Keeping it light

A light-hearted lecture about optical materials, science comedy, and the social science of science communication, in memory of Alex Hopkins.

Scientists tend to know their stuff. James, for example, knows about light and how to make artificial materials (‘metamaterials’) that interact with light in unusual ways. Scientists also tend to want to share what they know with others. James, for example, will gladly tell you about his metamaterials. He might even attempt to do it through the medium of comedy. But scientists can have some funny ideas about what should happen when they tell the public about science. James certainly did. And social scientists, who also tend to know their stuff, have quite a bit to say about this. Whether or not the scientists, including James, are paying attention, however, is another question entirely.

Dr James Dolan is an engineer, physicist and occasional science communicator who, when he isn’t teaching, researches how scientists use improvised comedy as a form of science communication. In this lecture, he’ll teach you how to make a metamaterial (not really something you can do at home), introduce you to the world of science comedy (hold your breath for the scientific ‘proto-joke’) and offer you some insights from the social science of science communication (yes, it does exist, and is absolutely fascinating).