Reading (@Science_Reading)
Speaking slot availability can be found here.
We meet 1st Tuesday of the month. Format is gathering from 7.00pm with talks commencing at 7.30pm. Talks timings are completely flexible but generally 40-60mins + Q&A with a ~20mins break to encourage social networking.
Contact’s: email: scienceinreading [at] gmail.com or twitter: Science in Reading (@Science_Reading)
