IoP Cafe Scientifique

[teresar]

Dear SE22 forum,

We are two researchers (Dr Emma Gray and Dr Teresa Rodriguez) at the Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, King's College London. We are going to set up some free science public engagement events for the South London community. Our idea is to set up a Cafe Scientique that will run from the end of Jan 2012 till May 2012 with a series of talks for adults (weeknight evenings) and a series of workshops for the kids (Saturday morning) to engage everyone locally with the research we do here (Neuroscience, Psychology and Psychiatry).

In order to prepare our program, especially for the adult sessions, we would like to hear from you. Some areas we can cover are Child Psychology, Eating Disorders, Alzheimer's Disease...Are there any specific subjects you prefer? The idea would be to have a chosen speaker who will talk briefly and in a simple way about a specific subject. The audience can then join and discuss the subject in a non-intimidating environment.

We?d love to hear any feedback/comments/suggestions. We will keep you updated on details of the events and when they are arranged. Please, contact us at [email protected].

Best wishes,

Emma & Teresa

[PeckhamRose]

What an absolutely brilliant idea.

You could cover loads of subjects and have a sort of timetable you could publish here in the What's On Section.

You might care to link up with the people who organise the Members' Events; being the Members of the Foundation Trust of Kings College Hospital. They do lunchtime seminars on all sorts of subjects.

I would love to hear about are geriatric depression (My elderly Mum suffers this), about NLP(!), and generally would like to come along to such meetings.

[Twirly]

This sounds fantastic, I'd be particularly interested in Alzheimer's as I shall be doing some voluntary work with dementia patients at King's soon.

[ontheedge]

Hi Emma & Teresa this sounds very exciting and innovative, may I ask are your Doctorates in medicine or psychology, and is this a research project, subject matter seems very broad

[maxxi]

sounds like a good idea - just prepare to be inundated with requests for talks on clinical depression and insomnia...

[Senor Chevalier]

...and addiction to strange internet forums (fora?).

Go on though be honest, will you be testing participants and their responses for your researc or is this purely altruistic? ;)

[KidKruger]

This sounds interesting, I'd be interested to learn about the significant conditions the patients suffer and what that's like for them to deal with in our community ie. paranoia and schizophrenia and coping with the condition locally (assuming the patinets are able to leave the premises on occasion).

[ianr]

A general how-it-works page: http://www.cafescientifique.org/index.php/how-it-works

[languagelounger]

It would be interesting to hear about:

Do you have to get dimmer and slower as you get older, or can you maintain your thinking skills, or even improve them?

Can you acquire "spatial intelligence" if you apparently started out with almost none?

[Senor Chevalier]

Having looked at the link (Thanks ianr) this does sound very good. I retract my pooh pooh...

[Sue]

This does sound interesting, but hopefully things have moved on from my student days when we visited the local mental hospital and had patients paraded in front of us to display the particular characteristics of their condition.

They were then discussed in their presence by the people supposed to be caring for/treating them, as if they weren't there (6)

It still makes me cringe to think about it.

I also hope things have moved on from when an anorexic relative of mine was an in-patient at the Maudsley and the anorexic patients were in the same ward as very obese patients. Surely somebody should have realised that just because people have eating disorders doesn't mean it's a great idea to put people terrified of becoming fat (gross oversimplification of anorexia I know) in close proximity with very fat people????

[Norfolkvillas]

Hi there, I'd be keen to be kept updated when this launches. Thanks!

[PeckhamRose]

Sue, please move on.

Looking forward to more information teresar.

[intexasatthe moment]

Another vote here for depression/anxiety in the elderly as a subject matter - how can it be treated ?,medication so complicated in this age group ,recognition by person suffering so fraught ,travel issues for attending appointments so difficult .

[Sue]

PeckhamRose Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Sue, please move on.

>

xxxxxxx

Eh?

I was saying that I hoped things had moved on.

I don't think it's up to you to tell me what to do, Peckham Rose.

I find your comment extremely patronising.

[DulwichDeviant]

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