Surrey U3A Network

Events

Study Days

Study days are open to all U3A members and guests are very welcome. They are held in the Menuhin Hall, Stoke d'Abernon; starting at 9.30am with registration and running from 10am to 4pm. We now offer hybrid events so that members who wish can view the study days from home. The fees from February 2023, including coffee/tea and biscuits, are £12 for members, with the same fee for virtual attendance, and £15 for guests. Attendees should bring a packed lunch and prior booking is necessary. You can use the on-line form on the Contact page to send a message to Denise Dobbs, Booking Secretary, with comment on the organisation or content of the study day or with any ideas the future programme. For information the list of study day titles over nineteen seasons is given here. Surrey Network treats your privacy rights seriously and our Privacy Policy can be found by following the link. A History of Study Days. gives a brief account of the development of the Surrey Network activities. See below for the details of our current programme and for the study day booking sheets.

When study day hand-outs are available for download they will be mounted on the website for a period of three months.
Polar Exploration & Arctic Frontiers
-----Notes on Polar Regions
-----Charting the Arctic
-----Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton
Quarks, The Universe & Everything
-----Scales of the Universe
-----Fundamental Particles - Meet the Family
-----Symmetries in Nature & Missing Antimatter
-----Nature\'s Ghosts - The Mysterious Neutrino
The Jazz Age & Beyond
-----YouTube Videos
-----Introduction Part 1
-----Introduction Part 2
Understanding AI
-----Artificial Intelligence Everywhere - Ian Hawker - 40 slides in pdf file.
-----How AI Works - Peter Lord - 50 slides in google docs link.
-----The Challenges of AI - Andrew Rogoyski - 53 slides in pdf file.
-----Making AI Your Friend 1 - Alan Freeland - 10 slides in google docs link.
-----Making AI Your Friend 2 - Alan Freeland - 17 slides of ChatGPT descriptions of images.

South East Forum Summer School

The South East Forum Summer School, which is held at the University of Chichester, has been run since 2005 with breaks in 2020 and 2021 for the pandemic. This year it ran from Monday 2nd to Thursday 5th September. Dates for 2025 have yet to be announced.

Dates for your Diary
Study Days
Fri Nov 15th Understanding Lowry: The Man, His Life & His Works
Presented by Maria Chester, Arts Society Lecturer & Berwick Visual Arts Researcher
Places will be available in the hall or for online viewing.
Fri Feb 21st 2025 Pioneering the NewSpace Revolution
Presented by Professor Craig Underwood, Emeritus Professor of Spacecraft Engineering, University of Surrey
Places will be available in the hall or for online viewing.
Fri Mar 21st 2025 Exploring Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion
Presented by Sandy Burnett, Musical Director and Broadcaster
Places will be available in the hall or for online viewing.
Fri Apr 11th 2025 Vincent van Gogh & Painting in C19 France
Presented by Leslie Pitcher
Places will be available in the hall or for online viewing.
Fri May 16th 2025 The Asian Century?
Presented by Steve Bird
Places will be available in the hall or for online viewing.
Fri Jun 20th 2025 Study day on NHS Reform planned.
Places will be available in the hall or for online viewing.
Fri Sep 19th 2025 Study day on Concorde planned.
Places will be available in the hall or for online viewing.
Fri Oct 17th 2025 Study day on Hampton Court planned.
Places will be available in the hall or for online viewing.
Fri Nov 21st 2025 Study day on UK Industry planned.
Places will be available in the hall or for online viewing.