talks

Woman In Time — my contribution to British Science Week!

Posted on by toriherridge

If you’re in, or around, or indeed willing to travel to Bradford on the 18th March, come to Waterstones Bradford in the beautiful Wool Exchange to hear Alison Cullingford and me tell the story of three women: British archaeologist, poet and CND founder Jacquetta Hawkes, Palestinian archaeologist Yusra, and the neanderthal woman known as Tabun 1.

The event is completely free**, but you do need to book tickets so that we can let Waterstones know the numbers.

More about the event, and tickets, see: http://woman-in-time.eventbrite.com

With huge thanks to the British Science Association, who granted TrowelBlazers a £500 Community Grant to develop and put on this event.

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**John Ruskin said that the Bradford Wool Exchange “…represented the worst form of exploitative capitalism.” Hopefully he’d approve of our non-profit use of the space 150 years later… 😉

Charles Lyell Award Lecture at the British Science Festival

Posted on by toriherridge

What do dwarf elephants have to do with climate change?  Charles Lyell Award Lecture by Dr Tori Herridge, 2012 British Science Festival.

This year I was nominated by the Palaeontological Association to give the Charles Lyell Award Lecture at the British Science Festival. To be nominated by my colleagues was honour enough, so actually being selected by the British Science Association meant my sci-comm cup overfloweth…

It was also rather cool that this year marked the 150th anniversary of the first scientific description of a dwarf elephant — at an earlier British Science Festival, no less [read more about that here].

Receiving my award certificate on a gorgeous day at the very beautiful Univeristy of Aberdeen! Photo (c) British Science Association.

Receiving my award certificate on a gorgeous day, at the very beautiful Univeristy of Aberdeen! Photo (c) British Science Association.

The talk had to be at least 25% interactive, and suitable for families. So I had a fun time inventing demos to explain sea level change in the ice age and concepts like Island Biogeography in a child-friendly way. It was a little perplexing when the audience filed in and there were absolutely no children at all, but I think everyone had a good time. After all, who doesn’t love a demo which involves a tyvek CSI suit and a bottle of spray cream…?