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
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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.

International Year of Chemistry Celebration Event!

As part of the International Year of Chemistry we are hosting a chemistry themed day as part of the Museum of Science and Industry's "Meet the Scientist" programme as well as a Manchester Science Festival 2011 Trailblazer!

In the Museum's Power Hall there will be hands-on chemistry experiments for you to try all day (from 10:30am to 3:30pm). Things like freaky hand (see picture), making plasma, making toothpaste for elephants, coke and mentos explosions and magic sand (is it magic or nanotechnology?) to name but a few.

We are also hosting a special, one off chemistry show. How long can you make a bubble float?
How fast can you make it sink?
Explore the wonderful world of molecules; find out about all the gases in the air we breathe, and what happens when we cool them down, and heat them up.
You can do all that for yourself, but there are some things only a trained chemist can do (without being put in jail for arson!): See some more spectacular experiments in the Learning Loft: find out about the nature of colour, where it comes from, and how chemists make it; find out about the importance of chemistry to finding new fuel technologies, and all about digestion, combustion, and explosion, with memorable flashes and bangs amongst some rarely-seen demonstration-experiments. What does 400 calories actually look like? Find out in the learning loft, 2-3pm , this Saturday! Learning has never been more fun! Spaces are limited for this show so (free) tickets are available from the MOSI information desk.

The event is run with the help of chemists from the University of Manchester and the Royal Society of Chemistry. We look forward to seeing you all there tomorrow.

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.

MSF Science buskers at the ready...

We've been training up our fantasic, enthusiastic science buskers this week. Our volunteers, which have been recruited as Stem Ambassadors, have been getting to grips with science demonstrations and tricks to prepare themselves for science busking. We'll be getting out and about on the streets of Manchester in the weeks running up to and during the Festival to entertain the crowds and engage the unsuspecting with science.

Check out some pictures on the BBC website and keep your eyes peeled!

Call for nominations for 2009 Josh Award

Nominations for the 2009 Josh Award are now open. The Josh Award recognises excellent and innovation in science engagement and is open to anyone to anyone involved in science engagement.

Previous winners include Chris Smith from the Naked Scientists and Karen Bultitude from the science communication unit at the University of West England.

The award is named in memory of Josh Philips, Science Communication Officer at the Museum of Science and Industry, who died in November 2006. Josh was an excellent and much respected science communicator, whose outstanding career is recognised with this award.

If you know a scientist, practitioner or presenter who excells in science communication and you would like to consider nominating them for this award, more information and the nomination form can be found here: http://www.manchestersciencefestival.com/news/joshaward

Rock star physicist launches book as Manchester Science Festival trailblazer

Television physicist and ex- rock star Brian Cox will launch his first book with Manchester University’s award-winning scientist Jeff Forshaw at the Museum Of Science And Industry on July 7th at 7.15pm as part of the Manchester Science Festival's series of summer trailblazers.

Why Does E=mc2? (and why should we care?) is a groundbreaking journey into the real meaning of Einstein’s iconic equation, E=mc2. Raising lots of questions along the way – what is energy? what is mass? – the enthusiastic scientists take us to the site of the infamous ‘big bang machine’, the 27km Large Hadron Collider.

Brian Cox was in the band D:Ream: his last appearance with them was at the 1997 Labour party conference. He now splits his time between experimental physics in Manchester and the CERN labs in Geneva, Switzerland. He was also science adviser on Danny Boyle’s stunning film Sunshine. Jeff Forshaw, like Brian, is one of the youngest professors in the UK. He teaches Einstein’s theory of relativity to first year students.

The launch is on Tuesday July 7th 7.15 – 9.15pm in the Cardwell Auditorium at the Museum of Science and Industry (Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester M3 4FP).

Tickets are £1, redeemable against one copy of the book on the night, and are available from Blackwell University Bookshop, Precinct Centre, Oxford Road, Manchester (telephone 0161 274 3331).

Why Does E=mc2? (and why should we care?) is a £12.99 hardback on Da Capo Press – available on the night for £10.99 less ticket price. More information on the book here: http://bit.ly/CoxForshaw