Science and nature courses in London
Look to the stars or stay closer to home with a wide range of topical and specialist short courses on subjects including astronomy, evolution, ecosystems and genetics that are ideal for anyone curious about our planet and what lies beyond it.
Read City Lit tutor Brenna Boyle's guide to London's diverse wildlife.
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Astrophotography for everyone
Course Date: Sun 19 Jan 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetHave you ever wanted to take your own beautiful photos of the night sky? Learn how to capture the cosmos with your DSLR and produce awe-inspiring images, carefully processed to squeeze every drop of starlight out of the sky, wherever you are.Full fee: £49.00Senior fee: £39.00Concession: £25.00 -
Introduction to Cloud computing
Course Date: Wed 22 Jan 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetCloud computing uses the internet to provide shared computing resources on demand. Learn about the major operators in this business and how to avoid expensive hardware costs by renting what you need when you need it.Full fee: £49.00Senior fee: £49.00Concession: £49.00 -
PC maintenance: an introduction
Course Date: Fri 24 Jan 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetLearn how to troubleshoot and solve common computer hardware problems. Discover what is inside a computer, how it works and how to upgrade computer components.Full fee: £199.00Senior fee: £199.00Concession: £199.00 -
Science guest lecture: Where physics meets biology: an introduction to current research on the application of biophysics to embryology
Course Date: Thu 30 Jan 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetHow can the application of physics to biology help us to understand human development? It is an ongoing mystery how the complexity of an adult organism arises from a single fertilised egg cell. This problem has been studied extensively by biologists for centuries, and is now an active area of research for physicists as well. The field of biophysics aims to use the mathematical and computational tools of physics to understand how complex living creatures organise themselves. The key idea is that even something as complicated as a whole organism must still obey the laws of physics.
Max Kerr Winter is a theoretical biophysicist. He researches at the Francis Crick Institute, London, in collaboration with experimental biologists at the University of Cambridge.Full fee: £15.00Senior fee: £15.00Concession: £15.00 -
Introduction to botany
Course Date: Sat 1 Feb 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetA practical course ideal for those who are new to the science of botany. Learn about the fundamental structure of plants and identify the functions of different components; recognise some of the classification systems of the plant world and assess why these magnificent organisms are essential for our wellbeing. Four Saturday sessions, mornings in the classroom, afternoons short local walks to see specimens outdoors. One whole-day visit to Kew on Thurs 20 February, tour of the library in the morning, garden in the afternoon - extra costs apply, see below.Full fee: £219.00Senior fee: £175.00Concession: £96.00 -
Introduction to artificial intelligence
Course Date: Sun 9 Feb 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetStephen Hawking and Elon Musk say it's humanity's biggest threat, but you use it every day. Learn what artificial intelligence is, what it will become, and how it works.Full fee: £99.00Senior fee: £99.00Concession: £99.00 -
Stay safe online
Course Date: Tue 11 Feb 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetWhat does identify theft entail? What risks do you run? Learn how to protect yourself from identify theft on this course.Full fee: £39.00Senior fee: £39.00Concession: £39.00 -
Psyched! An interactive science evening in collaboration with Birkbeck, University of London, Department of Psychological Sciences: the origin of lust
Course Date: Thu 13 Feb 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetPsyched! - an insider’s look at how the brain works and how evolution affects the way you think, feel and behave.
What is the evolutionary origin of lust and what is its place in the modern world? Come and prepare for Valentine's Day at Psyched!
Delivered in partnership with Birkbeck, University of London, Department of Psychological Sciences.Full fee: £9.00Senior fee: £9.00Concession: £9.00 -
Earth's six major mass extinctions: an introduction
Course Date: Sun 16 Feb 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetAn introductory course which gives a long-term perspective to extinction events throughout earth’s history, reminding us of the fragility of the planet's ecosystems. While we currently see the very real effects of climate change on the planet for humans, we may forget that many biological organisms have not survived in earlier extreme conditions. Looking back over the last 450 million years of earth’s history we will go beyond the extinction of the dinosaurs to mass extinctions that were even more devastating.Full fee: £59.00Senior fee: £47.00Concession: £30.00 -
Astronomy: a gentle introduction
Course Date: Sun 16 Feb 2020 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetA leisurely walk through back garden astronomy. Learn how to find your way around the constellations, whether to buy a telescope, how to find planets and look safely at the sun. Find out why astronomy is good for you.
Roger O' Brien has taught astronomy for the Workers’ Educational Association, the OU, and the Royal Observatory Greenwich.Full fee: £59.00Senior fee: £47.00Concession: £30.00 -
Astronomy: current developments and suggestions for clear nights
Course Date: Thu 20 Feb 2020
Location on this date: International HouseAstronomy and space science are dynamic, constantly changing: new telescopes, new detectors, new space-missions and lots of plans. We shall look at some of these things and bring students up to date, with a speculative glance into the future.Full fee: £89.00Senior fee: £89.00Concession: £39.00 -
Science guest lecture Professor Ian Crawford - The new science of astrobiology and the search for life in the universe
Course Date: Fri 21 Feb 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetIn this talk Professor Crawford will summarise the new interdisciplinary science of astrobiology -- the search for life in the universe. The talk will begin by describing the planetary and evolutionary context of life on Earth and its implications for finding life elsewhere. Building on this perspective, the talk will consider the prospects for finding life, or evidence for past life, elsewhere in our Solar System, for example on the planet Mars and the icy moons of the outer solar system, before moving on to consider the potential habitability of planets recently discovered orbiting other stars.
Ian Crawford is an astronomer and planetary scientist, and is currently Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is also a vice president of the Royal Astronomical Society. Ian's research focusses mainly on lunar geology, including the possibility of finding economically useful resources on the Moon, and on the search for past or present life on Mars.Full fee: £15.00Senior fee: £15.00Concession: £15.00 -
British nature writing: its history and changing perspectives
Course Date: Tue 25 Feb 2020
Location on this date: International HouseThis course focusses on non-fiction nature writing from British naturalists, taking its cue from Gilbert White's Natural History of Selborne at the end of the eighteenth century through to Nan Shepherd, Richard Mabey, Roger Deakin and beyond into the twenty-first century. We will explore the changing purposes of nature writing and how scientific and technological developments have altered our relationship with the natural world. Looking at nature through others' eyes will also give us increased knowledge and appreciation of the flora and fauna of the British landscape.Full fee: £79.00Senior fee: £79.00Concession: £35.00 -
Marine geology: The hidden geology beneath the oceans
Course Date: Sun 1 Mar 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetWe know more about the surface of the moon than what lies beneath our planet's oceans. On this course, we will explore the geological features within our oceans.Full fee: £59.00Senior fee: £47.00Concession: £30.00 -
Introduction to quantum physics
Course Date: Sun 1 Mar 2020
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetLearn about the failure of classical mechanics (everyday laws of physics) to explain particle behaviour and the emergence of the quantum revolution. Consider interpretations of these unusual phenomena and the use of quantum physics in current technology.
Radmila Topalovic holds a degree in Physics with Astrophysics and a PhD in Astrochemistry. She has taught physics, maths and astronomy for almost ten years, and is particularly passionate about quantum physics and astrobiology. She is a former astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.Full fee: £59.00Senior fee: £47.00Concession: £30.00
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