Arrival in London and transfer to UEA by private bus. See the separate flight and arrival instructions for details.
Arrive at UEA campus, check in at Thomas Paine Study Centre. Move in to accommodation at the UEA Village.
Optional: take bus 25 or 26 into town, get UK SIM card for your phone. Most phone stores will close at 6 PM today. The Chapelfield Mall has several phone stores to choose from.
Optional: pizza evening for UEA international students, 7-10pm, location to be confirmed. See the UEA international students orientation program for details.
UEA international student orientation events: see program for details. Attendance at today's events is, in principle, required. However, attendance will not be checked or enforced so use your own judgment in determining which sessions to attend.
Required, if you have not done so already: obtain a UK SIM card for your phone, or alternatively make arrangements for your US cell phone to work. Notify the director of your phone number. The phone shops in Chapelfield Mall will be open until 8 PM this evening.
6:30pm-8:00pm: Informal reception (including pizza) at Dickinson directors' residence (371 Unthank Rd., Norwich NR4 7QG). Take bus 25, get off at Colman Hospital, walk back up Unthank Road. While visiting the residence, you can also pick up a selection of used kitchen items donated by previous students. Full-year students are welcome to join us also!
Required before class on Tuesday: Purchase a 16-25 railcard from Norwich railway station. You will need a passport photo and completed railcard form; you can get photo and the form at the railway station. You have already been given the 30-pound cost of the rail card in cash when you arrived at Heathrow. (You can also buy a 16-25 railcard online, but it is likely to be quicker and easier to do it at the railway station.)
Required reading. MacKay chapters 1 to 13 (pages 1-80).
It may be useful to know something about our textbook author, David Mackay. If you are interested, check out his Wikipedia page and his TED talk.
Viewing of Mary Queen of Scots: [UPDATED on 1/29/19]
This will be an evening viewing at a movie theater, most
likely 8:15 PM at Cinema City, but the details will be confirmed
later. As announced in class, you are required to view this movie and
you are encouraged to attend with the group. Notify the instructor as
to whether you will attend the group viewing by email before the end
of the day on Monday, January 28.
Required reading. MacKay chapters 14 to 24 (pages 81-176).
Be ready for a "Mary Queen of Scots" quiz. For each of the four following monarchs: Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, James VI and I; you must be able to answer (a) what years did they reign (+/-5)? (b) over what nation(s) did they reign? (c) what is their "house" (i.e. family name)? (d) name one of their parents. Handwritten notes are permitted. And there is a small amount of extra credit if you can answer the quiz without notes.
Required reading. MacKay chapters 25 to 32 (pages 177-250).
Required reading. Tegmark chapters 1 and 2.
Be ready for an "England-Scotland Union" quiz:
Links relevant to today's class:
Required preparation: pick one Nobel prize awarded to a Cambridge University academic (e.g. from this list). Do some brief online research to find out a few details about the career of the prizewinner and the work that earned the prize. Be ready to tell the rest of the group about it (speak for 1-2 minutes).
Schedule:
Meet at Norwich train station by 8:25 AM. Depart on 8:40 AM train, arrive Cambridge 9:59 AM. Bring your 16-25 railcard.
10:30 AM: Meet in front of the Guildhall, Market Square for 1.5-hour walking tour of Cambridge focusing on history and culture of the University and also drawing on scientific themes, including Trinity College tour.
The remainder of the day is flexible. You are required to visit a museum or similar venue of cultural/academic interest and take a few notes so that you can contribute to a subsequent class discussion (be prepared to speak for about three minutes) OR if you are feeling a little adventurous you may choose to go punting on the River Cam (not the chauffeur punting but the kind where you yourself provide the propulsion). Suggested museums for sciences program students:
Optional afternoon event: meet at 3pm, at The Anchor pub on Silver Street, where the Dickinson program will be happy to provide you with a beverage.
Remainder of the day: free time. Return on any train of your choosing (e.g. the 4:35PM train arrives back in Norwich 6:13pm).
Required reading: Tegmark chapters 3 and 7.
Meet 8:50am on corner of Earlham Rd and Chancellors Drive. Board coach for departure at 9 AM. Arrive Framlingham approximately 10:15 AM. Depart Framlingham approximately 1 PM, returning to Norwich at approximately 2:15 PM. You can bring your own packed lunch or buy lunch at Framlingham.
Please be prepared for a Framlingham quiz that will take place at some time during the day. The questions will be as follows:
Required reading:
We will be departing from Norwich train station on the 11:57 AM train on Saturday, April 6, arriving Edinburgh Waverley station 5:28 PM. Bring your 16-25 railcard.
The Dickinson program is providing each student with an off-peak open return train ticket. This means you may return to Norwich on any off-peak train of your choosing, beginning on Saturday, April 13. The return ticket is valid for one month from the start of our journey, so this gives you the opportunity to explore other parts of Scotland before returning if desired.