The Secret World of Gases

The Secret World of Gases: Gases are all around us, we need them to live and breathe and we use them in everything from medicine to the foods we eat. This show will explore some of the many hidden uses of gases, from the everyday to the unexpected and look to what the future of gases might bring us. Expect exciting live demonstrations, audience interaction and a unique twist on the everyday.
This event is generously supported by BOC.

Dr Sadie Jones has spent over 10 years of her life trying to work out why the black hole at the centre of Galaxy NGC 4051 acts in a mysterious and strange way. This talk is the story of her analysis of the Radio and X-ray emission that comes from the region close to black hole. Sadie will explain what this emission tells us about black hole physics, and why radio astronomy is extremely useful but also a bit of a dark art!

Learn about the solar system with science presenter and rapper Jon Chase. Join in with his fun and fact filled raps to explore some of the norms and extremes of the solar system

Come on a journey to explore the narrative of science and the science of stories, from the history of discovery to discoveries that might make some of our oldest fables come true. Together we’ll build a science story, uncover the magic of memory, and commit tales to heart.

Without insects and other invertebrates, the world would collapse in short order, but these amazing animals don’t get the recognition they deserve. Join Dr. Richard Comont to learn some of the secrets of these overlooked wonders of the natural world

Amy will talk about how you can use Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths fused with creativity to make a your future.

Sometimes we may get so ill or injured that tissues and organs need replacing completely. Surgeons may try and do this by transplanting tissue from one person to another, but often there simply aren’t enough replacement organs to go round. Scientists, like me, are trying to find out ways to grow replacement body parts in the lab or to stimulate the body to make its own replacement tissue. Come and find out how we’re trying to do this by using stem cells, drugs and biomaterials.

Dr Cheryl Metcalf gives an overview of how she became fascinated with hands and hand function, and the different methods she uses to further our understanding of them, including developing different technologies to help people recover from loosing their hand function.

‘Solar Orbiter’, a Sun-observing Satellite under development by the ESA is due to launch in 2019. Prof Lucie Green will give an update of this development and the mission to study the violent side of the Sun.

“How is a cosmologist like a detective? The mysteries to be solved may be bigger – literally! – but the methods are similar. In this talk I will explain how scientists use ground-breaking data on millions of distant galaxies to carefully piece together the evidence in search of answers to the most enduring puzzles: what is the Universe made of, and how did it get to be the way it is?”

Simon Watt explores some of the science behind space exploration. Which planet is hottest? Which would float in a swimming pool?  Which is the most studied? And just how much space is in space? Join him in this live show to see what experiments you can recreate at home and learn about what you can see if you only look up!

All manmade structures that are exposed in the aquatic environment are being colonised by marine organisms such as barnacles and seaweeds. This has detrimental consequences on structures such as ship hulls. I will speak about current technological and research advances that mimic nature in order to combat this issue.

Resolving complex challenges and creating practical solutions are key skills required in a 21st century workforce. Learn how Raspberry Pi devices, and the Raspberry Pi Foundation, are helping more people learn about computing and digital making, in schools as well as outside formal education, by providing opportunities for creative computing.

Biodiversity is critical to human well-being yet we are rapidly driving it to destruction as we continue to monopolise and change the planet for our own ends. In this show you can watch or play some games like Biodiversity Blockbusters to learn about biodiversity loss, the threats many species now face, and how you can do your bit to protect nature.

Today nuclear power plants use fission to power the national grid, producing tonnes of radioactive waste every year. In this talk you will learn how scientists plan to use fusion power, the same process that powers the Sun, to provide a safer and cleaner alternative to fission. The event is sponsored by The Institute of Physics, members will be admitted free to the event.