Reports, Papers and Other Resources

The Society publishes reports on all of its lectures, some of its visits, selected members papers and suggested reading material in its bookshelf.  These can all be found in date order below.

The Society also published a monthly bulletin, the archive for these can be found here.

 

Meat and Two Veg: How Your Sunday Roast Affects Bowel Cancer Risk. Recent Research on Dietary Iron

A talk presented to the Cirencester Science & Technology Society by Dr Daniel H. Stones BSc, MSc, MRes. PhD, FHEA on the effects of dietary iron on bowel cancer.

 

Joint lecture with Royal Society of Chemistry, speaker selected by RSC

Category: Lecture Reports
  • Date: Wednesday, 13 Mar 2024
  • Dr Daniel H. Stones BSc, MSc, MRes. PhD, FHEA
  • Senior Lecturer in Biosciences, University of Gloucestershire

Hypochlorous acid ….. a drop of hope?

A talk presented to the Cirencester Science & Technology Society by Dr Hugh Martin and Dr Christopher Wise about Hypochlorous Acid and its wonderful antibacterial properties.

Little is known in the popular public domain about this remarkable compound. The lecture will cover the biology and chemistry of Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) -  what it does, how it works; and what its real-life applications are in the fields of human and veterinary medicine, dentistry and healthcare, food production, manufacturing, disinfection, water sanitisation and disaster relief and pose the question as to why it is distressingly largely overlooked by society in favour of patented products.
The presentation will close with a brief introduction to the work of the HOCl Trust in promoting the use of HOCl (especially in the spring of 2020 to have HOCl adopted by hospitals and keyworkers to safely bring the pandemic to an abrupt end) and how everybody can access this extraordinary molecule for use in their homes to reduce their reliance on more toxic and environment-impacting chemicals.
Dr Hugh Martin is an Honorary Fellow of the RAU, a cell biologist at heart whose career spanned many disciplines in agricultural science culminating in becoming the Dean of Agriculture at the RAU. Dr Christopher Wise, a plant pathologist, worked as a plant scientist developing systemic phytosanitary products in both universities and industry and was the chief plant science advisor to the NFU. Both are trustees of the HOCl Trust.
Category: Lecture Reports
  • Date: Wednesday, 14 Feb 2024
  • Dr Hugh Martin and Dr Christopher Wise
  • Honorary Fellow of the RAU, and CSTS Member
Dr. Nigel Wright

Rosetta – Space Mission to a Comet

A talk presented to the Cirencester Science & Technology Society by Dr Nigel Wright, recently retired Programme Manager at Thales Alenia Space UK.

 

The talk discussed the various technical challenges facing the engineering team during the design phase which were driven by its unique journey around the Solar System, and some of the results and discoveries which it gave us.

Category: Lecture Reports
  • Date: Wednesday, 10 Jan 2024
  • Dr. Nigel Wright
  • recently retired Programme Manager at Thales Alenia Space UK

Why does Rudolf have a Shiny Nose?

A talk presented to the Cirencester Science & Technology Society by Professor Chris Budd OBE which explains why Rudolf has a shiny nose, and many other important mysteries relating to Christmas.

The reasons turn out to be mathematical, and therefore obviously true!

Category: Lecture Reports
  • Date: Tuesday, 12 Dec 2023
  • Professor Christopher Budd OBE
  • Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of Bath

The Herschels in Bath - Music, Science and Social Climbing

A talk presented to the Cirencester Science & Technology Society by Dr Michael McEllin, a member of the Society.

In February 1781 William Herschel was a successful musician on the Bath social scene: he was the director of public concerts, teacher, composer of many musical works and earning a respectable £400 per annum. By the end of March 1781 he was famous all over Europe as the discoverer of a new planet---the first since antiquity, and his telescopes were recognised as the best then available.

In 1782 the Royal Society awarded him the Copley Medal and elected him as a Fellow, while the King appointed him as `Court Astronomer' on a Royal Pension.In the following years that he devoted exclusively to astronomy he continued doing important work until his death in 1822, and perhaps most importantly was the first to pose some of the fundamental questions that have dominated the astronomical research agenda until the present day.

Caroline Herschel was born twelve years after William. Her face had been disfigured by smallpox and her early growth stunted by typhus so she was bluntly told by her mother that she was unlikely to marry and her fate was to stay at home and be the domestic drudge. Unlike her siblings she was even prevented from learning music or needlework: there was to be no escape route.

By the early 1780s she was, however, in Bath with William and singing the solo soprano role in Handel’s Messiah. By 1787 she was receiving her own Royal Pension and being treated with the greatest respect by the Astronomer Royal - the first women ever to hold a UK government appointment. As well as acting as her brother's astronomical assistant she is credited with a number of independent discoveries, including five comets, and recognised with major honours from academic bodies as the World’s first professional female astronomer.

Then there is the “forgotten” Herschel, Alexander, who spent most of his life in Bath as a professional musician. Although he never practiced astronomy, Alexander was a mechanical genius who help Herschel to “engineer” his telescopes. Whenever William required particularly fine or delicate mechanical work he said “Leave it till Alexander comes.”When Bath was “out of season” he would spend his holidays in William’s workshop, where he made lenses, turned brass and devised machines to help with mirror grinding.

How could this happen and why was Bath the one place in England where it could happen?

Category: Lecture Reports
  • Date: Wednesday, 8 Nov 2023
  • Dr Michael McEllin
  • CSTS Member

Chasing the Dragon: Moon Power and Tidal Bores

Sir Michael Berry reviews the history of tidal bores, explains why they happen and shares some records from around the world.   He advises us how and when to best enjoy the severn tidal bore.

Category: Lecture Reports
  • Date: Wednesday, 13 Sep 2023
  • Professor Sir Michael Berry FRS FRSE FRSA
  • Melville Wills Professor of Physics (Emeritus), Bristol University

The Hands Free Hectare

A talk delivered to Cirencester Science & Technology Society by Kit Franklin in June 2023.

Kit explains the mission and mechanics of his world-leading small-scale farm machinery automation, and talks about the Hands-Free Hectare, which produced a harvest without humans venturing onto the land.

Category: Lecture Reports
  • Date: Wednesday, 14 Jun 2023
  • Kit Franklin MEng, CEng, MIAgrE
  • Senior Engagement Fellow - Engineering, Harper Adams University

Deep Learning

A talk presented to the Cirencester Science & Technology Society by Professor Chris Budd OBE, on the current state of machine learning and artificial intelligence, weighing up the benefits and risks.

Category: Lecture Reports
  • Date: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
  • Professor Christopher Budd OBE
  • Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of Bath

The Poisons of Agatha Christie

The talk discussed some of the poisons used in the plots of Agatha Christie, as described in Dr. Harkup's book "A is for Arsenic".

Dr. Harkup explained the details of three well-known poisons, Phosphorus, Strychnine and Arsenic, and showed that Agatha Christie's descriptions are accurate and detailed.   At Dr. Harkup's request, only one of the poisons is included in the video.

Category: Lecture Reports
  • Date: Wednesday, 8 Mar 2023
  • Dr Kathryn Harkup

Space Debris

The video of this lecture is in progress

Category: Lecture Reports
  • Date: Wednesday, 8 Feb 2023
  • Al Colebourn
  • Astroscale, Head of Spacecraft Operations