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Start the Week

Image for Ian Stewart, Peter Randall-Page, Mark Miodownik, Jane Rapley

Listen now 43 mins

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Ian Stewart, Peter Randall-Page, Mark Miodownik, Jane Rapley

Duration:
43 minutes
First broadcast:
Monday 20 February 2012

On Start the Week Tom Sutcliffe looks at how science has shaped our civilisation. Mark Miodownik explores how the discovery of new materials has transformed the way we live, from the Stone Age to the Silicon Age. While the mathematician Ian Stewart argues that calculations made centuries ago have led to untold innovations, and that mathematical equations really have changed our world. The natural world is the starting point for the sculptor, Peter Randall-Page and his abstract geometric form carved in stone. And Jane Rapley from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design considers how far fashion designers are influenced by modern materials and techniques, and inspired by the natural world.
Producer: Katy Hickman.

  • IAN STEWART

    Ian Stewart is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Warwick University and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

    17 Equations that Changed the World is published by Profile Books.

    Ian Stewart

  • PETER RANDALL-PAGE

    Peter Randall-Page is a sculptor whose work is held in public and private collections throughout the world.

    Two monumental sculptures, 'Fructus' and 'Corpus', are to be installed in Riverside Walk Gardens in Millbank, London at the end of April for 6 months to coincide with the Olympics, as part of Westminster City Council's 'City of Sculpture' Festival.

    Peter Randall-Page

  • MARK MIODOWNIK

    Mark Miodownik is an engineer and materials scientist and the Professor of Materials and Society at UCL.

    Metal: how it works is part 1 of a 3-part series on the science of materials which will be broadcast on BBC 4 in the spring.

    Mark Miodownik

  • JANE RAPLEY

    Jane Rapley is Head of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and has been involved with design education for forty years.

    Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design

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