One of the hidden germs behind the Mall, beyond the highness, lies the society of science, a…read moreFellowship of the world's most eminent scientists and the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.
The Kohn Centre in the Society recently hosted a talk with Douglas Melton, the Head of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. The set up matched perfectly with the event, from the reception hall exhibition to the paintings on the Centre Walls. This led me to explore the venue hires... Surprisingly such a luxurious place, with 1500 fellows including 70+ Nobel Laureates, it has a modest cost for public venue hire, esp. those with charity status, compared with those of the Royal Institution of Great Britain.
Although a membership only working place, the Society opens to public with limited guided tours and a serious of interesting public lectures. These are the last days of the Exhibition: "The Royal Society: 350 Years of Science" featuring a number of treasures from the Royal Society's extensive collections of archives, rare books, artefacts, and portraits. I particularly liked the women scientists section.
It is a fortune that the society offers library facilities (70,000+titles) free to public (registration required) and the reading rooms have wireless internet. Imagine one works there with full inspiration from the greatest minds :-)
"To expand the frontiers of knowledge by championing the development and use of science, mathematics, engineering and medicine for the benefit of humanity and the good of the planet." (RS' Mission)