MSF 2010 online event programme live!

Manchester Science Festival is back!

Last year was our most successful Festival ever, welcoming over 100,000 people to events around Greater Manchester. We’re back with a programme that promises to be even more exciting and packed with scientific treats.

The online events programme is now live! Head to our What's on pages to view the programme by theme, date, audience or venue to see what’s on offer at Manchester Science Festival 2010.

Alternatively, check out these highlights...

We’ve got half term sorted to keep the whole family entertained. It’s the international year of biodiversity, so release your inner explorer at one of our many wildlife workshops, expand your mind with the magic of maths or check out our Chemistry show in British Sign Language. For a real treat take the whole family to one of exciting headline shows brought to you by Gastronuts’ Stefan Gates or the amazing Science Junkies. And don’t forget to look out for our famous science buskers out and about at a town near you!

Check out our programme for teenagers and young people. You could be the next Kate Moss and design gorgeous accessories from recycled materials. For the more adventurous, feel the full force of the physics of adrenaline-fuelled sports like rock climbing and free falling. Discuss black scientists and the space programme or the issues surrounding Facebook and social media. And remember that girls can be geeks too – check out the Girl Geek Tea Party and Hidden Glory, a performance about Britain’s only female Nobel prize-winner in science, Dorothy Hodgkin.

And for adults, relax and soak up the science at one of our evening or weekend events… experience the paranormal with the Alpha Project, listen to sweet music at Brian Eno’s Apollo and Rutherford’s Lights, or debate the future of human enhancement. Be a film buff and discuss the science behind some classic horror and sci-fi films, laugh your socks off at our science stand-ups, find out more about Islamic science or get a dose of adrenaline exploring the universe at Super K Sonic Boooum.

We look forward to welcoming you back to what is now the UK’s most popular science festival, so delve into the programme, choose your events and we hope you enjoy your journey of discovery. Don’t forget most events are free! Sit back, hold on tight and enjoy the ride!

Trailblazing across August

We've had a busy month making monsters and lava lamps, and knitting microbes. We're also very excited to announce that the programme is almost ready to be released into the wild. To be the first to hear when it's out, sign up to our newsletter.

Our monster-making activity at the Night at the Victoria Baths was enjoyed by dozens of families. Kids learnt about how animals have evolved and adapter to their environments, and then imagined their own environments and created a monster that was perfectly adapted to this world. Here's a selection of some of their creations.

The Mad Scientists' Tea Party was also tons of fun - a whole day of radioactive cupcakes, giant bubbles and herbal tea. We had a team of STEM Ambassadors on hand to deliver kitchen science activities and about 300 people dropped by during the day. Smashing. Photos by Kinopablo.

We also joined the hundreds that made it on Jamaica Day for microbe knitting and science busking. Photos on left by JayDay.

Science busking and microbe knitting at Jamaica Day

On Saturday 21 August Manchester Science Festival is heading to Jamaica Day at Longford Park and Stadium. Jamaica Day is a community Festival with loads of activities for the whole family. We'll be there science busking to the masses and knitting microorganisms! So come along and try a fizzy rocket, hear the secret sounds of the oven shelf, learn about the germs on your body and knit your very own virus.

11am - 3pm Saturday 21 August, Jamaica Day, Longford Park and Stadium

This event is free and there’s no need to book – just turn up!

Mad Scientists' Tea Party - this Saturday!

Manchester Science Festival are gearing up for the Mad Scientists' Tea Party. Here's a sneak preview of some of the activities we'll be running this weekend...

Make a monster!
Last week at the Family Friendly Film Festival's Night at Victoria Baths we ran an exciting monster-making activity and loads of kids learnt about amazing animal adaptations. Everone had so much fun that we want to run it again on Saturday! Photos from this event are now on our Flickr page.

High Peak Community Arts are bringing their Camera Obscura! This exciting installation, which is housed in a yurt, will enable you to see the world outside from inside the tent. Have a look at their website for more information.

Marbella Cupcakes, of Manchester Creative Collective, will also be there on Saturday. Come along to sample their new range of herbal teas, made from herbs from local allotments (the peppermint infusion is being made as I write this!).

Flissycakes are providing us with hundreds of delicious science-themed cupcakes, with flavours ranging from 'exploding' (containing compressed carbon dioxide for an explosive sensation!) to 'radioactive' (with brazil nuts, which contain low levels of radium). If you like the sound of these, have a look at their website.

Mad Scientists Summer Tea Party flyer!

Night at the Victoria Baths - Monster House

Manchester Science Festival will be at the “Night at Victoria Baths” on the evening of 5th August, as part of the Family Friendly Film Festival. The night will be filled with monster-related activities before a screening of Monster House at sunset. We’ll be there running fun science activities in the basement, where kids can find out about amazing animal adaptations and create their own monsters to take home!
Unfortunately, this event is now fully booked, but go to www.familyfriendlyfilmfestival.org.uk for more Family Friendly Film Festival events and watch this space for programme information for Manchester Science Festival for similar events in October!

Mad Scientists Tea Party - Saturday 14th August 2010

On Saturday 14th August 2010 Manchest Science Festival are holding a tea party in Cathedral Gardens (ouside Urbis!).

Have some chemistry with a cuppa! Come down and nibble a radioactive teacake, watch lemons levitate and learn about the science behind tea and coffee. There will be plenty of fun science experiments and arty activities for all ages. Come dressed as a Mad Scientist - the best dressed wins a prize!

This event is free and there's no need to book - just turn up!

Wellcome Trust grant for human enhancement project

The Wellcome Trust has awarded a grant to Manchester Science Festival, Contact Theatre, Nowgen and The University of Manchester to produce a creative human enhancement project for the 2010 Manchester Science Festival. This project brings together a vibrant team of young people, scientists, ethicists and artists to explore human enhancement (i.e. physical, genetic and cognitive improvements). The team will explore the latest biomedical research and the young people will develop performances (such as street dancing and science busking) that will get people thinking about the ways in which they might potentially improve their brains and bodies in the future. The project will culminate with public shows and events during October's Manchester Science Festival this year.

For more information please contact Kate Dack at Nowgen (kate.dack@cmft.nhs.uk) or look at the Manchester Science Festival website in the Autumn.

Josh Award 2010 - Call for nominations

Nominations for the 2010 Joshua Phillips Award for Innovation in Science Engagement are now open. The Josh Award is an annual award that recognises excellence and innovation in science engagement. The winner will be announced and presented with the award at the Manchester Science Festival in October.

The award is open to anyone involved in science engagement, who is recognised as an up and coming talent, with innovative and new ideas.

Previous winners include Chris Smith from the Naked Scientists, Karen Bultitude from the University of the West of England and David Price from Science Made Simple.

Download the Call for Nominations and Nomitation Form on the Festival website, to find out more about nominating someone.

Nominations must be received by close of play, 10 September 2010.

Picture: David Price winning the Josh Award in 2009

We need you! Volunteer for Manchester Science Festival...

Manchester Science Festival takes place from 23 – 31 October, with the schools programme taking place on the 19 and 20 October. Over 200 events will take place in venues across Greater Manchester.

We are now seeking volunteers to help at events and get out and about science busking. Volunteering for the Festival is a great opportunity to meet new people, get some science engagement experience and develop some great skills for your CV. More info about what opportunities are available, what to expect and how to register can be found on our volunteer pages.

We're hiring!

Festival Officer
Fixed Term (maximum of five months)
Full-time, 36.25 hours per week, Mon - Fri
Salary £18,500 per annum

Manchester Science Festival is seeking a Festival Officer to work within the Learning Department at MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry).

Reporting to the Festival Director, you will support the development and delivery of the 2010 Manchester Science Festival. You will liaise with Festival partners, co-ordinate administration for the Festival and assist with marketing, communication activities and the event programme.

To succeed in this role you will be educated to A-level standard or equivalent in a science subject. You will hold a clean UK driving licence and have a good general knowledge of science. Previous experience of working with a variety of organisations coupled with some experience of planning and running events is desirable. You will possess good interpersonal, organisational and team working skills. You will be computer literate with knowledge of Microsoft Office and other relevant computer applications and editing websites.

To download an application pack and full job description, please visit the MOSI website: www.mosi.org.uk/about-us/vacancies, e-mail recruitment@mosi.org.uk or alternatively call 0161 606 0105 to request an application pack.

Closing Date: Wednesday 26 May 2010, 4:00pm.

MSF goes east!

On the 24 May Manchester Science Festival is heading east to the Shanghai Science and Art exhibition. We'll be busking and running activities about the science of sound at this popular event. This opportunity follows a visit from the Association for Science and Technology in Shanghai to the Manchester Science Festival last year, where doctors from Shanghai contributed to our Biomedical Exhibition. Stay tuned to the blog, facebook, twitter and flickr as we keep you posted whilst we're there!

The event is also part of the 2010 World Expo which we also hope to visit and bring some ideas home for the 2010 Manchester Science Festival.

Debating matters competition - NW Final

Debating matters competition - North West and North Wales 09/10 Final

Debate is crucial in addressing issues that face society today. Debate is crucial in science. By debating issues in science, you can explore a topic from all angles, how it could affect society and find out how people really feel about a particular issue. At school I found it hard to debate issues (and sometimes still do!), often being the person who could see an argument from all sides and did not have one particular standpoint. This meant I was good at playing devil's advocate, but sometimes found it difficult to display the passion that other pupils did.

The NW regional Final of the Debating Matters competition is an opportunity for schools in the region to sit in on the final, watch lives debates and input from the audience. If I had had the chance to go to something like this at school, I think it really would have given me more confidence in debating issues and therefore feel more confident standing up and having a viewpoint.

The regional final is open to all schools, to join the audience and join the debate. The competition is keen to engage new schools, who have not previously been involved. The regional final is taking place at the Bridgewater Hall this year. To find out more about attending, check out the regional page on Debating Matters website. There are also some really great guides to the topics up for debate.

http://www.debatingmatters.com/

Hopefully see you there!

Natalie, MSF Director.

Animation 10

The 3rd Annual UK Schools Computer Animation Competition 2010 is open to all UK schoolchildren aged between 7 and 19.

- Pupils are invited to create an animated film using their computer, and submit it to the competition.
- On-line submission is now open!
- Entries can be from individuals, or groups (of up to 4 members).
- All entrants will receive certificates, and winners will receive prizes ranging from laptops to gift vouchers.

Winners will be invited to the Animation Festival and Prize giving day at The Lowry, Salford Quays.

For full details, and to register your school's interest, please visit the Animation10 website or for enquiries email: Animation@cs.man.ac.uk

Submissions close: Thursday 1 April 2010

We're the UK’s most popular science festival!

Manchester has UK’s most popular science festival

Over 100,000 people flocked to the 2009 Manchester Science Festival (MSF) – making it the most popular event of its type in the UK.

The Festival, which took place in October, was a week-long celebration and exploration of science, technology, engineering and maths.

Packed with over 150 events taking place across Greater Manchester, the Festival focused on the relevance of science to our everyday lives, its history and the work taking place in the region today.

Only launched in 2007, MSF is one of the UK’s newest and freshest science festivals – and last year’s event saw attendance increase by a massive 56 per cent from 65,691 in 2008 to 102,288.

Visitors came from the region, the UK and overseas to enjoy a total of 317 events, exhibitions, school workshops and community projects created by 57 organisations.

Events were held in 48 public, cultural, community, academic, educational, social, indoors and outdoors locations.
In total, 43,112 people attended events, 58,374 visited exhibitions and 802 took part in the schools programme.
The majority of events were free and a number were fully booked, including;

Dr Bunhead's crash test jelly babies - Manchester Central
The Luck Factor with Richard Wiseman - MOSI
Nick Arnold : The Horrible Science Show – Zion Arts Centre
Childhood obesity debate – John Rylands Library
Geek girl dinner - Sweet Mandarin restaurant
Human evolution talk by Steve Jones – Bolton Museum
Blood, vampires and science debate and film – Cornerhouse
Robot hack day – MadLab

Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson said: “Science festivals like Manchester's are fantastic at putting science in front of the widest possible audience. They convey the wonder and importance of science and engineering to people at all ages.”

Natalie Ireland, Festival Director, said: “Manchester is a great science city, boasting legendary figures like Rutherford and Turing, so it’s only right that it has a great science festival for everyone to enjoy and participate in.

“We’re absolutely thrilled with the attendance figures and it’s a great credit to everyone involved in the Festival, many of whom gave up hours of their time to help run events.

“Huge thanks must also go to our partner organisations and our funders, whose support allowed us to run a very successful and enjoyable week of events.

“We’re certainly not resting on our laurels and we are already busy planning our programme for Manchester Science Festival 2010, which promises to be bigger and better than ever.

“We’re always keen to get feedback and improve what we offer, and I would encourage anyone with ideas and suggestions for future Festivals to get in touch.”

The 2009 Festival was supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), MOSI and Siemens.

George Baxter, Director of Science and Innovation at the NWDA, said: “Science and innovation are at the heart of the NWDA’s vision to build and sustain a knowledge based economy in the Northwest. Encouraging young people to take up science at further and higher education level is vital to this, and as last year’s visitor figures show, the Manchester Science Festival is proving an enormous success in engaging young people with science. The Agency was pleased to provide its support to the event, which we hope will help to inspire the next generation of budding scientists.”

Manchester Science Festival 2010 will take place from Saturday 23 to Sunday 31 October.


Notes to editors

Festival Director Natalie Ireland is available for further comment on 0161 606 0129.

Photographs from the 2009 Festival are available on request. For more information please contact Alex Waddington, Media Relations Officer, 0161 275 8387 or 07717 881569.

We've been nominated to for a Shorty Award!

The annual Shorty Awards recognise people and organisations on Twitter. We've been nominated in the #science category. We have loved to using Twitter over the last year or so to shout about Manchester Science Festival and also tell you about other science news and events we spot going on in and around Greater Manchester. If you enjoyed the Festival and liked following us on Twitter, please give us a vote in the Shorty Awards.

Follow us on Twitter: @mcrscifest

Vote for us in the Shorty Awards

Thanks for voting for us and supporting Manchester Science Festival!

Ice ice baby... Happy Christmas from Manchester Science Festival

With Christmas day fast approaching, many of you out there are pondering on fun activities to do before the presents are opened to keep bright minds occupied, or even what to do after Christmas to burn off those turkey dinner calories and get your eyes away from Christmas repeats. Well look no further, to help you on your quest, we at McrSciFest HQ, have a couple of ideas for you to try, all science related of course...

1) Get creative and crafty and try making the amazing ice cube necklace. ABC Australia always have great hands-on science activities and this is just one of our favourites, particularly for the Festive period.

2) Get your walking shoes on and get on a scientific stroll around Manchester. Why not try it on Christmas day when the city will be quiet and hopefully covered in now. We have a couple of options on the MSF website.

3) Microbe knitting! Our patterns are still available to make your very own knitted microbe and if you're quick enough you can pop some string on the top and get it on the tree! We just can' get enough of them. Cute, cute and more cute! Find the patterns on our interactive pages.

4) There's also loads going on in our fair city over Christmas. Check out Manchester Made Easy's blog which lists their top 10 things to do in Manchester. On the list in the new Da Vinci - the genius exhibition at MOSI. We love MOSI and the exhibition is really interesting - something for all ages. Be warned - you could spend a whole day there so don't turn up at 4pm like we did! It's fab!

We hope you enjoy our little suggestions over Christmas. We'll be back with more treats, trailblazers and of course the 2010 Manchester Science Festival next year!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Manchester Science Festival x

Ice cube image courtsey of http://msp163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/courtneycolucci/Ice_cubes_openphoto.png

MSF Volunteer profile

Hello, my name's Carol and, amongst other things, I'm a scientist, a STEM Ambassador, and for the October half-term I was a volunteer Science Busker for the Manchester Science Festival. You may have seen me, and fellow buskers, in Piccadilly Train Station, the Trafford Centre, or out and about in Bolton. We had lots of different hands-on puzzles and experiments for you to try out. One of them was the *straw oboe* - a simple but effective demonstration of sound, vibration and pitch changes. All you need is a plastic straw, a pair of scissors and a lung full of air, and with a bit of practice, and a few friends, you can create your own straw oboe band! To check out me and an enthusiastic festival-goer trying out our straw oboes, watch our little You Tube video. For more information about some of the busking experiments that you can try at home now the Festival's over go to Try this at home page of the Festival website.

To find out more about becoming a STEM Ambassador, where you will have the opportunity to volunteer for the 2010 Manchester Science Festival, visit the Stemnet website.

http://www.manchestersciencefestival.com/

Image courtesy of MonkeyJunkie on flickr.

Plastics: Ask the Experts

Visitors to Plastics: A valuable resource posed some interesting questions to the Manchester Polymer Group. Here are the questions and some answers:

Vimto Vicky says heya and smile

Becky advises us to try and stop global warming by not using as many aerosols and to hang our washing outside to dry (if is not raining)

Very useful comments Becky. However it is good to note that ozone depletion chemicals previously used in aerosols are now no longer used under an international agreement.

Am from Stockport “Why haven’t all new houses/builds got solar panels/cells”

Another good question. There may be cost and public acceptance issues that need to be addressed.

Daniel Lewis from Chorlton “Do you use solar power, hydropower, geothermal power or wind power more”

Assuming that your question relates to plastics production and recycling operations, hydropower is used in those countries that have the geographical capability and have invested in this technology. As far as we are aware solar and wind power can also be used for less power demanding operations. Investment is also starting in an Energy from Waste plant in Cheshire.

Annie “Why do things melt”

Melting is the result of enough heat energy being transferred into a material, such as chocolate, to turn it into a liquid. So when you eat chocolate, it melts in your mouth because the temperature of your mouth is higher than the temperature at which chocolate melts.

Rebecca from Chorlton “Where do plastics come from”

Hannah from Chorlton “Why is plastic such a common material”

Plastics come from crude oil or gas after refining and account for 4% of the fossil fuel resources. They appear to be in common use because they are very versatile and can be used in many different ways.

Isobel “Why cannot we recycle all plastic”

Good question. It is possible to recycle all thermoplastic type materials (but not the thermosets such as light switches etc). However it comes down to the economics and, in some cases, it costs more to generate the recycled plastic in comparison to the new material. This situation will probably change in the near future.

Christie and Alexa “How many times can a piece of plastic be recycled”

Plastic can be recycled many times. Tests have shown that reprocessing can be carried out ten times without any influence on appearance and performance. This depends on good separation and cleaning of the different plastic types. In reality some fresh plastic will be added at a low level to ensure good performance of the article.

Melon “When is the plastic taken and how can we take it there to be recycled”

Emily from Chorlton “Do you have to recycle to bins”

Jay who is 4 years old “Which recycle bin do you put plastics in”

All of Greater Manchester now collects plastic bottles via your BROWN bin

Arrianne who is 7 years old “How many chairs does it take to make a key ring”

Actually a key ring only uses a small amount of the plastic from a chair. A chair will probably make something like 200 key rings.

Thomas, 8 years old “What happens if you leave your plastic in the rain”

Ben from Stockport “Why do my toys turn white when I leave them in the garden”

Most plastics are water resistant and it is one of the reasons for their wide use.

However some of the pigments that are used to give nice bright colours are not very stable in sunlight and bleach.

Roof Tile – “What about the cost and weathering. Are they fire resistant?”

The roof tiles made from recycled plastic are fire resistant and have passed weathering tests. They are more expensive than conventional tile material but have a much lower carbon footprint.

Georgia “How many machines [for recycling plastics] have been sold and how long do they last for”

David replies “Hmmm a very simple question but not so easy to answer!! We manufacture such a wide range of equipment, and coupled with the fact that the press and shredder are only now really going into production. Here are some figures based around our core product and relevant machinery:

Manufacturing totals something like 36,500 including Heat press, Shredder, Injection Moulder, Vacuum Formers and Line Benders.

Our products are generally regarded as very robust and even in the classroom environment we still repair machines which are about 30 years old, most people change due to modern advancement rather than the machine wearing out, so I guess we could safely put a figure of about 20 years

Manchester Polymer Group would like to thank all of the children and adults who posted such a varied and challenging list of questions.

2009 Josh Award winner announced

David Price from Science Made Simple has won this year's Joshua Phillips Award for Science Engagement. David is well known for his science busking, training and engaging presentation style. He was presented with the Award on Thursday at MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) at the Manchester Science Festival. Natalie Ireland, Festival Director said: "We're delight David has won this year's Award. David used to work at the Museum of Science and Industry and so it's very fitting that he has now won this Award. We are really looking forward to working with David over the next year". David will be presenting the Science of Sport on Sunday 1 November at MOSI on the lasy day of the Festival.