Some of the best scientific discoveries have occurred over a pint. The Eagle in Cambridge is famous for Watson and Crick’s custom, while an unnamed Mendeley Advisor has confessed to me that some of his best scientific collaborations and discussions occur during his institute’s weekly “beer hour.”
So what better way to discuss and learn the latest science in layman’s terms than over a pint of…well, a pint of your choice! Mendeley is about changing the way we do research, and Pint of Science is about changing the way we discuss research, so it was a clear win on both sides when we decided to team up and sponsor Pint of Science, including the upcoming Pint of Science Festival this May.
Pint of Science co-founders Praveen Paul and Michael Motskin tell us more about this exciting partnership:
Pint of Science is delighted to team up with Mendeley this year to deliver our most popular theme in the festival ‘Beautiful Mind’. Beautiful Mind encapsulates anything that is happening in our incredible brains (well, most of our brains); neural connections, psychological curiosities, how neuron wiring affects who we are and what happens when this goes wrong. Some of the best scientists in the UK will present talks on how drugs affect your brain, why people get depressed, how we recognise faces, how aging affects the brain and many more mind blowing talks. Now you understand why it’s our most popular theme!
Pint of Science and Mendeley is a natural collaboration. The Pint of Science team has over 300 volunteer organisers based across 17 universities in the UK. Our organisers are mainly postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers who are familiar with using Mendeley for managing references, papers and initiating collaborations. We are excited to work together and we hope it will continue for the years to come.
The partnership with Mendeley started by a chance conversation at an art fair between Mandy Knapp and a Mendeley fan. Mandy is an artist helping curate a unique art event ‘Creative Reactions’ for Pint of Science this year. Taking place in Cambridge, local artists have been invited to get involved with speakers and produce artworks to represent the 18 different Pint of Science events that will be happening in the city. We are thrilled to see the final exhibition in Cambridge on the 21st May.
Let me tell you a little bit more about Pint of Science. The festival takes place 18-20 May 2015. We will have around 400 scientists who will switch their lab coats for pints and come share and explain their research to the public in over 60 pubs across the UK. Each day of the festival has a wide selection of talks that will quench your thirst for knowledge. The events will take place in: Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Oxford, Southampton, Teesside and York.
What’s also special about Pint of Science is that it is an international collaboration, and while the festival is running in 11 cities in the UK, it will also be held simultaneously in 30 other cities across another 8 countries that take part in the festival. You can find more information at www.pintofscience.com.
Photo Credit: Andrew Steele
Our mission is to bring people as close as possible to the primary source of knowledge. So close that you will be able to have a chat and drink with the speaker. Each evening you can expect at least two experts presenting their research, yet every event at Pint of Science will be different. They will vary greatly and will include engaging talks, discussion panels, demonstrations, live experiments and science comedy. Between talks you can expect fun quizzes, geeky puzzles, engaging stories and other interactive activities.
Now that you know all about it and you’re feeling a bit thirsty for fresh knowledge (and a drink) come and join us for the biggest and cosiest science festival out there: Pint of Science, 18-20 May 2015 around the corner in your local pub.
We hope you can join Mendeley and Pint of Science for a pint of (beer/juice/coffee/etc) this May. Which talk are you most looking forward to attending?
4 thoughts on “Thirsty for Science: Mendeley teams up with Pint of Science”
How much money did you pay to sponsor or ‘partner’ these Pint of Science events?
Do you not think that the aims of these Pint of Science meetings are a bit conflicting with Elsevier’s (Elsevier is the parent company of Mendeley)?
Pint of Science aims to deliver interesting, fun, relevant talks on the latest science research in an accessible format to the public – all in the pub
Elsevier aims to paywall the latest science research to make it NOT accessible to the public, especially NOT in the pub.
Why then are you sponsoring Pint of Science? Is this really appropriate?
Hi Ross, who doesn’t love a pint? We sure do!
Mendeley is all about helping science move faster, and our ethos hasn’t changed. We work closely with the researcher community, and try to remain engaged and open both in person and online.
We appreciate you engaging with us here and being an active voice in the Open Science community. Hope to see you in May!
Ross, Mendeley is continuing a long tradition of supporting science communication and open science. We have supported Science Online, both in the US and the London version, we supported Science Hack Day, Open Science Summit, and many other events over the years. We even supported the recent FORCE2015 meeting at which you were present.
Our ethos hasn’t changed so our community engagement shouldn’t either. When it does, I expect you to be the first person to notice and call us out on it, and we appreciate your vigilance in this respect.
Pint of Science and Mendeley is a natural collaboration. The Pint of Science team has over 300 volunteer organisers based across 17 universities in the UK. Our organisers are mainly postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers who are familiar with using Mendeley for managing references, papers and initiating collaborations. We are excited to work together and we hope it will continue for the years to come.
Mendeley Blog 
How much money did you pay to sponsor or ‘partner’ these Pint of Science events?
Do you not think that the aims of these Pint of Science meetings are a bit conflicting with Elsevier’s (Elsevier is the parent company of Mendeley)?
Pint of Science aims to deliver interesting, fun, relevant talks on the latest science research in an accessible format to the public – all in the pub
Elsevier aims to paywall the latest science research to make it NOT accessible to the public, especially NOT in the pub.
Why then are you sponsoring Pint of Science? Is this really appropriate?
Hi Ross, who doesn’t love a pint? We sure do!
Mendeley is all about helping science move faster, and our ethos hasn’t changed. We work closely with the researcher community, and try to remain engaged and open both in person and online.
We appreciate you engaging with us here and being an active voice in the Open Science community. Hope to see you in May!
Ross, Mendeley is continuing a long tradition of supporting science communication and open science. We have supported Science Online, both in the US and the London version, we supported Science Hack Day, Open Science Summit, and many other events over the years. We even supported the recent FORCE2015 meeting at which you were present.
Our ethos hasn’t changed so our community engagement shouldn’t either. When it does, I expect you to be the first person to notice and call us out on it, and we appreciate your vigilance in this respect.