Tuesday 17th November 2026 from 19:00 for 19:30
Abingdon United Football Club (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1PL, Abingdon)

Speaker: Timothy Softley

Tuesday 20th October 2026 from 19:00 for 19:30
Abingdon United Football Club (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1PL, Abingdon)

Speaker: Professor Tim Palmer

Tuesday 15th September 2026 from 19:00 for 19:30
Abingdon United Football Club (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1PL, Abingdon)

This talk takes us back to the early 1900s, when the discovery of Radium sparked a wave of excitement in popular culture. Despite the lack of scientific evidence, Radium was marketed as a cure for everything from cancer to impotence, and its glowing properties made it a popular ingredient in consumer products. But as the devastating health effects of Radium exposure became apparent, the tide turned against it, and it was eventually recognised as a hazardous material. This talk delves into the fascinating history of Radium and its impact on society, shedding light on the dangers of misinformation and the power of scientific discovery.

Speaker: Lucy Jane Santos

Specialising in the late 19^th and early 20^th century Lucy Jane Santos is a freelance historian and consultant uncovering the hidden stories of how science and technology have transformed daily life, especially when it comes to innovations in beauty practices.

After completing a BA in Egyptian Archaeology and a MA in Museum and Heritage Management Lucy worked for several private members clubs and societies including The Arts Club, the Authors’ Club, The Gourmet Society and the International Wine and Food Society.

Lucy has appeared as a contributor on TV and radio, and her historical research has been featured by History Today, BBC History Revealed, Jezebel, LitHub, New York Post, Vogue, and on the BBC2 documentary, Makeup: A Glamorous History. Her most recent project is as Creative Consultant for the documentary Obsessed With Light a film that tells the story of the performance artist Loïe Fuller.

Her debut, Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium was shortlisted for the 2021 BSHS Hughes Prize which recognises books that communicate the history of science in an engaging and accessible way to non-specialists. Her latest book, Chain Reactions: A Hopeful History of Uranium was published in 2024. Lucy is currently working on Nobody’s Perfect: On the Set of Some Like It Hot, which will be released in 2026.

Tuesday 18th August 2026 from 19:00 for 19:30
Abingdon United Football Club (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1PL, Abingdon)

At the UK Atomic Energy Authority, robots are an essential part of achieving fusion energy. What sort of robots do we use, why do we need them and how did we get here? This talk explores the robots we currently have at Culham, their surprisingly long history, and how we use them to enable fusion research. Outside of fusion energy, we will also cover our involvement in robotics around the world, spanning from systems that can inspect the Large Hadron Collider, will process material at the world’s largest neutron source, and navigate the hazardous environments of the traditional nuclear fission industry.

Speaker: Charles Birdsall

Charles Birdsall is a Remote Handling Operations Engineer at the UK Atomic Energy Authority, working on robotic operations at the Joint European Torus (JET) fusion energy experiment. With academic backgrounds in engineering physics, mechatronics, and robotics, they have recently contributed to the development of a training course on remote handling. They plan to begin PhD research in biologically inspired soft robotics for applications in challenging environments.

Wednesday 22nd July 2026 from 19:00 for 19:30
Abingdon United Football Club (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1PL, Abingdon)

Please note this month’s event is on Wednesday.

Congenital heart disease is the term given to heart abnormalities patients are born with. Cardiac catheterisation is the procedure of inserting long thin tubes through the blood vessels in the groin, neck and liver into the heart. Neil will describe the development of cardiac catheterisation from a purely diagnostic procedure to treatment of structural and electrical congenital heart disease (holes in the heart, abnormal heart rhythms, etc.)

Speaker: Dr Neil Wilson

Neil graduated MB BS from St Thomas Hospital Medical School and specialised in paediatric cardiology during a varied career in the UK, USA and Middle East. His retirement is devoted to helping children read, Pilates, golf, playing the melodeon and Morris dancing.