Royal Institution (Faraday Laboratory)

On Friday evening, May 29, the EIL Students along with Profs. Berry and Dickerson visited the Royal Institution (Michael Faraday Museum) near Green Park. After visiting Faraday's Laboratory, having dinner at some of the local restaurants, the students attended a (Friday) Discourse lecture entitled "Photodynamic Therapy: Physicists and physicians unite to heal with light" by Professor Stephen G. Bown (Cambridge University, UK). The students were introduced to Photodynamic Therapy (or PDT) that offers a revolutionary new treatment option for a range of diseases, particularly cancers. Prof. Bown's lecture was given in the Royal institution's lecture hall, where Michael Faraday started the Christmas lectures in 1825. The RI today is known for its science education programs, a continuation of the tradition of scientific lectures as enlightened entertainment. The Friday Night Discourses were formal affairs with the audience in evening dress and the speaker by tradition had to start and stop his address as the auditorium clock struck consecutive hours. J. J. Thomson announced the discovery of the electron in his 1897 lecture in this room. The Christmas Lecture program, begun by Michael Faraday and continuing through today, is the oldest continuous science education program for young people.