Materials, Minerals and Mining

Wednesday, 5th September 2012 – Dr. Diane Aston, the Education Co-ordinator for the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining kicked off our new autumn programme with a talk on “Materials in Action” – and what a talk it was! Laced with fascinating facts about how the properties of various materials determine both the method of extraction/creation and the uses to which they are put, Diane engaged and entertained us in equal measure. Armed with lots of samples to illustrate her talk, her enthusiasm for her subject couldn’t help but spread to the whole audience. A great afternoon!

Why are human beings living longer?

The monthly U3A talk on Thursday, 6th September 2012 in the Church was given by Professor Tom Kirkwood, CBE, FMedSci, Associate Dean for Ageing and Health in the Centre for Ageing and Vitality, University of Newcastle. One of the world’s leading authorities on Ageing and Health, he leads a large team of research scientists at the world famous campus for “Ageing and Vitality”. He is a former BBC Reith Lecturer, experienced in making the science attractive and easily understood. He is a government advisor and is in demand internationally for lay and medical science audiences.

His talk, entitled “Why are human beings living longer?” gave a broad picture of the factors leading to increased longevity seen, not just in the UK, but across most of the world. This is something that was clearly forecast decades ago, but the implications have been ignored by politicians until recently. Professor Kirkwood brought home to us many of the dilemmas faced by both individuals and governments in contemplating an ever more elderly, yet still fairly healthy, population.