果冻影院

This week 果冻影院 Culture News features a takeover by Oliver Patel, Manager of the 果冻影院 European Institute and Research Assistant for 果冻影院 Grand Challenges. Oliver holds an MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy from LSE and a BA in Politics and East European Studies from 果冻影院.Over the next three articles, Oliver will be reflecting on on our Transformative Technologies festival which happened back in June. The programme of events was fuelled by 果冻影院 research exploring the power of technology, and its potential to radically reshape the world we live in. So let's dive in and see what he found![[{"fid":"5371","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"600","width":"900","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]Data is ubiquitous in the digital age. Virtually everything we do, both online and offline, is measured, recorded and stored as data. Information about the messages you send, the websites you visit, the videos you watch, the food you buy, the trains you take, is sitting in a large data set somewhere, being used by someone - probably to make money. The unfathomable amount of data which is generated each day has become the most valuable resource in the world; it is the currency which fuels the likes of Google, Facebook and Amazon. The explosion of big data sets - and the tools we have at our disposal to analyse them - presents serious challenges and ethical quandaries, as well as great opportunities for advancement. Through debate, discussion and music, Big Data Sing explored these important issues, in what proved to be a fun, engaging and insightful evening for all involved.Situated in the majestic Grant Museum of Zoology, appropriately surrounded by centuries worth of data collected by natural scientists (stored in glass boxes as opposed to Dropbox), participants were treated to a banquet style setting complete with food, wine and entertainment. Throughout the evening, the Big Data Choir performed a number of big data related renditions. Songs about the opaque and mysterious nature of cloud storage solutions, and the ridiculous number of zeros associated with various units of data storage (yottabyte, anyone?) were among the most amusing hits, and provided a welcome respite from the mind-boggling topics being discussed.[[{"fid":"5379","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"600","width":"900","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]The audience was also treated to insightful talks from two 果冻影院 scientists. Dr David Barber from 果冻影院鈥檚 Computer Science department opened proceedings with a talk about big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning. He stressed that most advancements in artificial intelligence, such as search engines and self-driving cars, are driven by big data. However, big data is meaningless without big computing (i.e. enhanced computer power to process the data). Second, Dr Li Wei from the 果冻影院 School of Pharmacy spoke about the indispensable role that access to personally sensitive big data sets plays in her research. She explained that without access to medical data about the types of painkillers patients take, her team might not have established that there is a causal link between painkillers with higher sodium content and increased risk of hypertension.[[{"fid":"5375","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Big Data Sing","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"600","width":"900","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]These fascinating talks about the future of artificial intelligence and the use of personal data sparked heated debate amongst participants, who were encouraged to share ideas throughout the evening. Questions debated by the audience included how much privacy should be given up for the sake of scientific advancement, how many people should self-driving cars be allowed to kill before being considered too dangerous, and whether an advanced security safe is a better place for private documents than Google Drive. The diversity of the audience ensured for an interesting discussion, in which everyone got involved. All in all, Big Data Sing was one of the highlights of the Transformative Technologies Festival. The mixture of academic discussion, debate and music proved to be a hit, and the audience members went home with enhanced understanding of a defining feature of the modern world: big data.

One of the highlights in the 果冻影院 public engagement year is the Provost's Awards for Public Engagement. This takes place every year in the spring and recognises the fantastic work that 果冻影院's staff and students do to open up research and teaching at 果冻影院 to the wider world by engaging with communities.There were seven winners earlier in the year 鈥� which you can read about here 鈥� but we had over fifty nominations from across 果冻影院.  With such a wealth of projects, we didn鈥檛 want to miss an opportunity to shout about this work 鈥� which is all amazing.   So we decided to run this new news feature - the Provost Awards Spotlight.  This feature will run throughout the rest of the year in the run up to the next Awards, and will tell the stories of these individuals using their platform at 果冻影院 to mobilise, inspire and amplify.[[{"fid":"5575","view_mode":"medium","fields":{"format":"medium","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Ruth Slatter","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"left","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"medium","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Ruth Slatter","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"left","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"400","width":"400","class":"media-element file-medium"}}]]This month we鈥檙e featuring Ruth Slatter, who has just completed her PhD in the 果冻影院 Department of Geography. Her research focuses on the material design of Methodist practices in London from 1851 to 1932 and the everyday experiences of their congregations.Ruth鈥檚 project, 200 Years of Methodism in Stoke Newington celebrated the anniversary of the first Methodist church built in Stoke Newington, and the opening of a brand new church on the original site. She told us, 鈥淭he project aimed to engage both the church鈥檚 congregation and the local community in the history of Methodism in Stoke Newington and introduce them to the new church building, which was specifically designed to be a flexible space for community use鈥�.[[{"fid":"5579","view_mode":"xl","fields":{"format":"xl","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Stoke Newington Methodist church","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"漏Tim Crocker","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"%3Cp%3E%26copy%3BTim%20Crocker%3C%2Fp%3E","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"xl","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Stoke Newington Methodist church","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"漏Tim Crocker","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"%3Cp%3E%26copy%3BTim%20Crocker%3C%2Fp%3E","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"580","width":"870","class":"media-element file-xl"}}]]Ruth helped the church's launch by working with members of the church's community, local historians and a photographer to run events, produce a podcast, and host an exhibition of the area's historical geography.  Julian Cowie, architect of the new development said of the church's opening ceremony, 鈥渢he youngest member of the church unveiled the foundation stone which has been laid in the entrance foyer space and is inscribed with an excerpt from scripture that is important to the ethos of the church. The service was a joyous occasion filled with music and blessings for the new church and the Methodist community in Stoke Newington.鈥漈he words committed to stone like this seemed an appropriate symbol for the wider context of Ruth鈥檚 research. The idea of personal reflection being built into the fabric of the building is an interesting parallel to some of the questions Ruth was asking the congregation.鈥淧art of my research is interested in exploring how the physical design of church buildings affects how people engage with their religious practices. For example, I ask questions like how does the arrangement of the seats affect what congregation members can see, how does the position of the windows and the light conditions influence the mood of the space?鈥漑[{"fid":"5587","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Stoke Newington Methodist church stained glass","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"%3Cp%3E%26copy%3BTim%20Crocker%3C%2Fp%3E","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Stoke Newington Methodist church stained glass","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"%3Cp%3E%26copy%3BTim%20Crocker%3C%2Fp%3E","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"580","width":"712","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]Ruth commissioned photographer Susanne Hakuba to capture members of the congregation in the new church, in poses reflective of their faith. She displayed the photos with short testimonies - an idea we loved.[[{"fid":"5599","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Congregation members","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Congregation members","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"2000","width":"2000","class":"media-element file-large"}}]][[{"fid":"5603","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Congregation members","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Congregation members","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"2000","width":"2000","class":"media-element file-large"}}]][[{"fid":"5607","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Congregation members","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Congregation members","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"2000","width":"2000","class":"media-element file-large"}}]][[{"fid":"5611","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Congregation members","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"%3Cp%3EPhotography%20by%20Susanne%20Hakuba%3C%2Fp%3E","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Congregation members","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"%3Cp%3EPhotography%20by%20Susanne%20Hakuba%3C%2Fp%3E","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"2000","width":"2000","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]鈥淭he portraits are much more than representations of congregation members in physical spaces and they begin to reveal how church spaces are 'metaphysical' spaces, spaces created by individuals' lived experience in, and memories of, these places. When these portraits were taken each congregation member was asked to stand in a pose that reflected their approach to worship and in the exhibition these portraits were accompanied by a short biography. These biographies included quotes from each congregation member about their experience of church, religion and faith".One congregation member said,"I like the Methodist Church, which is like a second home to me. If I don't come to church I feel very unhappy. I look forward to coming to church. I look forward to meeting people. I look forward to worshiping. I like the Methodist Church and their style of worshiping and I like their method of Christianity. The method is: 'All are welcome".Ruth鈥檚 inquisitive approach to public engagement has had a lasting impact on the church and its visitors. She told us, 鈥淭he exhibition and events arranged to celebrate the church鈥檚 opening encouraged members of the local community to come into the church and they now host a community activity on nearly every day of the week!鈥漑[{"fid":"5615","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Stoke Newington Methodist church","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"%3Cp%3E%26copy%3BTim%20Crocker%3C%2Fp%3E","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Stoke Newington Methodist church","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"%3Cp%3E%26copy%3BTim%20Crocker%3C%2Fp%3E","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"580","width":"870","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]Her work also leaves us with some really interesting questions to ponder, whether we are religious or not. How do the spaces you use each day affect your mentality? Do you have favourite places to go and think? How can we use spaces more effectively to create community?We鈥檇 love to hear your thoughts as we continue the conversation on Twitter @果冻影院Culture.