National Conference Speaker Biographies Rosie Whitehouse Rosie Whitehouse, author and broadcaster, studied international history, then Russian Government Politics at L.S.E. She had a successful career at BBC World Service until she became a mum. She then spent five years as a housewife in the war torn Balkans, married to the correspondent of The Economist. Back in London, she continued developing her ironing skills as she built a new career as a freelance journalist. Rosie has written on parenting and family issues for a wide range of newspapers and is the author of 'Take the Kids: South of France'. (Cadogan 2003) Rosie lives in Shepherd's Bush with her husband, the front line reporter Tim Judah and their five children. In her latest book 'Are we there yet? Travels with my frontline family', she recounts how, in Sarajevo, they 'heard the firing of the shots that started a war', and how she had to explain world events to her children as they unfolded and dad donned his flack jacket once more. Rosie's book will be available for purchase in the University Hall after her talk. Andrew Lound Andrew Lound, lecturer, writer, broadcaster and astronomer has been presenting public lectures and `staging exhibitions for thirty years. He regularly tours the UK with his Odyssey Class Dramatic Lectures and works both here and abroad. Andrew specialises in space science and astronomy from both a current and historical perspective. After many years of dedicated research, he is now also recognised as one of the world's leading authorities on the Titanic. Andrew is the UK Regional Coordinator for the Planetary Society, which is the world's largest space group. He can be heard regularly on BBC Radio WM where he is known as "The Urban Spaceman" or WM's Titanic Expert. His current projects include working with the California Institute of Technology, JPL on promoting the Cassini Mission to Saturn; also acting as project manager of The Antoniadi Project - a concept of a space probe to the Hellas Region on Mars. Roy Jones Roy Jones is a physician/geriatrician and Director of The Research Institute for the Care of the Elderly in Bath. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Bath. He started the Institutes Memory Clinics in 1987. His special interests include age related memory and cognitive decline; development of new drug treatments for Alzheimer's Disease and related conditions and how to measure quality of life in people with dementia. An invited expert adviser to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) for reviews of drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease, he is also a member of the current NICE Guideline Development Group for dementia. He is the author of more than 100 publications, articles, chapters and books including "Drug Treatment in Dementia". What is the future for those with no past? Neil Champness Neil Champness is Professor of Chemical Nanoscience at the University of Nottingham, Senior Advisor to the British Council on matters relating to Science and Engineering and a British Council Science Ambassador, a role that arises, in part, due to his experience in communicating science to the public. His specialism is nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is science and engineering at the scale of atoms and molecules. 'Nanotechnology has been labelled as either a great saviour or a great danger for society. On the one hand nanotechnology has been proposed as an answer for new computing technologies, new ways of cleaning the environment and new methods for improving people's health. It has even been suggested that nanotechnologists could make tiny machines that could perform surgery inside people's bodies! On the other hand nanotechnology has been described as one of the greatest dangers to the modern world which could turn everything into 'grey-goo'. Some reports have even described nanotechnology as one of the top ten things most likely to end the human race.' Neil has lectured in many countries and had extensive radio and media coverage, including BBC Radio 4 and world Service. He has also led an exhibit at the Royal Society Exhibition (2004) which covered aspects of nanotechnology. June Hannam June Hannam is Professor of Modern History at the University of the West of England, Bristol. Her research and writing has focused on feminist and socialist politics since the late nineteenth century. As a founding member of Women's History Network, she has played an active role in promoting women's history at a national and local level. June has always been concerned to reach a wide audience and to explore the relevance of history for women's lives today. She regularly gives talks to local history groups and sixth form conferences, writes for A level magazines and, with two other colleagues, has produced an Encyclopaedia of International Women's Suffrage (1999). She has made a film on the Suffragettes of Batheaston, broadcast in the History trail series on HTV. Her most recent publication is Feminism (Longman Pearson 2007)