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Three weekend courses taking place at the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) over the next few months that might be of interest to MEMBERS and other people involved with Haddenham Conservation Society.
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All of our courses are taught by Cambridge experts and are of a quality you would expect from one of the world’s leading universities. They will all be held at ICE’s home, Madingley Hall, an elegant 16th century mansion on the outskirts of Cambridge with some of the finest gardens in the region.
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Plants and their uses – 16 to 18 May
A course featuring some of the plants that have provided us with our foodstuffs, beverages (both hot and cold), medicines, clothing, building and other materials. Our enquiries will range from the origins and evolution of cereals to the importance of plants in the textile industry and an investigation of the tea leaves! Plants for making beer, wine, paper and cancer cures will all get a look-in during the weekend. This course will be taught by naturalist and author, Dr Patrick Harding. www.ice.cam.ac.uk/plants |
| The little things that run the world: the secret lives of insects – 30 May to 1 June Three-quarters of all animal species are insects. They are crucial for the healthy functioning of ecosystems and crop production. Despite this, many people dislike or fear insects. In this weekend we will learn more about this amazing group: their behaviour, morphology, and evolution. I hope you will go away with a love of insects or, at least, a grudging respect. This course will be taught by ICE Academic Director for Biological Sciences, Dr Ed Turner. www.ice.cam.ac.uk/insects |
| Bees, flies and flowers: the ecology of pollination and why it matters – 6 to 8 June Are you worried about the plight of wild bees and other pollinators? These insects provide a crucial service pollinating crops and wildflowers. Yet there is widespread concern about their decline. This course will teach you how to identify and monitor common pollinators such as bumblebees and hoverflies, how to measure their importance to flowers, and how you can contribute to pollinator conservation. You will learn to assess your own garden for its value to pollinators. You will try out practical techniques used in pollination ecology, including preparing a pollen sample for microscopic examination and measuring insect behaviour. Expect to go home with an entirely different view of flowerbeds and road verges. This course will be taught by science writer, broadcaster and pollinating insects expert, Dr Lynn Dicks. www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bees |
| Additional information Each of these courses will begin with dinner at 7pm on the Friday, and disperse after lunch the following Sunday. The venue, the splendid Madingley Hall, is located three miles west of Cambridge, and combines comfortable en suite accommodation, excellent teaching facilities and extensive gardens landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown. The fee for each course, which includes meals from the Hall’s award-winning kitchen, will be £240. Accommodation on the Friday and Saturday nights in one of the Hall’s en suite bedrooms is available if desired for £110, or £90 per person for two people sharing. These are just a small selection of the biological sciences courses taking place at ICE. The full range can be found at www.ice.cam.ac.uk/biological-sciences. If anyone has any questions about any of the above courses, or about studying at Madingley in general, please don’t hesitate to ask. I would be very happy to send over some flyers if you’d like to receive some printed materials. James Burton Marketing Assistant Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge Madingley Hall, Madingley, Cambridge CB23 8AQ T: +44 (0)1223 746421 E: james.burton@ice.cam.ac.uk W: www.ice.cam.ac.uk * 140 years of continuing education at Cambridge 1873–2013 * * Become a Friend of Madingley Hall: www.ice.cam.ac.uk/friends * |
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