The abolition of the slave trade will be one of three public talks starting this week [Thursday, 1 March]. The free talks, organised by Bristol University will explore Bristol’s involvement in slavery, an anatomist’s guide to your organs and the differences in how humans and animals use their sight.
To mark the upcoming 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade, lecturer, Elvyn Griffiths will examine Bristol’s involvement in slavery from the time of the Saxons to the abolition of the 1807 Slave Trade Act. The talk will focus on the Triangular Trade; the 18th century trade among the West Indies, the west coast of Africa, North America and England. The talk will also discuss the end of the slave trade in this country and how long it took for the public to come to terms with this pivotal legislation. Bristol’s involvement in slavery takes place on Thursday, 1 March at Waddelow Hall, Broadmead Baptist Church, Broadmead, Bristol.
On Wednesday, 7 March, Tom Troscianko, Professor of Psychology will present Vision in humans and other primates. In this talk Professor Troscianko will examine vision in more detail, he will look at the differences between how humans use their vision and how animals use theirs to help them know about things they cannot touch or smell. The way in which the eye and the brain respond to optical information has been studied extensively in laboratories over the last 200 years. This gives us an extraordinary insight into the problems that animals have to solve and the manner in which their brains provide efficient solutions to these problems. This talk takes place at Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall, Eastfield Road, Bristol.
Following on from Alice’s recent appearance on BBC 2’s television series Don’t die young, Senior Teaching Fellow in Anatomy, Dr Alice Roberts will be unravelling the mysteries behind the human body in An anatomist’s guide to your organs. Using images created by the latest in medical imaging technology, Dr Roberts will explain how doctors can visualise the anatomy of the living body, helping us to understand how the body works as well as helping to aid diagnosis. This talk takes place on Thursday, 15 March at Waddelow Hall, Broadmead Baptist Church, Broadmead, Bristol.
The interactive talks are organised by the University’s Community Engagement Team based in the Centre for Public Engagement. All talks take place from 1 to 2 pm. No pre-booking is necessary and members of the audience are welcome to bring their sandwiches.