A week packed full of the wonders of STEM!
What an incredible half-term week we’ve just had, filled with hands-on lab activities, interactive shows and inspiring guest sessions that brought our holiday theme based on ‘SPACE’ to life.
A Lab takeover with Astex Pharmaceuticals
Our week kicked off with a brilliant lab takeover by scientists from Astex Pharmaceuticals. They stepped away from their own labs on the Science Park to share the magic of crystallisation experiments with our visitors. In a series of three engaging slots held throughout the day, our young visitors got to make their own crystals and explore how new medicines are discovered.
Cosmic insights with Andrew Ferguson
On Thursday, Andrew Ferguson took centre stage. His captivating talk, “They Come from Space!”, introduced us to the mysterious world of muons—those unseen visitors from the cosmos that constantly shower over us. Using our muon counting machine, Andrew helped everyone “see” these particles in action, sparking wonder about cosmic rays and the secrets of our atmosphere.
Superhero astrophysics with Matt Bothwell
We wrapped up the week with a thrilling session from Matt Bothwell. With his “Astrophysics for Superheros” talk, he posed some mind-boggling questions such as: Could you crash the Moon into the Earth? What would happen if the Sun exploded? And what’s the weather like on Mercury? At the Supervillain Academy—the magnificently morbid school for young villains in training—he unveiled the gruesomely fascinating phenomena of black holes and spaghettification.
Thank you for a stellar week!
We’re so grateful to all the visitors and our generous funders who helped make this half-term week such a resounding success. Everyone’s enthusiasm for science keeps us inspired to create engaging, educational experiences that ignite curiosity and foster a lifelong love of STEM.
We now move back to our weekend opening hours until the Easter holidays so you can keep exploring and stay curious!
