Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity 2019

Have you ever wondered why some things taste sweet and other things sour? Or where candle wax goes? Or what would happen if the earth lost its gravity for a day?

The Festival gets underway on February 13

The Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity, organised in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, provides the chance to come and find the answers.

Back again for its fifth year, and bigger and better than ever before, events run across the city from 13-20 February. Among the highlights, the festival will be running projects about air quality, plant diseases and pathology with schools.

The festival aims toget the whole city and beyond curious with free interactive activities across nine venues and taking excitement for STEM subjects out into communities, with events in libraries during half-term.

Staff and students from Nottingham Trent University will again play a key role.

Staff and students from the physics department will run a variety of interactive science demonstrations at Green’s Mill Science Centre on February 16, including a ‘make your own rocket station’, so that budding engineers and astronauts can launch their own paper rockets.

NTU microbiologists will run a number of fun activities in the Nottingham’s Central Library on February 19 to help raise awareness of bacteria on and in our bodies.

Chungui Lu, Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at NTU, will participate in a conference discussing urban greening and vertical farming on February 19.

NTU student Evelyn Wandernoth, meanwhile, has done all of the graphic design work for the Festival’s website and marketing.

“NTU is delighted to support the Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity,” said Professor Mark Biggs, Head of the College of Science and Technology at Nottingham Trent University.

He said: “The focus of the festival on bringing science, technology, engineering and mathematics to people in their own communities particularly resonates with NTU’s mission to transform for the better the lives of all those it touches.”

Megan Shore, the Festival producer said ‘The festival is about about taking science out from behind closed doors, and into our communities, where families can engage with it as part of everyday life. We’re all naturally curious, and curiosity is key for all future scientists, so we want to encourage people of all ages to ask questions and get stuck in to find out the answers.’’

Members of the public will also have the chance to journey into outer space in an inflatable planetarium, have a go at using lab equipment to take part in real-life research, discover incredible sensory tricks that boggle the brain, creatively construct a marble run out of everyday objects and ask scientists that question you’ve always wanted to know the answer to.

The Festival is organised by a partnership that includes Ignite!, Nottingham City Council, University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, STEM Learning, Near Now and the Nottinghamshire British Science Association.

Find out more at www.nottsfosac.co.uk @NottsFOSAC #CuriousNotts19

Notes for editors

Press enquiries please contact Dave Rogers, Public Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8782, or via email.

The festival comprises:
-Over 40 public events
-A schools programme working with over 30 schools
-Over 20 academics from University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University
-Over 40 students from University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University
-Over 20 STEM ambassadors
-Sponsorship from Quotient Sciences, Greencore, BioCity, Sygnature Discovery and One Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University and University of Nottingham
-20 delivery partners
Festival venues for Saturday 16 February include intu Broadmarsh, Broadway, Sneinton Market, Central Library, 38 Carrington Street, Green’s Mill, Wollaton Hall and the Nottingham Industrial Museum.

Activities at Wollaton Hall and 38 Carrington Street on Sunday 17th will be particularly welcoming of families with special educational needs and disability.

During half term, the festival will in communities, with activities in every city library and three main Family Science Fun Days at Meadows, Clifton and Strelley Libraries.

There’s also a programme for adults, including talks in pubs, a comedy night from Bright Club and a special event from Pride in STEM for LGBT+ month.
For more information please contact Megan Shore, Festival Producer, at megan@ignitefutures.org.uk