Science and Politics

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Oxford DPhil students discuss the relationship between scientific advice and government policy

The relationship between scientists and politicians has never been an easy one. These days scientists advice our government on anything from run-of-the-mill policy decisions, to cyber-warfare, to natural disasters, to taxation, and on the future of our energy needs; but, with only 10% of MPs having a scientific background, is this advice always understood, and even when it is, do politicians always adhere to it?

Host: Aled Walker (3rd year DPhil, Magdalen College, Mathematics)
Guests: Kathyrn Boast (4th year DPhil, St. Peter's College, Physics), Rob Shalloo (3rd year DPhil, Lincoln College, Physics)

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Department: Magdalen College

Date Added: 04/11/2016

Duration: 00:34:06

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How do you make a reliable weather forecast?

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Big Questions - with Oxford Sparks

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Latest episode from Oxford Sparks, this episode on how to predict the weather.

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Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK (BY-NC-SA): England & Wales; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

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Big Questions - with Oxford Sparks

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Department: Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS)

Date Added: 04/11/2016

Duration: 00:12:00

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Quartz: a mobile-first approach to news

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Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

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Part of the the Business and Practice of Journalism seminar series, by Akshat Rathi, Reporter, Quartz. Introduction by RIchard Sambrook.

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Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK (BY-NC-SA): England & Wales; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

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Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

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Department: Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR)

Date Added: 04/11/2016

Duration: 00:23:13

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Humanitarian non-state actors and the delocalised EU border of the Central Mediterranean

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International Migration Institute

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Paolo Cuttitta looks at how different humanitarian non-state actors (from large-scale international organisations to small local NGOs) operate in different spaces of the delocalised EU border

Non-state actors have become increasingly important players within the European–North African migration and border regime. Paolo Cuttitta's research looks at how different humanitarian non-state actors (from large-scale international organisations to small local NGOs) operate in different spaces (international waters as well as North African countries of transit/origin such as Tunisia, Libya and Egypt) of the delocalised EU border. The question is whether and in how far their activities can be considered as part of the processes of denationalisation and/or depoliticisation of the border; in how far these actors are just supporting states in their delocalised migration and border policies and in how far they are pushing forward their own agendas instead. Can attempts to repoliticise the border generate processes of counter-delocalisation?

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International Migration Institute

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humanitarian organisation

Department: Oxford Department of International Development

Date Added: 04/11/2016

Duration: 00:33:23

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Research business and the shortwave beam: Marconi and the uses of wireless in postwar years

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The Bodleian Libraries (BODcasts)

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Giovanni Paoloni discusses the influence of the development of the shortwave beam technology on Marconi and the Marconi Company

Marconi's wireless revolution, the Bodleian's Byrne-Bussey Marconi Visiting Fellows, Giovanni Paoloni and Ines Queiroz, present findings from their research into Marconi and the early development of wireless technology. In the early development of wireless, short waves were considered of no technical and commercial consequence, and left behind as a research field. While working on the improvement of wireless for military communications, Marconi was once more first in understanding the existence of unexpected possibilities - starting a new 'wireless revolution'. Giovanni Paoloni discusses the influence of the development of the shortwave beam technology on Marconi and the Marconi Company.

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The Bodleian Libraries (BODcasts)

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Department: Bodleian Libraries

Date Added: 03/11/2016

Duration: 00:21:58

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Marconi's early Latin projects over the South-Atlantic

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The Bodleian Libraries (BODcasts)

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Ines Queiroz explores how technical constraints have shaped strategies for wireless networks development

Marconi's wireless revolution, the Bodleian's Byrne-Bussey Marconi Visiting Fellows, Giovanni Paoloni and Ines Queiroz, present findings from their research into Marconi and the early development of wireless technology. Ines Queiroz explores how technical constraints have shaped strategies for wireless networks development. Focusing on a South Atlantic case study which brings new perspectives on geographical implications of wireless communications networks at an early stage of development.

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The Bodleian Libraries (BODcasts)

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Department: Bodleian Libraries

Date Added: 03/11/2016

Duration: 00:25:15

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The Gaisford Lecture 2016: Transmitting Tragedy

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Faculty of Classics

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The Gaisford Lecture 2016: Transmitting Tragedy, delivered by Patrick Finglass

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Department: Faculty of Classics

Date Added: 02/11/2016

Duration: 00:55:28

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Strachey Lecture: The Once and Future Turing

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Strachey Lectures

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Professor Andrew Hodges author of 'Alan Turing: The Enigma' talks about Turing's work and ideas from the definition of computability, the universal machine to the prospect of Artificial Intelligence.

In 1951, Christopher Strachey began his career in computing. He did so as a colleague of Alan Turing, who had inspired him with a 'Utopian' prospectus for programming. By that time, Turing had already made far-reaching and futuristic innovations, from the definition of computability and the universal machine to the prospect of Artificial Intelligence. This talk will describe the origins and impacts of these ideas, and how wartime codebreaking allowed theory to turn into practice. After 1951, Turing was no less innovative, applying computational techniques to mathematical biology. His sudden death in 1954 meant the loss of most of this work, and its rediscovery in modern times has only added to Turing's iconic status as a scientific visionary seeing far beyond his short life.
Andrew Hodges is the author of Alan Turing: The Enigma (1983), which inspired the 2014 film The Imitation Game.
The Strachey Lectures are generously supported by OxFORD Asset Management.