Cambridge Philosophical Society

Promoting Scientific Inquiry

Founded in 1819 'for the purpose of promoting scientific inquiry', The Cambridge Philosophical Society is an exciting hub for the promotion of scientific research, discussion, and learning. Discover more…

Events

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03

Feb

Upcoming event Lent Term

To Bend or to Break?  — new views on the hardening of metals

G.I. Taylor Lecture

Professor Lindsay Greer

  • 3 February 2025, 18:00 – 19:00
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre

Kipling’s “Iron‒Cold Iron‒is master of them all” captures the familiar importance of metals as structural materials.  Yet common metals are not necessarily hard; they can become so when deformed.  This phenomenon, strain hardening, was first explained by G. I. Taylor in 1934.  Ninety years on from this pioneering work on dislocation theory, we explore the deformation of metals when dislocations do not exist, that is when the metals are non-crystalline.  These amorphous metals have record-breaking combinations of properties.  They behave very differently from the metals that Taylor studied, but we do find phenomena for which his work (in a dramatically different context) is directly relevant.

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17

Feb

Upcoming event Lent Term

Why there’s no such thing as “the” scientific advice

Professor Stephen John

  • 17 February 2025, 18:00 – 19:00
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre

During the Covid-19 pandemic, U.K. policy-makers claimed to be "following the science". Many commentators objected that the government did not live up to this aim. Others worried that policy-makers ought not blindly "follow" science, because this involves an abdication of responsibility. In this talk, I consider a third, even more fundamental concern: that there is no such thing as "the" science. Drawing on the case of adolescent vaccination against Covid-19, I argue that the best that any scientific advisory group can do is to offer a partial perspective on reality. In turn, this has important implications for how we think about science and politics. 

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News

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We are seeking a skilled Administrative Assistant to support various activities run by the Society. Closing date 18 December 2024.

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CPS Council member Professor John Carr helps to re-create a 10th Century recipe for incense from the collection of the Parker Library at Corpus Christi College.


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Funding & Grants

A long history of supporting the scientists of the future

In line with the core aim of 'keeping alive the spirit of inquiry’, the Society awards a number financial grants for future scientists, which include a three-year Research Studentships, the Henslow Fellowship, in the fields of Natural Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science and Clinical Sciences. Travel Grants are for Fellows of the Society and help support researchers to attend conferences and visit laboratories.

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Publications

Discover our Journals & Books

From Darwin’s paper on evolution to the development of stem cell research, publications from the Society continue to shape the scientific landscape.

Membership

Join the Cambridge Philosophical Society

Become a Fellow of the Society and enjoy the benefits that membership brings. Membership costs £20 per year.

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