I’m a bit late with this post but a couple weeks ago I gave a public lecture at the British Science Festival in Bradford. The talk was on the surprising similarities and differences in the social behaviours of animals and humans. I’d never been to the BSF before but it was an amazing event with an incredible line-up of speakers. I’ll definitely be aiming to speak again there next year (when the BSF will be held in Swansea) and will also be planning to stay to attend more of the talks.
My talk went well with around 120 people in attendance. Everyone was extremely interactive, asking lots of questions throughout the talk and offering a lot of engaging discussion. So much so that I didn’t manage to get through my entire talk within the one hour time slot! One of my favourite things about these sorts of events is seeing this sort of genuine interest in science among members of the public. As a scientist it definitely gives you renewed enthusiasm for your own work every time you run one of these events. The interesting discussions come from a different perspective than you get when conversing with other scientists and its very refreshing. I’m already looking forward to next year!
