Brains at the Bevy

A series of short and enlightening talks from local academics

After running three successful series of ‘Brains at the Bevy’ talks we are delighted to announce a fifth series for 2020. These talks will take place at The Bevendean Community Pub in Moulsecoomb and are open to all.

They start at 6pm and last for an hour, including lots of time for questions and discussion. Tea and coffee will be provided during the talk and all are welcome to stay on afterwards to enjoy food and drink available at the Bevy.

BOOKING

Free, all are welcome but booking is essential.

Please book using the links below or send any questions to cupp@brighton.ac.uk.

The Bevy is at 50 Hillside, Brighton BN2 4TF - the 49 bus stops outside the pub.

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Are you having fun?

Wednesday 24 June 2020 at 6pm - Dr Ben Fincham, University of Sussex

What is fun? How is it distinct from happiness or pleasure? How do we know when we are having it? Ben Fincham provides an entertaining account of this often taken-for-granted phenomenon.

Find out more and book online for 'What is fun?'.

Finding the inner compass: creative recovery from cancer

Wednesday 29 July 2020 at 6pm - Dr Jess Moriarty, University of Brighton and Christina Reading

Following our experiences with cancer, we felt lost. Trying hard to get back to the people we were before our illness and creatively stuck - Chris with her fine art and Jess with her writing – we chose to adopt an autoethnographic approach that we hoped would be transformative and also help us resist conventional academic research practices that seek to deny the personal (Moriarty, 2016). We engaged in a process of walking, writing and critique that we hoped would restore our creative processes. By trying something new, taking risks and being vulnerable in our work, we believed we would find a way back to the artist/writer and people we thought we needed to be. Instead, we identified a method of mapping a new way forward that helped us to accept the women we are post-cancer and shift and evolve our creative methods. We will offer insights into our work and engage the audience in creative tasks that helped us to map a way back.

Find out more and book online for 'Finding the inner compass'.

What can old snails tell us about how our brain ages?

Wednesday 30 September 2020 at 6pm - Professor Mark Yeoman, University of Brighton

Studying the nervous system of snails has enabled us to more deeply understand the mechanisms by which nerve cells communicate and how changes in communication are fundamental to our ability to learn and remember. My research group uses the pond snail to understand how the ageing process impacts cell signalling and the consequences this has for learning and memory formation and motor function. This talk will focus on how ageing affects learning and memory in snails and the relevance this work has ageing in the human nervous system.

Find out more and book online for 'What can old snails tell about ow our brain ages?'.

Too stressed out for cancer therapy?

Wednesday 28 October 2020 at 6pm - Dr Mel Flint, University of Brighton

Patients diagnosed with cancer often experience considerable psychological distress, and activation of the psychological stress response has been linked with a poor response to chemotherapy. The psychological stress response is mediated by fluctuations of the stress hormones such as cortisol. Stress hormones are responsible for signalling a wide range of processes involved in cancer spread and immune function. I will share research on our understanding of stress and stress hormones and how we may be able to improve both chemo and immune therapies for highly stressed cancer patients.

Find out more and book online for 'Too stressed out for cancer therapy?'.

Measuring gut health

Wednesday 25 November 2020 at 6pm - Dr Bhavik Patel 

Over 20% of the population suffers from some form of gut disorder. This talk will focus on how devices that are used to measure chemicals in our gut help us understand particular diseases and how we might be able to treat them.

Find out more and book online for 'Measuring gut health'.