As fascinating as physics can be, it can also seem very abstract, but behind each experiment and discovery stands a real person trying to understand the universe. Join us at the Cavendish Laboratory on the first Thursday of every month as we get up close and personal with the researchers, technicians, students, teachers, and people that are the beating heart of Cambridge University’s Physics department. Each episode also covers the most exciting and up-to-date physics news coming out of our labs. If you want to know what goes on behind the doors of a Physics department, are curious to know how people get into physics, or simply wonder what physicists think and dream about, listen in! Join us on Twitter @DeptofPhysics using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
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episode 19: Ain Bailey & Gemma Bale: Exploring the Intersection of Sound, Science, and Music
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Here’s a question for you dear listener. What’s the link between music and physics? What is the sound of physics? Today we're diving into a fascinating world where art, science, and music intersect. Joining us in our studio are two incredible individuals who have embarked on a journey that brings together the realms of sound, physics, and human emotion.
Ain Bailey is a composer and the second Cavendish Arts Science Fellow. Cavendish Arts Science creates collective encounters between art and science that explore the world, our humanity and our place in the world.
Ain’s practice explores sonic autobiographies and the constellation of sounds that form individual and community identities. Her compositions are often inspired by reflections on silence and absence, feminist activism and architectural acoustics.
Dr Gemma Bale is an assistant professor of Medical Therapeutics at the University of Cambridge, and the head of the Neuro Optics Lab. Sitting at the junction of engineering and physics, her team develops new, non-invasive optical devices to monitor brain metabolism in areas which traditional brain monitoring can’t. Lately, she’s been exploring the relationship between music and dementia, and it was only a matter of time before she and Ain’s worlds collided, and a conversation sparked.
With Ain and Gemma, we talk about music of course, and how our brains react to it, exploring the unknown and bridging the gap between art and science.
Useful links- Ain’s performance ‘The Cavendish: A Tone Poem’ at Girton College (Cambridge) is on Saturday 23rd September at 3pm– Book ahead! She will also perform at Café Oto (London) in November, look out for the date on their website.
- The annual Cavendish Arts Science Fellowship is delivered in partnership with Girton College, thanks to the vision and generous support of Una Ryan. Cavendish Arts Science will soon announce their new Fellow for 2023/24, stay tuned!
- Explore Gemma’s research on her Neuro Optics Lab website
- See and hear more of Ain’s work on AIN BAILEY (tumblr.com)
- To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.
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Episode credits
- Hosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Vanessa Bismuth
- Recording and Editing: Chris Brock
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy