Institute of Healthy Ageing

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Public Engagement

Engaging with both other researchers and the general public is an important aspect of the work of the IHA.   All staff and students within the Institute are encouraged to participate in activities which will help to promote the work and mission of the IHA to a wider audience; and help to make science as a whole more accessible to the public.

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Upcoming events

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3 to 8 July 2012: Royal Society 2012 Summer Science Exhibition

A team of scientists from the IHA, in tandem with UCL’s Bahler lab, will be exhibiting at this year’s exhibition which will be held from 3rd to 8th July at the Society’s Carlton House Terrace home.   The Summer Science Exhibition showcases cutting-edge research, providing a unique opportunity for members of the public to interact with scientists - and vice versa!  Led by Dr Matt Piper, the IHA teams’ stand will be entitled ‘Living healthier for longer: research to enhance lifelong health’. We will aim to highlight, explain and discuss cutting edge biogerontological research and its recent breakthroughs that indicate we can experimentally manipulate ageing. For further information on the Exhibition, see the Royal Society's website.

Follow our blog during the lead up: http://ageing-worms.tumblr.com/ and join our Facebook group: http://goo.gl/2r1uv

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12 to 17 June 2012: The Times Cheltenham Science Festival

A baby born tonight will live on average five hours longer than a baby born last night. Why and how is life expectancy increasing so quickly? How much of this extended life will be in good health? What do we really understand about the mechanisms of ageing?  Drs Matt Piper and David Gems will be exploring these questions at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival this year.  More information to follow ...

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19 April 2012: ILC and Crucible workshop on Ageing and Research Policy

The International Longevity Centre (ILC) and Crucible are jointly hosting a workshop on Ageing and Research Policy on April 19th.

This workshop aims to

• Foster new collaborative groups

• Identify potential joint projects

• Translation and dissemination of research and policy analysis

• Help UCL researchers understand the policy process and its opportunities for science

• Help ILC identify and use UCL research

If you would like further details or to register your place please visit the registration site here

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Recent activities in which we have been involved include:

The Times Cheltenham Science Festival –

Professor Linda Partridge participated in the festival on Friday 10 June 2011 with her discussion with Radio 4 presenter Geoff Watts on Baby Boomers and the Ageing Revolution. The talk was extremely well received and generated press releases as far afield as Australia.

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UCL’s ‘Bright Club’ –

A major feature of UCL’s own Public Engagement Unit’s work, the Bright Club is an initiative funded by HEFCE, the UK Research Councils and the Wellcome Trust. A collaboration between comedy promoters One Green Firework, music promoters Duel in the Deep and UCL; its remit is to present a monthly mix of comedy, music and science to the public in the style of a ‘thinking person’s variety night’. The IHA’s Dr Matt Piper took part in a four part presentation for the Club on the topic of Time.

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STEMNET (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network) –

Dr Teresa Niccoli from the IHA works as a STEMNET ambassador. These are professionals from STEM backgrounds who volunteer to work as inspiring role models for young people. They contribute both to regular lessons and/or participate in extra-curricular activities such as STEM Clubs, Careers Days and visits.

Teresa has done everything from presenting a simple workshop in a school to advising secondary school students on careers in science at the recent Big Bang exhibition held at the Excel Centre in London. She is also a member of the Researcher in Residence program, in which she is paired with a secondary school and helps her partner science teacher come up with something fun to do over a longer period of time with the students!

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Radio 5 Live – The Gabby Logan Show – Dr Matt Piper appeared in an episode of the show in which calorie restriction was discussed.

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London International Youth Science Forum -

The LIYSF brings together over 300 students of the sciences from almost 60 countries worldwide, many of whom have won scholarships in their own countries to enable them to attend. Participants join a programme of events, which will this year include a visit to research facilities in UCL. The IHA is proud to have been chosen as a representative laboratory for the LIYSF visit to UCL. Two of our current PhD students, Jorge Ivan Castillo-Quan and Sahar Emran will be facilitating the visit by hosting a tour and Q and A session in the laboratory on July 29^th 2011.

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