Cambridge makes Hay

Sixteen University of Cambridge academics will take part in the Cambridge Series at the prestigious Hay Festival this year, showcasing a broad range of the University’s research excellence.

As the celebrated literary festival celebrates its 30th anniversary, the Cambridge academics will speak on subjects ranging from whether robots should feel pain to refreezing the Arctic.

This is the ninth year running that the Series has formed part of the festival.

The Series is part of the University of Cambridge’s commitment to public engagement. The Festival runs from 25th May to 4th June and is now open for bookings.

This year’s line-up includes, from science, Professor Theresa Marteau, Director of the Behaviour and Health Research Unit, on why risk information doesn't change our unhealthy behaviour; David Tong, Professor of Theoretical Physics, on quantum fields, the fundamental building blocks of matter; Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, Professor of Mammalian Development and Stem Cell Biology, on how far science should go to investigate the beginning of life; The Reverend Alasdair Coles, Professor of Neuroimmunology on the immune system and the brain; Dr Kourosh Saeb Parsy, Lecturer at the Department of Surgery, on the future of organ transplantation; and Dame Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics and Master of Churchill College, on how gender stereotypes damage innovation.

Dr Hugh Hunt, Reader in the Department of Engineering, will talk about whether it is possible to refreeze the Arctic. Professor Daping Chu, Director of Centre for Photonic Devices and Sensors and Director of the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE), will outline his work on the car of the future and the use of Head-Up Display technology together with his Jaguar Land Rover collaborators. Dr Michelle Oyen, Reader in Bioengineering will discuss her research on the carbon footprint of popular building materials like steel and concrete and approaches for substituting new bio-inspired materials instead.

From the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr Beth Singler, Research Associate on the Human Identity in an age of Nearly-Human Machines project at the  Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, will ask could, and should, robots feel pain? Dr Elizabeth Drayson, Lorna Close Fellow in Spanish at Murray Edwards College will talk about her new book, The Moor's Last Stand, which tells the story of how seven centuries of Muslim rule in Spain came to an end. Dame Carol Black, Principal of Newnham College, will discuss her government review on how drugs, alcohol and obesity affect people's ability to work. Dr Preti Taneja, Fellow Commoner at Jesus College and a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker, will speak about the hidden history, politics and urgent contemporary relevance of Shakespeare's plays in India in relation to her debut novel, We That Are Young.

Bridging the world of science and literature is Professor Ros Ridley, Fellow Emerita at Newnham College and former Head of the Medical Research Council (United Kingdom)'s Comparative Cognition Research Team in the Department of Psychology, will view the Peter Pan stories through the eyes of a neuroscientist in order to explore J M Barrie's interest in cognition, theory of mind and the nature of consciousness.

Also taking part in the Festival from the University of Cambridge are Professor Richard Evans, Lord Martin Rees, Professor Simon Baron Cohen, Professor Paul Cartledge and Professor Barbara Sahakian.

Peter Florence, director of the Hay Festival, said: "Cambridge University nurtures and challenges the world’s greatest minds, and offers the deepest understanding of the most intractable problems and the most thrilling opportunities. And for one week a year they bring that thinking to a field in Wales and share it with everyone. That’s a wonderful gift."

Ariel Retik, Festival and Outreach Co-ordinator (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences), said: "The Hay Festival is one of the best known literary festivals in the world and offers a wonderful public platform for the University’s research.  The Cambridge Series is now well established after nine years and enables our researchers to engage with the public across a broad range of subjects, many of which are vital for confronting today’s global challenges."

*To book tickets go to www.hayfestival.org. For the full line-up of the Cambridge Series and times, click here.