Green Templeton College Outreach Talks
The Green Templeton College Outreach Talks are a Student Academic Project organised by Carlos Outeiral, Doctoral candidate in Statistics, Green Templeton College.
In each of these talks, funded by a Green Templeton College Academic Initiatives Grant, Green Templeton students discussed their discipline and research, explained the latest advances in their field, and shared their knowledge with the audience.
Each talk was designed to be informal, followed by discussion over refreshments. The talks all took place in the EP Abraham Lecture Theatre and were open to all members of the Green Templeton community and wider public.
Talk 1: Quantum computing – why you should be interested (and why not)
Wednesday 15 May 2019
Speaker: Carlos Outeiral, Oxford PhD student, National Quantum Technologies Hub
Quantum computing is predestined to become one of the most disruptive technologies in the following years.
Harnessing the power of quantum effects to do computation promises to solve several open problems in many areas, from engineering to drug design. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to ascertain what is fact and what are unrealistic expectations, and even more importantly, what will be available in the following years, and what only after many decades of research. Carlos Outeiral delievered an uncomplicated introduction to quantum computing and outlined what we can expect to see in the following decade.
Talk 2: Big data – big deal?
Friday 31 May 2019
Speaker: Rosemary Walmsley, PhD student, Big Data Institute
Report: ‘Big data – big deal?’
The age of big data, and the machine learning tools accompanying it, has not left anyone untouched.
This technology has shaken our economical and political landscape, impacting everything from our personal lives and how we interact with our environment, to policy decisions of all kind. But what is actually new? How is it actually changing our world? And, more importantly, how much of it is just hype? In this talk, Rosemary Walmsley provided an accessible introduction to big data and machine learning, and facilitated a discussion of this, aiming to build critical engagement with big data and machine learning.
Talk 3: Introducing the economics of happiness
Monday 10 June 2019
Speaker: Karl Overdick, PhD student in Management, University of Oxford
In the last decades, a new field of economics has been built upon the principle that everyone tries to be as happy as they can be, aiming to quantify and study happiness, as well as trying to understand what can be done to maximise it from the personal and policy point of view. In this talk, Karl Overdick provided an introductory and balanced view of what the field of subjective wellbeing has found in the last few decades since its inception.
Talk 4: Should we vaccinate children against addictions? Some ethical considerations
Thursday 27 June 2019
Speaker: Lovro Savić, PhD student in Public Health Ethics, University of Oxford
The fast-paced technological development in the last decades has brought many crucial ethical questions to the table. Many of these questions are as fascinating as they are difficult, creating strong controversies both in the medical profession and public opinion. How do we find solutions? How can we understand what is right? In this talk, Lovro Savić provided a gentle but captivating overview of public health ethics, explaining how researchers study these questions and try to come up with useful solutions. In particular, Lovro examined a real-life research question: is state-mandated vaccination of children against addictions morally admissible?
Contact
For more information about the Green Templeton Outreach Talks, please contact: carlos.outeiral@gtc.ox.ac.uk
