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Latest from Life
Linda Conlon, CEO, Centre for Life

Science and seasonality

 
We are well and truly in the middle of the festive season at Life. This year, in addition to our popular outdoor ice rink, a German-style Christmas Market is running alongside it in Times Square.

Inside the science centre, visitors can perform experiments on fake snow, make festive crafts and explore the winter night sky in the planetarium. We also have a naughty elf taking over our Facebook and Instagram Stories throughout December – and I've spotted many other science centres have also taken advantage of the popularity of Elf on the Shelf.

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all our friends and partners a very Merry Christmas. Do take a look at our Christmas e-card below!

Best wishes,




Linda Conlon, Chief Executive
 


Current affairs at Life

Linda Conlon has recently been using her platform as a leading business woman in North East England and a prominent figure in the science centre community to highlight important social issues.

On 6 November, Linda gave a passionate speech at a Women in Leadership event held at Newcastle Civic Centre about the widespread problem of subtle gender bias. In her speech, Linda presented some hard-hitting statistics and scientific studies that highlight the extent and impact of subtle sexism, before ending on a rallying cry for everyone to take responsibility in calling out gender bias. Linda also touched on this issue in a recent interview for North East Times magazine.

At the end of November, Linda travelled to Israel to take part in a workshop for science centre leaders from all around the world. At the workshop, she gave a speech on the growing problem of fake news and distrust in experts and explored what science centres can do to tackle the issue.

If you would like Linda to speak at your event, please get in touch.

Meanwhile, Life was the backdrop for a BBC news segment about Brexit for the national News at Six and News at Ten programmes broadcast on 15 November. The BBC team came to Newcastle to find out what the public think about Brexit because the result of the referendum in the city was almost a 50/50 split for leave and remain – and Life's ice rink was the perfect setting for some great political puns (including the obligatory reference to being on thin ice of course!). The news feature also showed interviews recorded across the science centre, providing an unusual way of promoting Life's current exhibitions. Following both broadcasts, traffic to Life's website increased dramatically, showing a real benefit for facilitating such a media request.


Cultural events to capitalise on captivating installation

Museum of the Moon will open to the public at Life Science Centre on 2 February. Expectations are high, as the installation – created by UK artist Luke Jerram – has captivated audiences everywhere it has toured, with visitors awe-struck by the seven-metre-wide illuminated sphere displaying NASA imagery of the lunar surface.

Life has recently announced a programme of special events that will run alongside Museum of the Moon, including a cheese and wine tasting event, a yoga class and a candlelit dinner on the night of the Supermoon on 21 March.

Museum of the Moon will be at Life until 31 March.
View the brochure >


Join us for an evening with eminent physicist Paul Davies

Eminent physicist Paul Davies will share insights from his new book, The Demon in the Machine, at a special event at Life on the evening of 6 February.

Despite dazzling progress in biology, nobody knows what life is or how it began. The difficulty in defining life highlights an uncomfortable truth at the heart of science: there is a vast conceptual gulf between physics and biology, molecules and organisms, the animate and the inanimate, and it seems unbridgeable without fundamentally new concepts.

In The Demon in the Machine, Davies re-imagines our understanding of life as ‘organised information’. From DNA to ecosystems, hidden patterns of information emerge and combine to coax order out of chaos. It is here, he asserts, at the intersection of biology, physics and information theory, that scientists are finally elucidating the deepest laws of life.

Book your ticket now >


Cricket star goes ‘all out’ to prepare for Dancing on Ice

Skaters at Life were bowled over to see former England international cricketer Ryan Sidebottom join them on the ice rink earlier this month. 

Ryan visited the ice rink to practice his skating skills ahead of competing in the new series of Dancing on Ice, which returns to TV screens in the UK in January.
Ryan Sidebottom with his daughter Indiana (9 years old) and son Darley (7 years old).


Research finds gene editing possible for kidney disease

For the first time, scientists have identified how to halt kidney disease in a life-limiting genetic condition, which may pave the way for personalised treatment in the future.

A team led by Professor John Sayer from Newcastle University Institute of Genetic Medicine at Life has shown that gene editing could be used for Joubert syndrome, to stop kidney damage in patients who have the CEP290 faulty gene.

Joubert syndrome is a brain disorder, causing varying degrees of physical, mental and sometimes visual impairments. The condition affects approximately one in 80,000 newborns, and one third also develop kidney failure.

The researchers have so far demonstrated the technique in both a cell model and in a mouse model, and they expect to be able to run patient trials within the next three years.

Read the full press release >


Prestigious role for Newcastle University’s Vice-Chancellor

Newcastle University's Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Chris Day, has been appointed Chair of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR). In this role, he will be able to help shape and influence the strategic development of UK health research policy.

Established in 2006, the OSCHR brings together publicly-funded health research funders, the NHS, life sciences industry sector, and medical research charities, to maximise the health and economic benefits arising from public investment in UK health research.
Read the full press release >


Welcome to the Board

Life has recently welcomed four new trustees to its Board. 

The experience and skills of the new trustees will strengthen further the science village’s sound business model, entrepreneurial reputation and knowledge of the local community that it serves.


Life’s new trustees:

Councillor Irim Ali is a Legal Assistant and Elected Councillor for the Wingrove Ward in Newcastle. Irim is passionate about helping to protect human rights and has previously worked to support victims of human trafficking in the North East.
Louise Hunter, Director of Corporate Affairs at Northumbrian Water Group (NWG), has led NWG’s approach to sustainability and is a leading figure in the North East business community, with roles on the Boards of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the North East Chamber of Commerce Council, amongst others.
Liz Mayes is Chief Executive of The Common Room project. Liz is leading the transformation the Mining Institute in Newcastle – the first professional mining institute in the world – into a public space that tells the story of the North East’s industrial past. She is also a former North East Regional Director of the manufacturers’ organisation EEF (formerly known as the Engineering Employers' Foundation).
Paul Smith is a technology entrepreneur and writer. Paul’s career highlights include several years in broadcast journalism. He also founded the UK accelerator Ignite and started numerous technology companies. He is currently a mentor and advocate for promoting women in technology.
 
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