We have seen some dramatic changes in science during the last 50 years or so that have changed our lives. From the Internet to mobile telephony to the discovery of DNA we have come to take for granted knowledge and technologies that our great-grandparents wouldn’t have imagined.

It’s the Cambridge Science Festival’s last day today, Wednesday 23 March, and the ‘Spotlight on Science’ lecture series concludes tonight with a panel discussion on the ‘Future Histories of Science’. How will science change in the next 50 years? What will be the major milestones that could change our lives?

Exploring the future of science not only in terms of scientific discovery but also in the way research will be carried out will be the topic of the panel discussion, chaired by Tim Radford, Science Editor at the Guardian.

The panel’s experts include three academics from the University of Cambridge who will discuss nanotechnology, planetary science and space travel and the future of computing. The speakers are Professor Mark Welland of the Nanoscale Science Group at the Department of Engineering, Dr Lisa Jardine-Wright from the Institute of Astronomy, Dr Jon Agar from the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, and Dr Peter Cotgreave of Save British Science.

The audience will have the opportunity to participate in the discussion and ask the experts questions about their respective fields and science in general.

The panel discussion will be held at the Judge Institute of Management on Trumpington Street, from 7.30pm-9.00pm.

The seminar is sponsored by Science magazine.

For more information on the discussion or The Cambridge Science Festival, please phone 01223 766 766.

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