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Running at UCL since 1942, Lunch Hour Lectures are an opportunity for anyone to sample the exceptional research work currently being undertaken at the university. Speakers are drawn from UCL's wide-ranging academic departments and lectures frequently showcase new research and recent academic publications.


Lunch Hour Lectures - Spring 2013

Hear first-hand from some of the UK’s leading coronavirus experts about what it’s been like tackling the virus, treating patients and advising the Government throughout the pandemic - and what we’ve learned along the way.

Hosted by UCL alumna, writer and broadcaster Vivienne Parry OBE, this event is your chance to put your questions to UCL’s researchers, including infectious disease specialists and advisors to the UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

Sign up here: https://bit.ly/CTWSlive 

This event will be recorded for the final episode of Coronavirus: The Whole Story, UCL’s podcast series that looks at the pandemic through the lens of the university’s multi-disciplinary research - from cutting-edge treatments and vaccines, to the impact of the lockdown on schools and our mental health.

Invitation to the LIVE finale panel event - Coronavirus: The Whole Story - 21 July 4PM

In this month’s episode of #MadeAtUCL we’re growing. Join us as we explore three unique perspectives on growth and how it can be both a positive and negative concept. We chat with Dr Michelle Heys and Dr Simbarashe Chimhuya and hear about their technical solution to newborn healthcare, with Dr Philip Pogge Von Strandmann about how we can reduce the growing levels of co2 in the atmosphere, and lastly with Dr Seb Coxon to learn how beards of medieval Germany can help us understand masculinity today.

Find out more and listen to the transcript here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/made-at-ucl/podcasts/s2-ep8-growth

Date of episode recording: 15/07/20
Duration: 36:27
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Cassandra Martin
Guests: Michelle Heys, Simbarashe Chimhuya, Philip Pogge Von Strandmann, Seb Coxon
Producer: Cerys Bradley

#MadeAtUCL Podcasts - Growth

This month we are exploring recovery. As Cassidy has been busy finishing her dissertation, join Cerys as they learn how to recover through stories about long Covid community led research, transformative technology in the NHS, and a memorial garden built by students in the Institute of Education.

With thanks to our guest speakers:

Dr Owain Rhys Hughes is the founder and CEO of Cinapsis. He has over 13 years of experience working as a doctor and he is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Cinapsis SmartReferrals is an NHSX-approved platform that makes it easy for clinicians to communicate and share information to make smarter patient referrals. Currently used by 16 NHS Trusts across the UK, Cinapsis' secure platform gives GPs, paramedics, optometrists and NHS 111 operators immediate access to specialist advice, resulting in more efficient triage, faster decision-making and fewer unnecessary referrals.

Dr Athena Akrami 

Dr Athena Akrami joined the faculty at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, UCL, in October 2018. She obtained her BA in Biomedical Engineering from Tehran Polytechnic (Amirkabir University of Technology) and her PhD in Computational Neuroscience from International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA, Trieste), with Alessandro Treves.  She was a postdoctoral fellow at SISSA where she worked with Mathew Diamond, and then at Princeton University where she was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellow and worked with Carlos Brody on Parametric Working Memory. 

After contracting COVID-19 in March 2020, Athena developed long COVID and was integral in uniting long COVID sufferers and conducting research that has been key for the understanding and treatment of long covid symptoms.

Dr Susan McGrath 

Dr Susan McGrath is an Honorary Fellow of the Centre for Post-14 Education and Work at the Institute of Education.  Her research focus on young people’s decision-making shows how teachers, parents, schools and employers influence education and career choices.  In the wider UCL community, Susan is better known for her work as project lead of the IOE Gardens, including Sarah’s Garden and the Bar Terrace. The gardens make a significant contribution to the UCL Biodiversity Plan and, in keeping with the IOE’s global status, operate as an outdoor classroom with a distinctly international flavour.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/made-at-ucl/podcasts/s2-ep9-recovery

Date of episode recording: 15/08/20
Duration: 30:51
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Cassandra Martin
Guests: Owain Rhys Hughes, Athena Akrami, Susan McGrath 
Producer: Cerys Bradley

Our Names Engraved by Duck Lake

#MadeatUCLPodcasts - Recovery

This month's episode is about awareness and the activism it can lead to. Join us as we talk to three members of the UCL community who are making meaningful change to combat the problems they have been confronted by. Cassidy spoke with Hope Oloye, a PhD student whose programme Thinking Black is breaking down barriers to higher education, Virginie Le Masson, a geographer working with women across the world to understand the impacts of climate change through a feminist lens, and Emilia Molimpakis, a neuroscientist and entrepreneur who is revolutionising mental health care. 


For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/made-at-ucl/podcasts/s2-ep10-awareness-and-activism 

Music Credits: 

Basketliner by Bitters 
Sorry Linus by Limoncello  
The Onyx by Glass Obelisk

Date of episode recording: 15/09/20
Duration: 32:42
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Cassandra Martin
Guests: Hope Oloye, Virginie Le Masson, Emilia Molimpakis 
Producer: Cerys Bradley

#MadeAt UCL Podcasts - Awareness And Activism

Date: 26 October 2021
Speaker: Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at UCL Geography Department

About the UCL lunch hour lecture:
Climate change is the most critical and controversial issue facing the world in the twenty-first century. Everyone agrees we must keep global warming to under 2˚C, and under 1.5˚C if possible. But how can we do this while dealing with the other great challenges of our age: global poverty, population growth, environmental degradation and global security. COP26 in Glasgow is almost upon us and Prof. Maslin shows us how we can save our Planet from climate change while improving everyone’s lives.

This event is part of UCL’s climate campaign ‘Generation One’.  Together we are the new generation taking responsibility for climate action and turning science into actionable ideas. 
Join our new era of climate action at ucl.ac.uk/generation-one

How To Save Our Planet

We’re back for the second episode of Generation One: The Climate Podcast and this week we’re behind the scenes at COP26 in Glasgow.  

Our hosts Matt Winning and Mark Maslin recorded on the run, live from COP to catch guests in the hubbub of the main areas of the conference. Tune in to experience a slice of COP from a whole host of guests and hear them chat about everything from the wins at COP so far, melting ice caps, to sinking islands, to the amount of coffee at the conference... 

For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/podcast

To get involved and pledge your action visit: www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/generation-one 

We’ll see you next week as we discuss what happens after COP26.

Date of episode recording: 03/11/21
Duration: 27:33
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Helen Czerski, Matt Winning, Mark Maslin
Guests: Jhenelle Williams, Robbie Mallet, Angelica Johansson, Christoph McGlade, Jim Watson, Gary Faulds
Producer: Adam Batstone

Behind the scenes at COP26

This week we are talking COP26: what happened, what it means and where we go from here. Join our hosts Helen Czerski and Mark Maslin in conversation with Prof Kate Jones, Dr Priti Parikh and Ryan Phillip from the St Kitts and Nevis delegation, and they are discussing the COP agreement, what was missed, the big wins and the big misses.  

Helen and our guests cover the main takeaways from COP from deforestation to adaptation, loss and mitigation. We get into who was left out of COP, the impacts on the Small Island Alliance and the problem of western countries causing damage and expecting others to fix it.  

For more information and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/podcast

To get involved and pledge your action visit: www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/generation-one

Date of episode recording: 10/11/21
Duration: 28:48
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Helen Czerski, Matt Winning, Mark Maslin
Guests: Prof Kate Jones, Dr Priti Parikh and Ryan Phillip
Producer: Adam Batstone

UCL Generation One

Post COP26: Where are we now?

Does the earth have to be a fashion victim? This week host Mark Maslin chats with Juliet Russell, Head of Sustainability at Stella McCartney and Max Bittner, CEO of Vestiaire Collective about all things fashion.  

 We’re discussing the fashion industry, from greenwashing to fast fashion and how you can shop more consciously. Join Juliet Russell and Max Bittner as they discuss the current problems in the industry and what needs to change.   

For more information on Generation One and to access the transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-change/podcast

Date of episode recording: 19/11/21
Duration: 29:40
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Helen Czerski, Matt Winning, Mark Maslin
Guests: Max Bittner, Juliet Russell
Producer: Adam Batstone

BCC Generaton One

Does the earth have to be a fashion victim?

UKCTOCS (UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening) is one of the largest screening trials in ovarian cancer. More than 200,000 women from England, Wales and Northern Ireland took part in it, and it ran for almost two decades. Designing and running such a large and lengthy trial came with its own challenges. In this episode, Professor Usha Menon discusses the key challenges that UKCTOCS faced in its design, conduct an analysis, and how the team addressed them.

Further information is available on the UKCTOCS website at https://ukctocs.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/
Listen to the episode about the UKCTOCS trial results at https://bit.ly/48pK94J
For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk
For more information and to access the transcript: https://bit.ly/45XRyWT
As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g

Lessons from UKCTOCS, a large-scale trial in ovarian cancer screening

Lunch Hour Lectures - Spring 2013

Dr Sue Black, Senior Research Associate, UCL Department of Computer Science

Bletchley Park is the historic site of secret British codebreaking activities during World War II and the work carried out there by Alan Turing and others led to the birth of the modern computer. How did we get from Bletchley Park to modern software engineering? Dr Black discusses how the use of social media can leverage capability in very diverse areas, from campaigning for a historical site to improving the quality of software.

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the world's top universities. Across all disciplines our faculties are known for their research-intensive approaches, academic excellence and engagement with global challenges. This is the basis of our world-renowned degree programmes. Visit us at ucl.ac.uk.

From Bletchley Park to modern computing: the value of Twitter (8 Jan 2013)

Lunch Hour Lectures - Spring 2013

Prof Richard Dennis, Professor of Human Geography, UCL Geography

The world’s first underground railway, the Metropolitan, steam-powered and running underneath Euston Road, opened in January 1863. The early history of underground travel in London was beset by the problems of asphyxiation, inadequate lighting, accidents, explosions and crime; countered by the opportunities for improved connectivity, speed and intimacy. This lecture will focus on the 19th and early 20th century history of the Underground, as seen through the lens of UCL’s local station.

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UCL is consistently ranked as one of the world's top universities. Across all disciplines our faculties are known for their research-intensive approaches, academic excellence and engagement with global challenges. This is the basis of our world-renowned degree programmes. Visit us at ucl.ac.uk.

Gower Street to Euston Square: A local history of the Underground (15 Jan 2013)

Prof Iwan Morgan, Professor of United States Studies, UCL Institute of the Americas

Barack Obama won a second term as US president with the support of women, the young, blue collars, African Americans and Latinos. The Republicans, in contrast, retained the support of their habitual white base that is mainly middle aged and older and largely Protestant, in essence representing America's demographic past. The United States remains a politically polarized nation. The Republican party's control of the House of Representatives still enables it to block many of the president's initiatives and as a consequence, Prof Iwan will argue that it is difficult to see the United States making great progress in the next four years towards solving its fiscal and debt problems, tackling climate change, and renewing a schools system on which the nation depends for its future human capital.

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UCL is consistently ranked as one of the world's top universities. Across all disciplines our faculties are known for their research-intensive approaches, academic excellence and engagement with global challenges. This is the basis of our world-renowned degree programmes. Visit us at ucl.ac.uk.

Obama's America: The significance of the 2012 elections (17 Jan 2013)

Lunch Hour Lectures - Spring 2013

Prof Muki Haklay, Professor of GIScience Extreme Citizen Science (ExCiteS) research group, UCL Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering

Public participation in scientific research is not new. Many people are involved in scientific activities in their free time, from bird watching to weather or astronomical observations. Moreover, trends in education and technology are ushering in a new era of citizen science. The lecture covers the history of citizen science, explore the current trends and demonstrate a model for extreme citizen science, in which any community, regardless of their literacy, can utilise scientific methods and tools to understand and control their environment.

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UCL is consistently ranked as one of the world's top universities. Across all disciplines our faculties are known for their research-intensive approaches, academic excellence and engagement with global challenges. This is the basis of our world-renowned degree programmes. Visit us at ucl.ac.uk.

Science for everyone by everyone - the re-emergence of citizen science (22 Jan 2013)

Lunch Hour Lectures - Spring 2013

Dr Ned Gilbert, Research Leader, UCL Centre for Altitude Space and Extreme Environment Medicine (CASE)

Following their successful ascent of Mount Everest in 2007, UCL's Centre for Altitude, Space and Extreme Environment (CASE) Medicine will be returning to Everest in March 2013 to continue with their novel approach to medical research. Their work aims to investigate the effects of low oxygen on the human body, with the ultimate goal of identifying mechanisms that may lead to the successful treatment of critically ill patients. Dr Ned Gilbert marks 60 years since Hillary attained the summit by setting out what they hope to achieve at Everest this Spring.

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UCL is consistently ranked as one of the world's top universities. Across all disciplines our faculties are known for their research-intensive approaches, academic excellence and engagement with global challenges. This is the basis of our world-renowned degree programmes. Visit us at ucl.ac.uk.

Xtreme Everest 2 research expedition (24 Jan 2013)

Join us for the first episode of UCL’s new podcast, ‘Coronavirus: The Whole Story’ with Vivienne Parry. Each week, we’ll be looking at coronavirus through a different lens. This week we’re exploring what happens inside intensive care. With special guests Professor Hugh Montgomery, Director of the UCL Institute for Human Health and Performance and Mervyn Singer, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine. 

For more info and transcripts, visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-minds/podcasts/coronavirus

Date of episode recording: 18/03/2020
Duration: 29:37
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Vivienne Parry
Guests: Hugh Montgomery, Mervyn Singer
Producer: Cerys Bradley

Coronavirus: The Whole Story - What happens to you in intensive care?

Lunch Hour Lectures - Spring 2013

Prof Wendy Carlin, UCL Economics

There was plenty of scepticism among economists about the likely success of a common currency in Europe. The immediate problem is that peripheral countries have seen their public sectors incur large deficits and incautious private sectors incur large debts. In addition, wages in the Southern economies have grown more rapidly, and productivity more slowly, than in the North. This lecture sets out the risks this poses to full political union and explore whether there is a solution.

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the world's top universities. Across all disciplines our faculties are known for their research-intensive approaches, academic excellence and engagement with global challenges. This is the basis of our world-renowned degree programmes. Visit us at ucl.ac.uk.

Can the Eurozone crisis be solved? (19 Feb 2013)

UCL (University College London) is consistently ranked among the world's top ten universities (QS World University Rankings 2010 - 2021). Our excellence extends across all academic disciplines, from one of the world's foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences to world-renowned centres for architecture (UCL Bartlett), education (UCL IOE) and fine art (UCL Slade School).

UCL is London's leading multidisciplinary university, with more than 13,000 staff and 43,000 students from 150 different countries. Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, UCL was the first university in England to welcome students of any religion and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men.

UCL Minds brings together UCL’s knowledge, insights, and ideas through events, activities, and digital content open to everyone. Find out what’s on UCL Minds: www.ucl.ac.uk/minds

Can the Eurozone crisis be solved? (19 Feb 2013)

UCL

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