Cambridge Science Festival 2018

March 2018
Various venues

The Cambridge Science Festival provides the public with opportunities to explore and discuss issues of scientific interest and concern and to raise aspirations by encouraging young people to consider a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

The Department of Geography will again be taking part this year with a range of events:

	A taste of the Polar regions Monday 12 March: 6:00pm – 8:00pm The Polar Museum, Scott Polar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, CB2 1ER Ever wondered what there is to eat at the South Pole? Find out how polar explorers survived on rations and try some yourself! An evening of pop-up talks, tastings and activities with the first official tasting of a 100 year old sample of Sandow’s Cocoa. With talks from Lesley Steinitz from the faculty of history and the great-grandson of Eugen Sandow.
	Little Explorers: Volcanoes! Monday 12 March: 10:00am – 11:00am Monday 12 March: 11:15am – 12:15pm The Polar Museum, Scott Polar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, CB2 1ER Join us for an explosive story of volcanoes in Antarctica! Touch and feel volcanic rocks and other natural objects in this sensory story session for the under-5s with storyteller Marion Leeper. For under 5s only. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Book places by e-mailing museumevents@spri.cam.ac.uk with your child’s full name and age. This special science session is free of charge.
	From microscopic mud to the open ocean Saturday 17 March: 10:30am – 4:00pm Department of Geography, Small Lecture Theatre, Downing Place, CB2 3EN Making sense of our natural environment requires precision instrumentation, from microscopes to precision measurement of mud accumulation and the constituents and properties of muddy sediments. Speak to our researchers about their instruments and try some out first hand to discover a world full of detail and patterns that you never knew where there. Discover how, armed with knowledge of these patterns and this detail, we can learn to appreciate the importance of our natural coastal landscape – that it is an open book, ready to tell its story and ready for us to work with it to protect us from natural hazards.
	Sensing the flow Saturday 17 March: 11am – 11:30am / 11:45am – 12:15pm / 12:30pm – 1pm / 1:45pm – 2:15pm / 2:30pm – 3pm / 3:15pm – 3:45pm Department of Geography, Downing Place, CB2 3EN Please report to a volunteer in main entrance upon arrival Come and see our state-of-the-art high precision instrumentation for measuring water flow speeds and discover how those measurements help us inform the use of coastal ecosystems as natural coastal protection from flooding and wave damage. These demonstrations take place in a constrained space in our laboratory flume room, so booking is essential and numbers are limited. Prepare to get splashed!
	Sensing shifting landscapes Saturday 17 March: 10:30am – 4:00pm Department of Geography, Seminar Room, Downing Place, CB2 3EN Our Geographers will be at hand to give you hands-on demonstrations of the latest environmental sensing technologies used to measure the shifting land we inhabit. Coastal and river landscapes are continuously in flux, but change may happen so gradually that we need regular monitoring to study it – and we can only see so much from the ground, so we need instruments to view the landscape from above. What’s more, our naked eyes cannot see certain parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that give us clues as to the composition and health of coastal ecosystems. In an environment that is, arguably, in greater flux than ever before due to climate change and sea level rise, this is becoming ever more important – particularly if we are to adapt the way we live and manage the land to ensure we can live in harmony with a changing landscape.
	A polar sensory adventure Saturday 24 March: 10:30am – 3:30pm The Polar Museum, Scott Polar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, CB2 1ER Join us for a polar sensory adventure! Object handling, experiments and a chance to see colour in a whole different light. Featuring activities from The Colour Institute and the British Antarctic Survey. Suitable for the whole family. The Colour Institute was founded in 2017 by founded by Sophie Weeks and Dr Gareth Rees, with the aim of bringing together anyone with an interest in colour and a wish to explore the connections between its different aspects. The Institute aims to extend understanding of colour beyond the human visual response and to explore the impact of colour science through new avenues of innovation and research.