UCL at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

This year more scientists from UCL than ever are taking part in the Royal Society's Summer Science exhibition, which showcases the most exciting cutting-edge science and technology research from around the country. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity for members of the public to interact with scientists and ask them questions about their work. Three groups from UCL have set up exhibits: - Noisy World. (led by staff from the UCL Ear Institute) Our modern world is full of noise: from machinery, transport, radio & television, MP3 players, and other people talking. This exhibit shows how background noises of all types affect our ability to understand speech, and makes it harder for us to think about and remember things. Other factors make understanding speech in noise even more difficult; for example if we have a hearing impairment, or when we try to function in a language that is not our mother tongue. People even adapt their own speech to make it easier for others to understand.