United Rationalists of United Kingdom

ANNUAL
CONFERENCE
2019
DARE TO THINK

18 MAY 2019 | 09:30 - 18:30

JURYS INN, WELLESLEY ROAD,
CROYDON, SOUTH LONDON, CR0 9XY
/unitedrationalistsofuk
Register at https://uruk2019.eventbrite.co.uk
 URUK Annual Conference 2019
Key Presentations

Education System in the UK

Binil Paul (Private tutor with Masters from University of Sheffield)
A deep dive into the national curriculum and assessments in schools (England).

The Cognitive Miser and (un)Critical Thinking

Jaison Blesson Kolenchery (Pursuing PhD in Neuroscience)
Our brain enables us to make quick decisions and snap judgements through heuristics &
shortcuts which manifest in the form of biases & pre-dispositions to commit logical fallacies.
This presentation attempts to briefly introduce some of these.

A Demonstration of Critical Thinking in class rooms

Jomon Palakudy (Grammar School Teacher pursuing PG at Kings College, London)
Group activity to understand why critical thinking is important for Children and Adults. How to get
started with applying critical thinking in everyday life.

ADHD & Autism - Myth or Reality?

Dr Sethu Wariyar (MD, DCH, DNB, MRCP, MRCPCH - Specialisation in Paediatric Neurodisability)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism - Diagnosis and strategies to deal with
both of them.

Reality Distortion and Psychosis

Dr Rajeev Krishnadas PhD (MBBS, MD, MRCPsych)
Exploring beliefs and perceptual abnormalities in the context of Psychosis - a group of conditions
where a person loses touch with reality.

The EU and the Brexit

Dr Thomas Sebastian PhD (Department of Economics - University of Birmingham)
The origins of the European Union and the economic consequences of the Brexit.

Culture Conflicts and Parenthood

Priya Kiran (Passionate blogger and Journalist)
Analysing the conflicts & synergies between Indian and Western cultures and its impact on parents,
in the context of raising children outside India.

Messenger Photons
Dr Aravind V.J. PhD (Post doctoral researcher at University of Edinburgh)
How light helps us communicate! History, Basics, Technology involved, Advantages and Examples.

Magic of Music
Rajesh Raman (Winner of Asianet Europe talent hunt, Passionate Musician)
A mellifluous session exploring the Art, Science and Grammar of Music

The conference will conclude with an interactive Group Discussion with the audience to explore
various topics of interest and viewpoints. Scientific Temper, Freethinking and Rationality will
drive this interesting session.

URUK's objective is to educate the society through seminars and presentations, promoting science and
freethinking. We look forward to receiving voluntary contributions from all well wishers towards the expense
of running this event successfully.
Full day paid Car Parking available across the road near Whitgift Mall entrance (~£5).
Venue is ~10 mins walk from East Croydon train station.
For enquiries, please contact: 07874002934, 07702873539
 United Rationalists of United Kingdom

MAKE THE CUT

Make the Cut is a short video competition for children under 18, to promote scientific
temper and critical thinking.
The videos should impart some knowledge related to Science, Freethinking or Humanity.
Participants can submit unlimited videos of maximum one minute duration each. (may
use TikTok or similar tools)
Email the videos to unitedrationalists@gmail.com or whatsapp them to 07874002934,
07702873539 before 30 April 2019.
No language restrictions.
The videos will be published on URUK Youtube Channel, Facebook page and other
Media.
Winners will be selected by the conference presentation panel and will be announced in
first week of May. They will be felicitated at the Annual Conference on 18 May

Evaluation Criteria (100 Points in Total)

1. The message conveyed (could be Scientific Facts, Myth Busters or a scientific
worldview )  - 50  Points   
2. Creativity/Presentation/Acting  - 25 Points 
3. Videoing/Professionalism (camera angles, lighting, costumes, background) - 25 Points

Let the Young Minds MAKE THE CUT with Science!

DARE TO THINK

Check out the below Youtube playlist to get started

http://tinyurl.com/MakeTheCut-URUK