Newbie Picks

I've just joined the Manchester Science Festival team and thought I’d begin with a blog about what I’m most excited about in the programme this year. I've picked my favourites from each section. Let me know yours!

Family Fun

Meteorite day 

Some of you may have been lucky enough to see the meteorite streaking through the sky in the UK last weekend. This event gives you the chance to get your hands on real pieces of space rock over 4 billion years old and look at moon rocks brought back to Earth by the Apollo astronauts. We’ll also hear about the ways in which scientists are using these ancient rocks to explain the mysteries of our solar system! Can’t wait! 

Make, Do and Hack

Culturing bioluminescent bacteria 

I remember watching the King of natural history Sir David Attenborough on Blue Planet, exploring the wonders of the deep, and being fascinated by the wondrous creatures living in our oceans. Creatures that can create their own light in order to repel predators or attract prey, seem very ‘other-worldly’ and I’m dying to recreate this phenomenon in our MadLab! 

Art Meets Science

What am I worth? 

The issues of organ donation generate a vast range of opinions affected by many factors but it’s a subject that could potentially affect us all during our lives. This performance explores the subject in a light-hearted way and there’s even an opportunity to test our views in an after-show debate.

Science After Dark

Science on the Screen 

As a film fanatic who loves a good sci-fi movie, I can’t think of anything better than gathering to watch this diverse range of flicks exploring the implications of scientific developments in the pop-up HD cinema in MOSI’s 1830s warehouse. Picks: GATTACA and Contagion. 

Join the Conversation

The battle for the internet 

Social media has exploded in the last five years. With many of us living out our lives online, this discussion (led by technology strategists Norman Lewis, Mindy Gofton and Keith Teare, explores the future of the internet and the controversial topic of regulation.

Walks and Tours

The archaeology of a revolution 

How many of us have walked along a street in Manchester or Salford and wondered about the history of the impressive buildings - some of which still proudly declare their origins? With so much fusion between industrial heritage and new developments, this tour takes us along Salford’s Chapel Street through to Manchester. Put on your cosy coat and enjoy as the story unfolds.

Gabriella

Request a brochure: info@manchestersciencefestival.com
Get the latest news on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to our Newsletter.

Exhibition call out: It’ll never work!

In conjunction with Manchester Science Festival this autumn, the fantastic Nexus Art Cafe have decided to celebrate the themes of invention, ingenuity and innovation in their next exhibition.

From the beauty of the blueprint to the enchanting rhythm of an ECG, the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics offer up a whole wealth of creative opportunity and inspiration.

Nexus Art Cafe are seeking artwork and imagery from artists, scientists, and engineers that showcases innovative and interesting ideas in a beautiful way.

Think inspiring infographics, magnificent maps, delightful diagrams and awesome anatomies – be it the stuff of hard scientific fact, or something a little more fantastical – the walls of Nexus will celebrate the creative side of these industries which so often gets overlooked.

If all this has sparked an idea or two, then get in touch. Please send an artist’s statement (no more than 500 words each), up to five images of the work you’d like to submit (max 1000 pixels square/72 dpi), and an artist’s CV to: submissions@nexusartcafe.com, with ‘It’ll Never Work’ as the subject title. Submission Deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 1st August.

Lab coats and goggles at the ready... Manchester Science Festival 2011 begins tomorrow!

The launch weekend for this year's Festival is going to be immense. BBC Bang goes the theory, Science and engineering extravaganza, Think, feel, move and Gaia Cabaret are some of the events on offer.

Don't miss this year's events, many of which are unique to Manchester Science Festival and you won't get the chance to see them elsewhere.

Bbbbrrrr...
Just in time for the cold weather, we bring you Polar, an amazing concert experience with the Manchester Camerata and beautiful footage from the Polar regions. This Sunday 23 October is the only chance to see Polar in Manchester.

Performances of Polar are at 3pm and 7pm. It's suitable for the whole family so whether you're new to classical music or not, make sure you don't miss this brilliant event. You can book tickets in advance online. Alternatively call 0161 907 5555 or drop into the box office at the Royal Northern College of Music to book tickets.

Share your photos and stories
We'd love to see your photos and hear your stories of from the Festival. Keep in touch by emailing us at info@manchestersciencefestival.com or find us online - details are below!

Manchester Science Festival
22-30 October 2011
At venues across Greater Manchester

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Share your photos on Flickr
Find out more at www.manchestersciencefestival.com

Primitive Streak at Manchester Science Festival

Today saw the installation of Primitive Streak for the upcoming Manchester Science Festival.

It was only four months ago I met with the people behind Manchester Weekender and said I had seen some fantastic installations by an artist called Helen Storey at Newcastle Science Festival – I wanted to get Helen to show some pieces in Manchester during the Festival and the Weekender. The Weekender team (Alex!) loved the idea. After a very quick response “Yes!” from Helen Storey and Caroline from the Helen Storey Foundation, the next few days were a blur as we frantically picked up the phone and sent emails to venues around Manchester... we wanted to bring a science inspired fashion collection to Manchester. With the help of city co, we were rushing round the city checking out shops, industrial style spaces, empty retail units and theatres. Debenhams and the Royal Exchange Theatre were instantly excited by the idea and were keen to support us. It was decided to bring seven pieces from the Primitive Streak collection and install them across both venues.

Manchester is such a fantastic place to run a science festival – organisations, scientists, the public are so supportive and open to new ideas, and really come together to make projects like this happen.

Helen carefully selected pieces from the collection to display, which tell the story of the first 1000 hours of human life. Beginning with the Sperm Coat, at conception, each piece is so detailed reflecting different stages of foetus development. They are beautiful creations, accompanied by panels explaining the science behind each one.

After a few months of hard work from the team at the Helen Storey Foundation, Debenhams and Royal Exchange Theatre, the capsule collection was installed today. There are four dresses and a hat at Debenhams Manchester main window, and two dresses in the Royal Exchange Theatre. There is also an exhibition of photos and sketches from the project accompanying the dresses in the Royal Exchange.

The collection looks absolutely fantastic in both venues, and the dresses take on a different personality in each. You have the fast-paced, high street of Debenhams and the calm, grand space of the Royal Exchange. It really brings science to life in a unique and innovative way. Primitive Streak collection was first created to 15 years ago, but looks relevant, cutting-edge and hot off the catwalk. It’s timeless. As well as viewing the installation you can join Helen at an In conversation event at the Royal Exchange Theatre on Sunday 30 October. It's free, but you're advised to book in advance.

This installation is a must-see at the Festival. You can see it from today until Sunday 30 October. Make sure you stop by Debenhams and Royal Exchange Theatre to see the pieces, have a read of the project background and explore the science. I hope you will be as inspired as I was by this amazing collection.

Natalie, Manchester Science Festival Director

See some photos from the install below.

Stand-up mathematician, Matt Parker wins 2011 Josh Award

Manchester Science Festival and MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) are please to announce that Stand-up mathematician, Matt Parker has won this year’s Joshua Phillips Award for Innovation in Science Engagement (Josh Award). Well known for his comedic maths routines and maths shows, Matt’s media work and innovative practices in promoting maths wowed the judging panel.

The Josh Award recognises up-and-coming talent in the science communication field, and innovative approaches to engage the public with science. The Award includes a cash prize of £1000, a trophy and the role of Science Communicator in residence for the Manchester Science Festival 2012.

Matt will be presented with the Award on Sunday 23 October at the Your Days Are Numbered: the maths of death event he is performing at during Manchester Science Festival (22 - 30 October 2011).

For tickets to Your Days Are Numbered: the maths of death, Sunday 23 October at MOSI and to see Matt presented with the Award, please visit the Manchester Science Festival website.

Beautiful Bacteria, Visual Viruses, Fascinating Fungi!

Microbiology and Art
MadLab
Saturday 22 October – 10 November
11am – 5pm
Cost & Booking: Free. No need to book. Drop in anytime.

Looking up at the celestial night sky or at Hubble telescope images of the universe around us, the connection between astronomy and beauty is unquestionable.

But other fields of science don’t have such a ready connection between their research subjects and beauty. Take, for example, microbiology. The study of bacteria, viruses, and fungi likely makes most people think, “Germs! Get them off me!” rather than “Ooh, that’s lovely…”

Joanna Verran, though, is out to change all that. For the 2011 Manchester Science Festival , Joanna has put together an exhibit of artwork inspired by and featuring microorganisms and infectious diseases.

After all, many microorganisms are beneficial to us, and gorgeous as well!

Manchester Science Festival blogger Nija Dalal got on the phone with Joanna, to discuss this exciting and intriguing exhibit that brings together science and art.

First off, can you describe what the event will be about?

The exhibit will demonstrate the links between science and art, specifically microbiology. The artworks were produced by science undergraduate students and citizen-scientists to illustrate the often unrecognized connections between art and science

And what exactly is microbiology?

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, the tiny living things like bacteria, virii, fungi. They are incredibly small, and have to be seen through a microscope.

Microbes can be very beautiful and very important… and there are more of them than anything else on the planet! And they’re not all there just to make us ill—many of them play the important role of breaking things down. If they didn’t exist, we’d be over our heads in rubbish on this planet!

Did you know there are 10 times more microbial cells in and on the human body than there are human cells?

That’s amazing! I knew there were a lot, but that’s astounding! What kind of artworks can festival goers look forward to seeing at the exhibit?

There are a lot of exciting artworks being shown. For example, one of my students recreated an X-ray image of a virus using sequins. It’s really beautiful. Another piece is an embroidered quilt about scarlet fever, and it also draws on Little Women, because a character in that book, Beth, dies of scarlet fever.

There are also some fascinating photographs. Overall, the exhibit will be a very visual, very artistic way to engage with science. Hopefully, people will find a new way to think about science and microbiology, because art can help to communicate scientific understanding in an unexpected way.

The exhibit features work by your undergraduate science students and by a group called DIYBIO… What is DIYBIO?

DIYBIO is a Wellcome Trust Funded group, run by MadLab (Manchester Digital Laboratory) and Manchester Metropolitan University. The group exists to encourage citizen-run science. DIYBIO held a competition among their members for artworks that related to microbiology. The winning submissions are in the exhibit.

They’ve developed an interactive microbe map of Manchester, which can show visitors where different microbes were found around the city, mostly probably from people’s hands.

So could it be that people who come to see the exhibit may have unwittingly contributed to it?

Absolutely. You may be seeing your own microbes on that map!

Why did you choose to use academic and amateur work?

Science students tend to get pigeonholed into just doing science work, and this lets them use other talents, brings in different talents and provides a different way of communicating science. For the person looking at the work, it could be a less threatening way of looking at science.

What do you think art offers microbiology? Can art sometimes show things in a clearer way or a more dynamic way?

I think the artworks make people look at science differently, think about the message differently. That can be very interesting.

Do you think art can help people get interested in microbiology?

Yes! Microbiology is a really interesting subject and this gets people to look at it in a way that’s more accessible and helps you to make links you wouldn’t otherwise. You’d never think of the similarity between something like an xray of a virus and a cultural product like sequins, but once you’ve seen the artwork, you can see how beautiful and sparkly the original xray image looks.

I really hope this exhibit inspires people to do and think about science and art as interconnected.

The Manchester Science Festival 2011 presents Microbiology and Art
MadLab, 

36-40 Edge St, Manchester, Greater Manchester M4 1, UK

Saturday 22 October – 10 November
11am – 5pm
Cost & Booking: Free. No need to book. Drop in anytime.

Don't try this at home!

We got the chance to grill the BBC Bang Goes the Theory team and we've been putting their questions and answers up on our blog. This week, it's Dallas' turn... don't try this at home!

What's your favourite science fact?
Space is big. Really big…

What's the most dangerous experiment you've ever done?
Typing this in the bath.

What's the most dangerour / extreme / exciting thing you've ever done?
I went diving in raw sewage in Mexico City. Human waste, animal waste, it was truly grim. Unblocking your own loo is bad enough, but unblocking a loo that 20 million people have been using is truly awful. For a day I was a human sink plunger.

How did you become a science TV presenter?
A strange combination of circumstances, chance encounters, a favourable alignment of the planets, hard work, and luck. There is no official career path to becoming a TV Presenter. The short story is that I devised a TV science series in America which I ended up presenting. From that I went on to present The Gadget Show on Channel Five and then on to the BBC to do Bang and my other BBC projects. That’s the abridged version at least. The upshot is, I have the best job in the world, and I’m incredibly lucky.

What do you think will be the next big discovery in science?
From what I understand, physics is on the brink of some exciting conclusions: The nature of dark matter (the missing matter of the Universe); confirmation of the existence of the elusive Higgs boson which will help complete the Standard Model of particle physics; perhaps a theory that will unify quantum mechanics (the strange physics of the subatomic world) and relativity (physics of really big stuff like galaxies). Not only will these things reveal more about the nature of reality, but no doubt throw up new, exciting questions and mysteries. That’s the really exciting bit of science – the stuff we don’t yet know. Exciting times.

What's the best thing about your job?
When people ask me what my favourite food is.

What's your favourite food?
All of it.

Questions from the fans

What is the most you've ever eaten in one sitting and what is the most that one person can actually eat?
I recently went to Amarillo in Texas. There’s a restaurant there where they serve a 72 oz steak – just over 2 kilograms of meat. Terrifying. If you eat it it’s free. But not only do you have to eat the steak, you have to eat the baked potato, the bread roll, the coleslaw and all the other stuff that it comes with. When I was there, there was an interstate BBQ rib eating contest going on. I’ve never seen more meat being consumed in my life. A truly awesome display. I had the salad. Followed by a 72 oz steak.

Do aliens exist?
“Sometimes I think we’re alone. Sometimes I think we’re not. Either way the implications are staggering.” That’s a quotation sometimes credited to Arthur C. Clarke, and sometimes to Buckminster Fuller, but it nicely sums up my daily ruminations on the subject. The short answer is, of course, we don’t know for sure, but you’d have to be a brave person to bet that the only life in the Universe is here.

BBC Bang Goes the Theory LIVE experience will be at Campfield Market Hall, near MOSI on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 October. Get your tickets booked now!

Bang Goes the Theory is on BBC One on Monday evenings at 7.30pm.

Join in QR-3D

QR-3D is an experiment in textiles and digital technology.

QR codes are grid-like images used in the same way as barcodes. They can be read by mobile phones and contain text, usually an internet address.

What happens when those codes are recreated in textiles? Does the texture of the thread and fabric stop the codes from working? How far can textiles be manipulated before the functionality disappears?

QR-3D invites anyone, anywhere to join in and find out. Simply choose a website, turn it into a QR code and recreate it in textiles.

Instructions for all of these steps are included in the project's website http://www.qr-3d.weebly.com/

Some of the works created will be selected for the exhibition QR-3D, held at Cornerhouse during Manchester Science Festival.

The deadline for submitting your work is Sunday 31st July so get making.

Image: Do Androids Dream of Electronic Embroidery, Rachel Rose

Messages from space - Gagarin celebration at MOSI

We had a brilliant time yesterday. We were making and launching rockets with the museum's fabulous presenters and 'sending' messages to and from space at MOSI, all in celebration of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space 50 years ago. Kids were asked to write messages that they would send back to Earth if they were the first person in space. Here are our favourites...

Festival Director, Natalie Ireland, making rockets.

"I have reached the moon. Let's get cake when I come back."



"Hello Mum. You are the Jupiter in my solar sytem. XXX"



"In the future we may discover bacterial life on Europa. Please can I be alive to see that."

 Check out the rest of the photos on our Flickr group. Thanks to everyone who came along and participated. We had over 200 messages and they were all fantastic!

Seeking Perfection

How far would you go to make yourself stronger, more intelligent or more beautiful? Would you get a chip in your brain? Would you be a guinea pig for stem cell therapy? These are some of the questions that young performers explored in the Seeking Perfection project, funded by the Wellcome Trust, last Autumn.

In the run up to the Festival in 2010, we worked with Nowgen, Contact and the University of Manchester to delve into the exciting mix of science, ethics and performance. Together, we worked with a group of young performers and science undergraduates to create a short, thought-provoking performance based on the theme of Human Enhancement.
First came a series of workshops with researchers and ethicists from Manchester and across the UK, including Dr Mark Gasson (the first man to be infected with a computer virus), covering the research into and bioethical concerns about Human Enhancement.


The performance was shown alongside a debate at the Zion Arts Centre.

 Over a period of 4 weeks, the group came together to debate, research and think about how researchers are pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human. Using the science and ethics as the theme and inspiration, the group created a short performace incorporating ideas from these discussions. A mix of acting, music, rap and circus skills, the performance brought together an exciting mix of performance styles. This was premiered on stage in the Manchester Arndale, the city's busiest shopping area, taking science to the streets and engaging people who might not attend a Festival event. The performance was then run alongside a debate chaired by Sarah Chan.

Most of the group who developed the final performances hadn’t studied science after their GCSEs but said that they were amazed by the research they discovered and really enjoyed getting to grips with science again.

“I’ve learned more about science… I didn’t really pay attention in school to science. Now I’ve got involved with this it’s opened my eyes more to where science is going to in the future.”

“I thought when I finished science at school I would never have to think about science again,
and I’ve learned it’s around us all the time and I should maybe pay more attention – I might blink and the world could be a completely different place.”

We captured the project on video which you can see below. It gives highlights from the project and the performance and interviews with some of the participants and project leaders.



Thanks to Andy Miah for the photo of the event at the Zion Arts Centre. You can see more on his Flickr profile.

If you would like a copy of the project evaluation for Seeking Perfection, please get in contact with Natalie Ireland, Festival Director.

MSF Innovative boardroom event with Manchester: Knowledge Capital

We’re feeling rejuvenated after Monday’s Innovative Boardroom session, which was run by the lovely Kate Pickering and her team from Manchester: Knowledge Capital (MKC). Grabbing the chance to escape from the confines of the meeting room, partners, organisers and new faces came together to collaboratively create some brilliant new ideas for MSF 2011 in a structured session.
We don’t want to give too much away, but one of our favourite events developed was a Haunted House filled with interactive workshops about the science of fear, gore and all things scary. We’re all planning to use inspiration from these ideas for programming for the festival, with organisers being able to take an event and develop it themselves.
MKC brought along illustrator Paul Chappell, who created brilliant visual interpretations of our ideas on the go. Here’s one that Kate snapped during the event.


The idea generation kicked off with a talk by Professor John Hyatt, a local artist, musician and academic at MMU whose artwork takes inspiration from science. He’s also the artist who designed the ‘windmills’ in Manchester’s Exchange Square.

John talked to us about his current passion, Cymatics (visualising sound waves by studying the movements of vibrating media such as sand), and created a beautiful simile, comparing the movements of the vibrating sand in his work (see video below for an example) to the progress and common purpose of everyone involved in the Festival. He also gave examples of generating event ideas from scientific themes (my personal favourite was ‘Shake, Baby, Shake – science, music and aesthetics’, inspired by Cymatic research).



If you missed this session but would still like to organise an event, don’t fret - it’s not too late! Just contact Natalie Ireland.

Emily Wiles, Manchester Science Festival Officer

Bring on 2011!

Happy New Year! We’re back, raring to go and have bravely committed ourselves to writing one blog a week for our New Year’s resolution. We’ll be here to ramble and write on everything from neutrons to neurons, with a particular emphasis on activity in Manchester.

Let’s start by shaking off the Christmas cobwebs and having a peek at what’s going on science-wise in the neighborhood this month!

For an epic Saturday trip, hop on the train to Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, where the World Premier of Polar will be hosted this weekend. This show combines stunning footage of Earths’ Arctic and Antarctic regions and a live orchestral soundtrack arranged and conducted by John Harle.

BBC 2 are currently running a new series, Stargazing LIVE, presented by Brian Cox and Dara O Briain, to inspire a generation to look to the skies and learn to stargaze. This started on Monday and a programme of live events around the country have been arranged to compliment these broadcasts. To experience this first hand, head down to MMU’s John Dalton building on 13th January for a talk from Dr Paul Ruffle about the birth, life and death of starts, hosted by Manchester Astronomical Society. Image by John Gray (Eoepaidh on Flickr), taken in the Outer Hebridies.
MOSI will also be running an event later in January - more details next week!

Let us know what you think of any of these events and we look forward to seeing you at events in 2011.

Emily Wiles, Manchester Science Festival Officer

Manchester Science Festival 2011 Innovation Boardroom

Join us at this creative session led by Innovation Manchester to generate ideas and connections for the 2011 Manchester Science Festival.

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” Mary Lou Cook

Any group can have a brainstorming session, but how do you make it truly productive? Sometimes we all need a little help to think of new ideas that can really work.

On Tuesday 11 January 2011 at the Museum of Science and Industry from 10am to 2pm we will be engaging in a special creative session: the Innovation Boardroom.

The Innovation Boardroom acts as your guide to be productively creative. We combine fast and furious idea generation with collaborative working that builds partnerships to get great results.

Join us at the Manchester Science Festival's Innovation Boardroom to:
- Make new connections with others involved with the Festival
- Generate great ideas that will have life beyond the Innovation Boardroom session
- Get a freshness boost in creativity, helping you tackle the everyday in a different way
- Combine forces to make the Manchester Science Festival 2011 the best it can be

Please note this is not a funding opportunity.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Natalie Ireland, Manchester Science Festival Director: n.ireland@mosi.org.uk with your name and organisation, detailing your/your organisation's experience of science engagement and why you are interested in the session.

Manchester Science Festival 2010 - reflections and thank you

Manchester is an amazing place for a science festival. There’s so much rich industrial heritage and iconic scientists to draw inspiration from and so much innovation and exciting research happening in the city, it provides a unique backdrop. The fourth Manchester Science Festival has just taken place and since it began in 2007, so many people have got behind the Festival, sharing their ideas, creativity and passion for science. It’s a real thrill to be putting science at the heart of the cultural calendar in Manchester.

A huge thank you goes out to all the funders, partners, organisers, speakers, researchers, community groups and volunteers who made this year’s Festival happen. The Festival is a huge partnership effort and we’re proud to work with so many (over 75!) different partner organisations. This year’s Festival was particularly exciting and so many great projects came together to create an inspiring and innovative programme. In fact there was such an action packed programme of event, it’s hard to pick a particular highlight to shout about. However, there are a few projects we’re particularly chuffed about and thought they were worth a mention.

This year we embarked on an ambitious community programme. As well as science busking, we delivered kitchen science workshops through each of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs. We put young people at the heart of the Festival, inviting them to get involved in the development and delivery of key projects. 18 year olds with no previous interest in science got together to work with scientists, ethicists and artists to explore the topic of human enhancement and develop creative performances for the public. We also added a twist to the Dragon’s Den. As part of the Manchester Beacon Science Festival Community Awards scientists pitched their creative event ideas to a panel of ruthless dragons (teenagers), who chose which project to fund and work with to shape and deliver an event. The winning idea, the bacteria party saw students sharing their work, getting hands-on, eating bacteria shaped cake and playing games with the local community. It was such a fantastic event and exactly the kind of programming we want to encourage as part of the Festival.

We really provided some unique experiences for people this year with projects like Super K Sonic Booooum, an immersive experience where you could experience what it’s like to be in neutrino observatory. Unsuspecting members of the public donned their wellies and lab coat and jumped aboard a boat to see what it’s like to be a particle physicist in Japan. The installation explored some really serious and exciting science, as well as being fun and giving you the chance to experience an environment you would never dream of seeing.

We welcomed over 80 volunteers who assisted at events and went to venues throughout Greater Manchester, entertaining the masses with science busking – fun, hands-on science demonstrations that capture the imagination as you’re on the commute or out shopping. They were passionate, enthusiastic and committed. A huge thank you goes to our volunteers who are helping to inspire our future scientists!

This diverse and innovative programme could only be put together by the people in Manchester for the people of Manchester. Manchester is a truly original science city and I hope you enjoyed this exciting, passionate and ambitious Festival. So thank you for coming and getting involved and we'll keep you posted on the blog with plans for next year!

Natalie Ireland,
Manchester Science Festival Director

Winter greetings from the Manchester Science Festival team!

Struggling for ideas of how to fill your holidays with science? Fear not - the festival team have been compiling brilliant ideas. Read on!

If you’ve got children to entertain over the break why not discover some fun, wintery science activities you can do in the kitchen? Check out these instructions on how to make jewellery with ice cubes or learn about how ice melts with London Science museum’s activity about coloured ice balloons. Alternatively, you could wait until Christmas dinner and demonstrate the siphoning effect at the dinner table with your napkin.

Curl up with a few books from MSF 2010’s speakers. Check out Frank Close’s latest publication, Neutrino, which charts the detection and research into the elusive particles that are emitted by the sun and ever-so-difficult to detect. Have a gander at Jim Al-Khalili’s Pathfinders, which reveals the hidden history of the Arabic scientific revolution that took place between the more celebrated Ancient Greeks and Italian Renaissance.

Have an alternative Christmas meal and bring molecular gastronomy to the table. Take a peek at Stefan Gates’ latest book, The Extraordinary Cookbook, for inspiration. This tome is packed with eccentric and fun recipes, from poaching fish in your dishwasher to making gin and tonic jelly that fluoresces under UV light. Photo - Stefan Gates at Gastronuts, Manchester Science Festival 2010.

Don’t forget to check out the Waterside Arts Centre’s current exhibition, Altered States, which explores artist’s responses to biomedical research through media including installation, sculpture, photography, film and printmaking. This exhibition runs until Saturday 8 January. Photo - Hinged Crucifix by Susan Aldworth.




Emily Wiles, Manchester Science Festival Officer  

BBC Presenter Stefan Gates at Manchester Science Festival on: The Extraordinary Cookbook

Stefan Gates is the award-winning presenter and co-writer of Full On Food for BBC2, Cooking in the Danger Zone for BBC2 and BBC4, Gastronuts, a children’s programme for BBC1 and CBBC, and most recently Feasts for BBC4 and Stefan Gates on E Numbers for BBC2. He will be doing two FREE events at MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester) on 30 October as part of this week’s Manchester Science Festival. Gastronuts (at 2pm on 30 October) is with gastronutty chemist Andrea Sella: indulge in harebrained experiments, crazy cooking and eat the world’s weirdest food (family audience). Stefan’s Extraordinary Kitchen (at 7pm on 30 October) is a wild workshop of culinary adventure and food science (adult audience). This month Stefan published The Extraordinary Cookbook (details below), and will demonstrate some of these ‘flights of fancy’ recipes, such as toffee fondue or fluorescent jellies.

Stefan has written four books – Gastronaut, In the Danger Zone, 101 Dishes to Eat Before You Die and Stefan Gates on E Numbers. Stefan appears regularly on UKTV’s Market Kitchen, Five’s The Wright Stuff and BBC2’s Something for the Weekend. www.thegastronaut.com

To reserve your free ticket for Gastronuts or Stefan’s Extraordinary Kitchen go to msf-gastronuts.eventbrite.com or msf-kitchen.eventbrite.com.

Manchester Science Festival - Nobel prize winners, comedy, craft and more

We're half way through this year's Manchester Science Festival. It's been a cracking week so far, so thanks to everyone who's come along and got involved. There's loads more on offer until the end of October for familes and adults. Here's our top picks!

Meet Manchester’s newest Nobel Prize winner
Join us tonight for an evening of Manchester science, as part of the Royal Society’s 350th Anniversary ‘Local heroes’ programme in the North West. some of our region’s Royal Society Research Fellows Prof Andrew Sharrocks, Prof Barbara Maher, Dr Alexander Oh and recent Nobel Prize winner Dr Konstantin Novoselov, chaired by Prof Dame Nancy Rothwell FRS will discuss their work on the latest developments in biomedicine, climate change and environmental pollution, and particle and condensed matter physics. The event is at 7pm tonight at MOSI. Tickets are free and you can book here.

Laugh your scientific socks off
We've teamed up with Manchester Comedy Festival to see the lighter side of science at some of our comedy gigs. Tomorrow Helen Keene takes a trip to the arctic (well, Islington Mill) to entertain us with stories of an expedition to this cruel environment in The primitive methodist guide to arctic survival.

Rosie Wilby’s will be educating the adults about the Further Science of Sex on Friday night. Do aphrodisiacs work? Why do we kiss? What’s going on in the brain when we fall in love? Spoof experiments and handmade props galore!

We’ve also got comedy for the younger ones! The Punk Scientists have travelled all the way from London, yes, London to entertain us with their mad and explosive world of science tomorrow! You can also catch crazy multi-media show Parannoyance packed with magic and storytelling on Friday. Both at the Comedy Store.

Get creative
Head to Longsight Library tomorrow or Manchester Museum on Saturday to see Wriggling rangoli. As part of the Manchester Beacon Science Festival Community Awards, ‘Inspired Sisters’, a group of Asian women from Longsight will be demonstrating the beautiful art of rangoli, looking at the science of infectious disease.

Get those knitting needles out and join us for a spot of knitting with your science. Bee knitting will run on Saturday at Manchester Museum. Learn about bees and biodiversity, and pick up a new skill.

Science Junkies
One of our headline shows, Science Junkies is action packed, adrenaline fuelled fun for the whole family! Find out about the physics and physiology of extreme sports and see some extreme sports in action! This Sunday at the Zion Arts Centre.

Please do put any pictures and feedback up on our Facebook page or send us a Tweet.

Dragon's den bacteria party

A Dragon’s Den-style teenage panel has selected a ‘Bacteria Party’ as its winning idea presented by scientists as part of the Manchester Science Festival’s community awards. The ‘Bacteria Party’, which will be held on 25 October, was an idea presented by the ‘B team’ from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Manchester, and includes cake and goodie bags alongside games, interactive exhibits and poster displays to celebrate the good and bad sides of bugs, germs and bacteria.

A panel of three young Dragons (17-19) judged four pitches made by academics in the fields of biology, medicine, technology, chemistry and physics. Each had to present a fun idea about science which will be created into a community-focused event during the Manchester Science Festival.

The winning team includes two academics and a team of eight masters students of pharmacy. The young Dragons from the Den have planned and prepared the event with the winning group and invite visitors to come and join in the fun. At the event there will be five stations to teach the public about antibodies, as well as different germs good and bad. Each participant gets a passport and a stamp at the station.

Sarah Evans of the Dragons Den Decides said: “The Bacteria Party is a great idea to help promote understanding of science and have some fun at the same time. The team at the School of Pharmacy did a great presentation and convinced the Dragons that this was the event that was most likely to inspire the local community to learn about science. Do come along and party with us on 25 October, and learn about the good as well as the bad sides of bacteria and how it affects our lives.”

Other contestants included a scientist form University of Salford, who wanted to run an event to show young people how to make ice cream the old fashioned way. Another team from University of Manchester wanted to demonstrate the dangers of a bad diet to our brains and the effect of lifestyle choices to having a stroke. A scientist from University of Manchester wanted to run an event to demonstrate the different senses and how they could be used to document scientific research.

The Dragons Den Decides is a youth participatory project as part of the Manchester Beacon Science Festival Community Awards. Manchester Science Festival is now in its triumphant fourth year and has quickly become the most popular science festival in the UK! As well as exploring all aspects of science, this year the Festival celebrates the International Year of Biodiversity. The Festival brings together universities, museums, unusual venues and community spaces to inspire people from across the region and learn more about why science is amazing, great fun and an essential, accessible part of everyday life.

The Bacteria Party is supported by the Manchester Beacon. The Manchester Beacon combines the complementary strengths of The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and The University of Salford with the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester and Manchester:Knowledge Capital. The Manchester Beacon engages staff, students, community groups and local businesses in the design and delivery of activities that use engagement to break down the barriers between universities and local people.

The event runs this afternoon from 3pm at the Zion Arts Centre.

Salford Science

It's the third day of Manchester Science Festival and Salford have an explosion of science today.

First up, get your helmet at the ready and climb the wall as families find out about the physics and physiology of climbing. RockOver Climbing Centre are running a day of Climbing Science from 10.30am - 3pm.

Next up, something for Families 11+, teenagers and adults... find out about devices that researchers make to improve people's lives and the work that goes on at the University of Salford.

This evening there's a play at the Lowry about the only British Nobel Prize winner in science, Dorothy Hodgkin. Hidden Glory: Dorthy Hodgkin in her own words shows how her personal and scientific life were fully intertwined.

We'll be dropping into all three events today so we hope to see you there!

Comic communicator wins science award

A science communicator with a comic touch has won this year’s Joshua Phillips Award for Innovation in Science Engagement (Josh Award). The award will be presented to Steve Cross at MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry) on 28 October as part of the upcoming Manchester Science Festival (23– 31 October 2010).

Steve, who was born in Stockport and is now based in London, is the Head of Public Engagement at UCL (University College London) and helps to develop the skills of scientists to share their work in an accessible and lively way. Steve runs the monthly Bright Club in London – where researchers (including himself) perform comedy routines about science to the club’s mainly non-scientist audience. Topics range from chemistry and climate change, to sex, to astronomy in the style of Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy. A Manchester Bright Club based on the same ideas has also opened recently.

Steve’s work, which is part of the national Beacons for Public Engagement project, helps to break down barriers between scientists and members of the public and to inspire people to learn about the everyday relevance of science. He regularly puts out podcasts (with 1500-2000 downloads per week). He also brought together scientists, a writer and bands to create music about the life of a scientist. Science communicators traditionally focus on work with young people, but Steve has also helped researchers to reach out to parents through ‘science soirees,’ held at parents’ evenings to help encourage sceptical parents about the variety and fun of a science career for their child.

Steve said: “I’m really surprised and overjoyed to win the Josh Award. When I was starting out in my career Josh was always pushing the envelope making science enjoyable and interesting in unexpected ways. Putting enjoyment into public engagement is very much at the centre of my ethos and I’m glad that is recognised in this award. With Bright Club we wanted to test the idea that anyone can make their work funny and engaging for a few minutes. We work with researchers to help them develop their own style of humour to deliver their work. So we end up with scientists with a delivery style that can be dry, witty, camp or fun, depending on the individual. It’s all about how to connect with your audience.”

Manchester Science Festival director Natalie Ireland said: “I’m delighted to announce Steve as this year’s Josh Award winner. He has used some fantastically innovative methods to engage people with science who may not normally be interested, and has helped to develop the skills of hundreds of scientists to present their work in an accessible and fun way. This is really the spirit of the Manchester Science Festival and we are already discussing ideas about what to do with next year’s festival.”

From chemical explosions to the science of circus acts, the Josh Award is open to anyone in Britain involved in using creative ideas to make science inspiring and relevant to a mainstream audience. Previous winners for 2007, 2008 and 2009 include Naked Scientist radio presenter doctor Chris Smith, science communicator Karen Bultitude and science communicator David Price of science made simple. The award is now in its fourth year.

The Josh Award is named after Josh Phillips, who was MOSI’s first science communication officer, and died in a road accident in November 2006. Josh was renowned for his innovative and fun approach to getting people of all ages interested in science. The Award includes a cash prize of £1000 and a trophy and the role of science communication officer in residence for the Manchester Science Festival 2011.