As one of the Medical Research Council’s four foundation units, the MRC Biostatistics Unit will be playing a key role in helping to celebrate the MRC Centenary this year.

Commemorative events will be taking place across the UK and in Africa for people of all ages and all levels of scientific knowledge programme. Together, these activities will celebrate and explain the MRC’s greatest achievements as well as illustrating some of the current projects that are likely to contribute to the UK’s continuing success as one of the world’s leading nations in medical research.

Exceptional series of Free Public Lectures co-hosted by the MRC Biostatistics Unit and the Statistical Laboratory will be held between April and June to celebrate the wonders of Statistics.

Starting on 29 April, the talks will discuss from a variety of perspectives how the use of statistical evidence in health, media, science and policy affects our world. And there will be plenty of time for questions from the audience to have its say!

The former chair of NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), Sir Michael Rawlins, will talk about how evidence affects health policy, while Tim Harford, presenter of Radio 4’s More or Less programme, will present ‘a self-defence guide for the statistical battlefield’.

Sir John Beddington, former chief scientific advisor to the UK government, will address the question: What’s happening to the world? And Professor David Spiegelhalter of Cambridge’s Statistical Laboratory will discuss how statistical science has transformed healthcare.

The talks are particularly suited for sixth-formers and adults, although all are welcome.

Further references:

MRC Centenary and Cambridge StatsLab Free Public Lectures Series’ programme
Medical Research Council Centenary microsite