Our First Café Scientifique
6th March 23
Last week, KAS held our first Café Scientifique event – a space to discuss scientific ideas and hear from scientists over a free coffee or tea.
Our first guest speaker, ex KAS student Anna de Beer, spoke about STEM cell research and healthcare degrees. Anna is studying medicine at St Andrews where she founded the St Andrews branch of Anthony Nolan Marrow.
Marrow is a group of student volunteers who work with the Anthony Nolan organisation to raise awareness of the stem cell register, sign up new stem cell donors and help to fundraise for the organisation. Their work helps to give more and more patients with blood cancer or a blood disorder a second chance of life.
Izzy, a student who attended the café, told us she liked that the event because “it was very discussion based. There was like an open forum of questions, and no one was embarrassed to ask anything. Learning how to have these kinds of discussions is a useful skill and helps give people confidence”.
While this is the first Café Scientifique at King Alfred, the idea started here in the UK back in the 90s when the first group met in Leeds to discuss science with experts and writers. There are over 70 cafes within the UK which regularly meet to promote engagement with science in non-academic settings. To learn more about Café Scientifique, click here.
