February 19, 2018, by jicke

Science gets hands-on at curious city festival

Scientists from the University of Nottingham were wowing the crowds this weekend in the city centre with exciting practical experiments and activities that included foaming elephant’s toothpaste, invisible ink microbes and worms in space!

The activities were all part of this year’s Festival of Science and Curiosity returning for a fourth year, running from 14-21 February. It aims to provide opportunities for the people of Nottingham to express their curiosity and engage in science, technology, maths and engineering, learning and culture.

Science in the city

Matthew Young, Festival Producer and PhD Neuroscientist at the University of Nottingham said: “There are so many fantastic researchers in Nottingham who are passionate about their work and they’re all very eager to share it with the rest of the city; the Festival of Science and Curiosity is a great way for them to do just that! Science, technology, maths and engineering is embedded everywhere in our daily lives, but it’s all too easy for these fascinating ideas and concepts to seem very inaccessible and irrelevant to everyone who doesn’t do it for their day job. That’s why events like the festival are so important – it’s all about breaking down barriers, showcasing those who do the science and how it relates to all our lives.”

There were lots of activities for people to get involved with over the weekend. The elephant’s toothpaste experiment in Central Library was a real crowd pleaser with children watching in delight as the mixture of ingredients caused a foaming reaction.

Investigating sound with the ‘science buskers’ was also a popular activity with a number of fun listening activities showing how sound travels and is amplified depending on the material it is travelling through.

There was also be a disease detective trail where people could follow a series of clues based on animal museum exhibits to “track” bTB transmission amongst selected British wildlife species.

Partnership event

The festival is organised through the Stemcity partnership which promotes opportunities for citizen engagement in science and technology, learning and culture. It aims to make Nottingham a city where everyone can feel confident about science and technology, and where young people are inspired to consider a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Partners include the University of Nottingham, Nottingham City Council, Nottingham Trent University, the National Videogame Arcade, Broadway Media Centre, Ignite! and STEM Learning.

More information, including events listings, can be found online at www.nottsfosac.co.uk Or follow us on twitter @NottsFOSAC

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