Hi everyone,
Today was a busy day. In the morning, we visited a variety of sights. I visited University College London, where we learned about a range of topics in biomedical engineering. First, we learned about Near-Infrared Imaging (NRI), a non-invasive technique for monitoring brain usage. Next, we learned the basics of biochemical engineering; in essence, it consists of feeding micro-organisms and motivating them to produce certain desirable enzymes and proteins.
In the afternoon, we heard from Sir Colin Blakemore, who spoke about human vision and how easily it can be fooled. I particularly appreciated this card trick, even though I’d seen it before.
Following the lecture, I raced to the dinner hall to grab something to eat (at 4:30pm), as I had a poster presentation to go to. Almost 200 students talked about their projects. The most amazing project there was far and away an Italian boy’s product that could monitor air quality and communicate it to your phone with a slick app. Both the app and the device looked beautiful and cost a minimal amount, and the presenter was barely 17. It is inspiring to hear from such ambitious and impressive young individuals.
Following poster presentation, a number of us (18 or older) attempted to find a pub that accepted foreign drivers’ licenses as valid ID. Succeeding in this endeavour took several tries, meaning that their kitchens had closed by the time we’d arrived. Consequently, I still have yet to try authentic British Bangers and Mash.
As always, I’m about to fall asleep at the keyboard, so goodnight!
Hi Perrin, I just caught up with your blog – love it! Liked your Canajun outfit and hope the quadcopter went down well! I was 9 when I went to London, on my own, by train, met and shown around by Ancient Cousins. It looked pretty different from rondavels and veldt.
Hope you get your beers and do try Melton Mowbray Pie. Excellent pub fare.
Granny
Haven’t had much chance to do pub crawls yet; it is likely it won’t happen until after LIYSF ends.