Scientific and Technical Groups
There are four groups described on this page:
| Computing and Computer Workshop Groups |
| Geology Group |
| Science and Technology Group |
Computing and Computer Workshop
Computing meets at the Lancaster Friends Meeting House in the morning of the second Wednesday in each month and the Computer Workshop group meets on some Friday afternoons at the Adult College using one of their computer suites. Both group sessions are usually self-standing and both group have a variable membership with a core of regulars. You can just turn up. At both venues we have broadband internet access.
Computing Group
The Wednesday sessions each month are normally based on a particular topic which is led by one of the group members and includes a presentation with plenty of time for discussions. The group is very diverse as are the presentations but our aim is for everybody to learn something more or just pick up new tricks in using PCs each month.
Absolute beginners would find it hard going as most people have their own PCs and experience of at least the rudiments of using them. It is not intended as a group to provide a full course on learning how to use a PC. We use digital projection with a laptop to enable everyone to get a clear view of the work in progress.
Computing Workshop
The Friday workshop sessions cater for people with a very wide range of knowledge. They rely on people coming with a question (which may be very general) and one of the small group of tutors present discussing it with them on either an individual or small group basis. Each person has a PC to themselves at the college so they can try out methods and gain experience of doing practical things that is vital to PC use. Because the College has a big networked system it is not possible to load special software on the machines. They do however have a lot of software pre-installed.
Some people, particularly near beginners, come quite regularly, others very occasionally and we have had a most interesting mix of questions from the standard difficulties found by beginners up to some very challenging ones that real experts get stuck on. However we try to group people on an ad hoc basis so that they can be helped to find out answers together. Because numbers vary the amount of attention each gets varies from session to session.
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Geology
The geology group formed in October 2008 and meets on the first Friday morning of each month in the Friends Meeting House, Lancaster. In addition to these meetings, we usually use the fifth Fridays that fall during the year (4 or 5) to take the opportunity of going out into the countryside on a 'field trip' - a location of geological interest.
Meetings
The main meetings are co-ordinator led by keen amateurs in the subject. These generally take the form of presentations using a laptop and projector or sometimes DVDs. We have also had the occasional practical session, such as the display and identification of rocks, minerals and fossils and a geological mapping exercise.
Although not following a set syllabus, we have initially tried to cover some of the basics of the science. Topics so far have included Earth structure, plate tectonics, rock types, metamorphism, folding/faulting and volcanoes. Along the way, as and when seemed appropriate, the geology of specific areas have been studied and presented in more depth. The next topic beginning in February 2011 will be about erosion.
Field Trips
The field trips have been well supported, proving to be very interesting and enjoyable. They have helped to make knowledge gained at the group meetings much more meaningful and understandable.
Some walking is involved, sometimes on rough terrain, so suitable clothing and boots are necessary. We travel in shared cars to the chosen area, with a small fee paid to the driver to help cover the petrol costs. The walking distance has varied between approximately 2 to 6 miles. The pace is leisurely, with frequent stops for observations and not forgetting the equally important coffee and picnic breaks. We have visited several locations in the local area, discovering many rock types (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic), fossils and structural features which include folded rocks and faulting.
In Trowbarrow Quarry, near Silverdale for instance, limestone rocks and a thin bed of shale have been folded vertically (a monocline). These rocks contain the fossilised remains of corals, shells and abundant trace fossils.
The majestic Malham Cove, near Settle displayed limestone pavements with clints and grikes. Situated along the Mid Craven Fault, the escarpment also incorporates Gordale Scar, an equally impressive limestone gorge.
Around Clitheroe, part of the Craven lowlands, coral reefs once existed in a tropical environment. Sea creatures called crinoids favoured these conditions. At Salthill Quarry, the rocks (known as crinoidal limestone) are absolutely full of the fossilised remains. Amazing. Glacial striations (slickensides) were also seen in rocks on this walk.
Among the rocks and features seen on a field trip to Mosedale, E. Cumbria were the metamorphic rock hornfels and a greison (granite altered by hot vapours), both evidence of the granite intrusion which underlies Cumbria. A volcanic plug also revealed the Lake District's volcanic past.
Folded rocks (an anticline) and the N. Craven Fault line were seen on a day out to Kingsdale Beck, Ingleton Falls. We discovered the inlier, where much older rocks, (sandstones and metamorphic slates) have been exposed by erosion, surrounded by the younger Great Scar limestone. The older rocks have been folded vertically into a syncline, partly influencing the creation of the deep gorge at Pecca Falls. We saw the famous unconformity at Thornton Force but unfortunately the dolerite dyke in the river bed didn't reveal itself to us. Maybe next time!
We are looking forward to more exciting topics and field trips during the coming months. All members are very welcome to come along and join us.
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Science and Technology
This group meets twice a month and covers a very wide range of topics. Most sessions are based on talks by one of the group members. We try to make talks useful to a very wide range of people - non scientists as well as scientists - interested in getting a feel for the physical, chemical, biological and engineering sciences or understanding the history and workings of everyday technology. We have a wide range of expertise and interests so sessions vary in a fascinating way.
Some sessions are stand alone on a given topic. Others follow on as mini-series on related topics although even these we try to make reasonably free-standing by summarising any assumptions at the start of individual sessions. We also have question sessions from time to time which help to generate ideas. We welcome both contributions and suggestions for topics to be discussed. Discussions often develop and we are very flexible and if an interesting sideline appears follow it up at an appropriate time.
Subjects can vary from history of a particular subject, through practical technology and biological problems to attempts at getting a feel for the latest discovery or theory. We try never to leave people completely in the dark while not saying any topic is off limits. We manage to skirt round almost all the Maths so do not be frightened to come along.
Many of our group members have no scientific background, just curiosity. The membership has a substantial group of regulars but others join us for specific topics that they fancy.
Most sessions use a digital projector and lap-top to aid the presentation.