By Dan Brayson, King’s College London, @DrDanBrayson
Join us in London for Europhysiology 2018 to experience all sides of London’s metropolitan lifestyle – intellectual, social and cultural!
The esteemed poet and writer Samuel Johnson wrote in 1777, “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” As a current resident I must confess it is as true today as it was 241 years ago.
The reasons for this are many. From the perspective of intellectuality, I find, as an academic researcher, that London is a melting pot of so much excellent research and innovation. I am a researcher at King’s College London and the fact that we share the city with Imperial College, University College London, Queen Mary University and the newly minted Francis Crick institute, means that I constantly find myself able to attend symposia and forums during evenings and weekends, more than you could wave the proverbial stick at.
These have enabled me to observe all of the excellence occurring at the frontier of scientific research as well as broaden my appreciation of what can be achieved as a person of science in any capacity and helped me to meet people who have done things a little differently. My post-doctoral funding runs out in six months, and I don’t have anything concrete planned, yet I am relaxed about my situation because of these experiences and interactions.
With regards to sociality, London indeed has all that life can afford. There are thousands of metaphorical and literal drinking vessels to enjoy, many of which have quirks (or “USPs” for the jargon inclined). These include places to dance and drink, take part in immersive theatre and drink, play ping pong and drink, even stand on a boat and drink. Whether you prefer the razzmatazz of cocktails or the seedy drinking holes which hark back to a bygone era, London has it all. London also has a surprisingly large number of green spaces if you just wanna hangout in the sunshine (but don’t forget to bring an umbrella).
Perhaps London is most famous for its culture. London is densely packed with small venues which on any given day of the week will be showcasing live music, comedy acts, poets, players and writers. The same is true on a grander scale (if you like Coldplay or One Direction…). If you need a fix of Andrew Lloyd-Webber, the West End is your tonic as it shows a constant stream of the most famous musicals you’ve ever heard of.
Museums are plentiful. The British Museum plays host to the Rosetta Stone and contains thousands of other archaeological artefacts (the good kind of artefact), the Science Museum is worth a look in (predictably) but the jewel in the crown is the Natural History Museum. There are the impressive buildings, many are a historic legacy to a founding member of the Royal Society, Christopher Wren, who by accounts, single-handedly re-designed London after the great fire of 1666. Monument is a personal favourite of mine since it was an attempt to build the largest telescope to date in collaboration with Robert Hooke, another founding member of the Royal Society. Did I mention that the Royal Society was founded in London with Isaac Newton installed as its first president?
Europhysiology 2018 will be hosted on the backdrop of Big Ben (currently under refurbishment) and Westminster Abbey, both fascinating and imposing structures sitting right next to the River Thames. The latter is a place of burial for historic figures of esteem which include scientists Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Stephan Hawking as well as someone who, by reasoning, must have grown tired of London eventually, Samuel Johnson.