Over 1500 members of the public recently visited Sheffield Hallam University in order to involve themselves in Explore! Science, Engineering and More, an interactive afternoon organised as part of our Science Week 2019 programme of activities.

Speaking about the event, Dr Katherine Rawlinson, lead organiser, said, ‘This year we saw the largest number of visitors since Explore! began in 2014. Each year the event is reaching more and more people, which is absolutely amazing. Not only is the event a fun and educational afternoon out for families, but Explore! is also providing the opportunity for SHU to showcase  our most exciting research to the public.’

Throughout the afternoon visitors could visit different STEM zones, attend mini-lectures, and take part in our ‘draw a scientist or engineer’ competition. Professor Neil Bricklebank was also back by popular demand to deliver his ‘Super Cool’ talk, demonstrating the curious properties of liquid nitrogen. And if this wasn’t enough, attendees were offered the chance to sit on Guy Martin’s toboggan. The ‘Bend it like Beckham’ segment in Professor Steve Haake’s ‘How technologies help you to go faster’ mini-lecture also left the audience deeply fascinated.

Another highlight of the afternoon was ‘Anatomy Park’, which featured a number of stands and activities designed to help visitors discover how their bodies work. In particular, Professor Christine Le Maitre and Professor Nicola Woodroofe demonstrated our advances in back pain and multiple sclerosis research.

Attendees making a trip to the ‘CSI Hallam’ zone also saw how forensic science is being used to solve crime. Nearby, lifesaving skills were being taught as part of the ‘In Sickness and In Health’ area. One of the most popular activities of the afternoon was the chance to make bouncy balls in the ‘Spectacular Chemistry’ zone. In addition, attendees had lots of fun stepping into the ‘It’s a Small World’ microbiology area and assisting in experiments designed to help solve the mystery of a virus turning children green.

The ‘Awesome Engineering’ zone hosted by collegues from MERI and the Department of Engineering and Maths was well attended throughout the afternoon and provided the opportunity for young visitors to make parachutes and explore how we are using metamaterials for impact protection. Children who visitied in 2018 returned excitedly with their own rubix cubes for Dr Xu’s robots to solve.

Explore! is organised by the Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, Department of Biosciences and Chemistry and is supported by the central University schools and colleges team with involvement from Allied Health, Academy of Sport and Physical Education, Engineering and MERI. As well as staff members, over 40 student volunteers helped to deliver activities throughout the afternoon, gaining valuable experience in public engagement.

A big thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a huge success.