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== Our Next Meeting ==
== Our Most Recent Meeting ==


Our next meeting is Prof Martyn Thomas, on the 15th February who will give a talk entitled '''Cybersecurity: the scale of the threat and why we have made almost no progress towards a solution'''. This is a very current topic, with suggestions that Russia is now a cyber superpower, with the ability to influence the outcome of US presidential elections with its hacking, and reports coming out almost every week saying that UK businesses are not adequately equipped to deal with threat of hackers.
Our last meeting was with Prof Martyn Thomas who will give a talk on the 15th February  entitled '''Cybersecurity: the scale of the threat and why we have made almost no progress towards a solution'''. This was a fascinating talk which had several of us wanting to throw away our smart phones, and tape over our webcams. He offered a compelling argument that until software developers are held strictly liable for failures of security of the applications they sell, to banks for example, the problem will remain. Currently, the indemnity insurance provided against losses by customers of financial institutions removes the incentives to force providers of mission critical software to protect the public.
 
Prof Thomas is the first Gresham College Professor of Cybersecurity, and has extensive hands on experience in this field.


Read more about the meeting [[Martyn Thomas|here]].
Read more about the meeting [[Martyn Thomas|here]].
If you are a member of the [http://www.reformclub.com/ Reform Club] Science Group and Technology Group, please contact a member of the committee for access to the rest of this site.


== Joint Meeting With Cryptos: 27 February 2017 ==
== Joint Meeting With Cryptos: 27 February 2017 ==

Revision as of 10:31, 19 February 2017

Our Most Recent Meeting

Our last meeting was with Prof Martyn Thomas who will give a talk on the 15th February entitled Cybersecurity: the scale of the threat and why we have made almost no progress towards a solution. This was a fascinating talk which had several of us wanting to throw away our smart phones, and tape over our webcams. He offered a compelling argument that until software developers are held strictly liable for failures of security of the applications they sell, to banks for example, the problem will remain. Currently, the indemnity insurance provided against losses by customers of financial institutions removes the incentives to force providers of mission critical software to protect the public.

Read more about the meeting here.

Joint Meeting With Cryptos: 27 February 2017

Following on from the very successful joint meeting with the Economics and Current Affairs Group in November, we invite you to a joint meeting with Cryptos, the Reform society Devoted to Military History and Intelligence.

Charlie Hall has won the inaugural MRD Foot Memorial Prize awardeb by Cryptos at the Reform. His essay, which will form the basis of his talk, is entitled British Exploitation of German Science and the Start of the Cold War.

Charlie Hall is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Kent who has won the prize for an essay in the general subject of "Science and Conflict in the 20th Century".

The prize will be presented by Professor Mirjam Foot who will preside at the meeting. Major-General Mungo Melvin CB, OBE will offer an appreciation

Reserving tickets for the Joint Meeting

Please note the that we will follow the Cryptos meeting format. and not the normal Science Group one. The start time is 6.15 FOR 6.45pm, with the talk preceding an optional buffet supper.

Tickets may be reserved via the calendar in the members’ section of the website or by contacting:[email protected] or by telephoning 020 7747 4603.

Cryptos tickets are available for £15.00 per person. (this includes a reception drink on arrival). For convenience, please copy your e-mail to [email protected] and to [email protected].

A buffet supper at 8.00 p.m. is available at an additional cost of £33.00 which includes a drink. Please note this must be booked in advance along with any notice of any special dietary requirements no later than noon the day before the event.

Additional drinks may be purchased during the buffet. Digestifs are served in the Smoking Room after dinner.

Note that prices are subject to revision by the Club.

Last Meeting - The Impact of Science and Technology on the Development of the NHS

Sir Richard Sykes, one of our most eminent scientists addressed the huge question of how technology might survive the NHS, arguably the most-loved of Britain's institutions, but one that is facing a more challenging future than ever before.

Note that as this meeting will be in the Library and the dress code will be evening dress. Following the Econ Group's convention, those who are coming directly from work or are travelling are welcome to attend in lounge suits.

For more details, please visit the Richard Sykes page.

Current Programme

Dates for 2017 are as follows (all meeting are on Wednesdays, usually the 3rd one of each month):

Month Day of Month Speaker Title
February 15th Prof Martyn Thomas Cybersecurity
March 15th Prof Anil Seth Machine Consciousness
April 19th Prof Peter Wilson Anti-Microbial Resistance.
May either 16th, 17th, Giles Yeo Are your genes to blame if your jeans don't fit?
June 21st To Be Confirmed To Be Confirmed
September 20th Dr Paolo Tasca Bitcoins and the Blockchain
October 18th To Be Confirmed To Be Confirmed
November 15th To Be Confirmed To Be Confirmed

For more information, please visit our Meetings page.