All shall be revealed!

Join us on an exciting journey into the world of quantum mechanics! In celebration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, we’ll explore the revolutionary advancements in quantum technology and discover how quantum science is pushing the boundaries of both science and industry, transforming fields like healthcare and communication.

Juliana Morbec is a Lecturer in Physics at Keele University. Her research focuses on the use of quantum mechanics methods to investigate materials at the atomic scale and advance sustainable technologies.

In 2015, an image of #TheDress broke the internet. Some people perceived the image as depicting a black and blue dress whereas others clearly saw a white and gold dress (or some other colour combination)? This example and other visual illusions are interesting to many because they show that sometimes our eyes may fool us. In this talk, I will explain why such illusions seem to happen and how they help us to better understand the workings of the mind.

Joe is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Keele University. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the US and has had a long-standing interest in cognition, brains, and science more generally. His research focuses on how the brain turns light falling on our eyes into meaningful conscious visual experiences (e.g., including visual illusions like #TheDress). He uses measurements of brain wave signals and studies of patients with brain injury to understand how the brain makes vision happen and why sometimes our eyes deceive us.

"Trace, Persistence and Admissibility - The Fallibility of Forensic Evidence, myth-busting limitations and reality."

This talk is designed to separate the facts from fiction in forensic investigations with discussions on scene approaches, laboratory practices and the problem of institutionalised biases. How does the "real" forensics compare to that portrayed on T.V. Could you get away with Murder?

Charlie is a Lecturer in Forensic science with both Industry and Academic experience.

You and I have evolved from simple cells that lived in extreme hardship, through tool-wielding cave dwellers to mod-com addicts and virtual reality seekers. Are we ready for the next step, and swap Earthly inconveniences for a utopian life in space? I will apply current scientific insight to predict what that could be like, now and in the distant future.

Jacco is an astronomer at Keele University and the Director of Keele Observatory and lives just outside the pretty south-Cheshire village of Audlem. They previously worked at the European Southern Observatory, the University of Amsterdam and Cambridge University. Jacco studies all the interesting things that happen inside and around galaxies but is also fascinated by the philosophy of science and the human mind (and that of their cat).