CyberCafeSci arose from the open science Cafe Scientifique movement in response to no longer being able to hold events in wine bars, cafes, art galleries, and similar.

The aim is to bring science out of an academic setting into an informal, public conversation. The audience is made up of members of the public who are interested in science, and speakers consist of anyone interested in speaking on a scientific topic. There are no experience or qualification requirements for speakers, many of our best events have been students and non-academics who are passionate about a scientific topic.

Our definition of science is somewhat old-fashioned, so any speaker who has studied the natural world through observation and experiment, and wants to talk about it, is welcome. Formal and informal research, academics, professionals, and non-professionals are all welcome to engage with the audience.

Sessions can vary in format, and previous ones have involved:

• more traditional presentation with visual aids
• a semi-impromptu ramble about a topic
• conversational format with one of our hosts
• panel discussion about a topic of interest

Other ideas are more than welcome.

We do expect all speakers to be willing to take questions, and prefer to have questions raised and discussed throughout the session (though we can hold all questions until the end). Sessions run from 30-120 minutes depending on audience engagement, usually on Thursday evenings at 7pm London time.

Sessions are very much encouraged to be informal, and we recommend all speakers have a drink (non-alcohol is fine) in hand, relax, and enjoy the experience.