25 April, 2006

Three day science extravaganza heads to Nottingham

Rocket science, roving robots, kitchen chaos and homemade tornadoes; it can only mean one thing – the latest SciTec Festival of Science at Nottingham Trent University. Around 1,500 primary school pupils from across the East Midlands will be involved in a wide range of hands-on experiments and interactive demonstrations as part of the three-day event.

Pupils can have a go at designing, building and launching model rockets, learn about light and where it comes from, and see optical illusions which trick the mind. They can use their skills to make and programme a robotic arm with a large-scale construction kit and look at whirlpool and tornadoes as they are created.

There will be a selection of unusual animals on show including a meerkat, macaw and pigmy hedgehogs, a skunk and a scorpion. Pupils can even have a go at digging for fascinating fossils, see giant dinosaur bones and have a go at extracting DNA from fruits and vegetables.

A range of weird and wonderful table-top experiments will form the Kitchen Chaos event, and Textiles with a Twist will allow pupils to have a go at discovering natural dyes in plants and vegetables.

The event at the Clifton campus is being hosted by the University’s Centre for Effective Learning in Science (CELS), sponsored and supported by SETPOINT Nottinghamshire and organised by SciTec, a Derbyshire based education charity.

CELS Outreach Coordinator, Georgina Westbrook, said: “We’re looking forward to hosting SciTec once again as it gives the local primary pupils the chance to experience some great science in a fun and exciting environment.”

SETPOINT Nottinghamshire manager, Peter Burnett, said: “The aim of days like the SciTec Festival is to bring science and technology to life for school pupils, raising their aspirations and awareness of science, engineering and technology, and also their popularity.”

Notes for editors: CELS aims to create a more relevant, accessible and achievable image for science within both the higher education and school communities. Based on the university’s excellent record in science teaching and nationally recognised widening participation activities, CELS will enable academic teams to develop and trial new approaches to teaching and presenting science to both communities.

SciTec, a charity funded by a range of organisations, is bringing its own team of experts along for the event. Over a ten-year period SciTec has inspired upwards of 100,000 pupils and visitors through fun hands-on activities at their numerous festivals throughout the region.

SETPOINT Nottinghamshire is hosted by the Nottinghamshire Education Business Alliance.

For more information please contact:

Dave Rogers, Press Officer, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 2650 or via email: dave.rogers@ntu.ac.uk.

Or Therese Easom, Press and Media Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 6589 or via email: therese.easom@ntu.ac.uk.