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Crowd Sourcing Evidence Hunters: Sense About Science

October 9, 2017 @ 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Free
Evidence Hunting event pic

Every day, we hear claims about what is good for our health, bad for the environment, how to improve education, cut crime, and treat disease. Some of these claims are based on reliable evidence and scientific rigour. Many are not. These claims can’t be regulated; every time one is debunked another pops up – like a game of whack-a-mole. So how can we make companies, politicians, commentators and official bodies accountable for the claims they make? If they want us to vote for them, believe them, or buy their products, then we should ask them for evidence, as consumers, patients, voters and citizens. So how can we can we get people to ask the critical questions and ask for evidence from companies, commentators and politicians?

The Ask for Evidence campaign has seen people ask a retail chain for the evidence behind its MRSA-resistant pyjamas; ask a juice bar for the evidence behind wheatgrass detox claims; ask the health department about rules for Viagra prescriptions; ask for the studies behind treatments for Crohn’s disease, and hundreds more. As a result, claims are being withdrawn and bodies held to account.

Sense about Science, the founders of the Ask for Evidence campaign, is an independent campaigning charity that challenges the misrepresentation of science and evidence in public life. We advocate openness and honesty about research findings, and work to ensure the public interest in sound science and evidence is recognised in public discussion and policymaking.

About the speaker:

Lindsay Murphy runs a science entertainment business called Be Experimental. She joined Sense about Science in 2010, as the Assistant Director and she now coordinates our Scottish programme on a voluntary basis. She was a Senior Investigator Scientist at MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in Glasgow. Lindsay also worked on a project called ‘Telling good science from bad science’ to develop a toolkit to help distinguish good evidence from bad evidence. She previously worked at the Glasgow Science Centre where she project managed and developed exhibitions targeted at different audiences on topics from forces, perception or physiology to the ethical implications of scientific endeavour. She has worked in public engagement with science for over 15 years, developing educational activities including shows, workshops, exhibits and games. Lindsay studied genetics at the University of Edinburgh and has a Masters in science communication. She is also a reviewer for the Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious grant scheme for public engagement with engineering.


This is event is free to attend, although we will be asking for donations at the end of the talk. Participants are under no obligation whatsoever to donate, however please rest assured that the money we collect doesn’t end up in anyone’s pocket – it is used to fund our overhead costs, and travel/accommodation for our speakers who come from further afield.


Accessibility: As per the policy of the Admiral Bar, access to the venue “can only be provided to patrons who are sufficiently mobile and capable of independently evacuating premises, or with the minimum of assistance”. Unfortunately, this leaves the basement inaccessible to most wheelchair users.

Details

Date:
October 9, 2017
Time:
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Cost:
Free
Website:
https://www.facebook.com/events/149223989006153

Venue

The Admiral Bar
72a Waterloo Street
Glasgow, G2 7DA United Kingdom
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