Caithness International Science Festival and Science Fair 2012

[ScienceO3]

Science O3 is hosting the 2012 Caithness International Science Festival over the week of 10th to 16th March 2012.

As well as the usual schools programme, which will bring 8 science workshops and performances to local primary schools, there is a public science fair over the weekend of 10th and 11th March in Caithness Horizons (Saturday 10th March) and Wick Assembly Rooms (Sunday 1th March), from 10am to 4pm daily.

The fair will comprise "hands on" workshops with jumping beans, periscopes, climbing sailors. kites, balancing butterflies and buggies, K'nex modelling and computer programming, as well as exhibits from local science groups showcasing digital photography, whales and dolphins, the flora and fauna of Caithness, solar telescopes and stomp rockets, the Highland Solar System and weather forecasting. There will be a robotic arm challenge courtesy of UHI and local primary schools will be presenting a "molecule dance" under the direction of David Hunter of Eden Court Creative.

Speakers from the Institute of Physics, Edinburgh's Dynamic Earth and the Scottish Association for Marine Science will present talks on biofuels, techtonic plates and the Arctic.

Admission to the Fair is £4 adults and £2 children and £10 families. There is a 25% discount on offer for tickets purchased before 9th March 2012 - tickets are available from Caithness Horizons or from KP Technology, 12A Burn Street Wick (opp. Wick Swimming Pool).

There is also a free public event on Tuesday, 13th March 2012 at Pulteneytown Academy School, with presentations from Festival guest speaker Professor of Physics Louise Dolan of the University of North Carolina and Princeton University, "Fur, Feathers, Skin and Scales" from Generation Science, a family challenge and molecule modelling with Pat Duchart and Science@Cwaben and a performance from James Soper entitled "Juiced - the 1,000 Volt Electricity Show".

For more information visit our website at www.science03.org (http://www.science03.org) or email helen@kptechnology.ltd.uk.

[ScienceO3]

One week to go and counting ...

The Caithness International Science Festival kicks off next weekend with the public Science Fair at Caithness Horizons on Saturday and Wick Assembly Rooms on Sunday - there will be plenty to see and do. Come and make a balloon buggy or try your hand at Scratch programming and make the Queen a Diamond Jubilee Scratch greeting card. Or have a go at building the strongest, fastest K'nex cart in our K'nex challenge.

For more information visit our website at www.science03.org (http://www.science03.org/) or email helen@kptechnology.ltd.uk (helen@kptechnology.ltd.uk).

[secrets in symmetry]

I was pleasantly surprised to see Louise Dolan (http://cwp.library.ucla.edu/Phase2/Dolan,_Louise@901234567.html) on the list of speakers. Louise is the co-author (with Roman Jackiw) of one of the first and most important (and most cited) papers of the 1970s for the study of phase transitions in the early universe. I have never heard her speak, and I have no idea how pedagogical or entertaining she is, but I would go to hear her talk if I were in Caithness on that day.

[ScienceO3]

Thanks SiS, Professor Dolan will be meeting S5 and S6 pupils at Wick and Thurso High Schools on Monday and Tuesday of festival week, but she'll also be speaking at our launch event at Mackays Hotel on Monday night (12th) - if anyone would like to join us at the launch at Mackays they can email helen@kptechnology.ltd.uk for more info. Also, Professor Dolan will be opening our free public event at Pulteneytown Academy School on the Tuesday evening.

[secrets in symmetry]

Thanks for the info.

I would encourage all S5 and S6 pupils with an interest in a science career to go along and meet Louise Dolan. She has worked at a number of the top universities in the United States (MIT, Harvard, etc) , and also a few in Europe - so she may have some useful career advice for budding young Caithness scientists. :cool:

Good luck with the Science Festival!

[ScienceO3]

With 2 days to go, I'm just bumping this up to the top for anyone interested in coming to our science fair over the weekend or the evening at Pulteneytown Academy on Tuesday night. Our presenters are all arriving soon and it's shaping up to a great week of science activities.
For more info, check out our website at www.science03.org.

[Bill Fernie]

To save you bumping I have made this a sticky until the Science Festival is over.

Congratulations to all concerned in creating another year of the Science Festival and giving our young people more opportunities to get involved and think about science as not only an interest but potentially a future career.

[ScienceO3]

Thanks Bill, we had a great day in Thurso - the presentations from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (seaweed and micoalgae as fuel), Professor Monro (the earth's geology and volcanoes and earthquakes) and Alison McLure (the Arctic) were fantastic.

Looking forward to Wick tomorrow, where the Wick Camera Club will be offering portraits, the Wick Youth Club will be demonstrating gaming technology, there will be lovely things to make for the little ones with Pat Duchart and a giant inflatable whale from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. Plenty of exhibits - come and try your hand at the "robot arm" or have a chat to our Tugmistress about how she forecasts the weather. Plenty to see and do for the whole family. See our website at www.Science03.org for more details.

[rainbow]

I went to the two lectures this afternoon and they were brilliant. They were also delivered in lingo that everyone could understand - not high tech science talk that could easily bamboozle most of us!! Very interesting and the children at the talks were equally engrossed. They are to be repeated in Wick and I would highly recommend that people attend.

[Dadie]

I have 3 tired out kids after todays activities.
Good fun for 5 - 100 age group really...
Wish there was a science table for minis (under 5s) sort of loosely based on a Nina and the neuron type of exploring science...
Hook them with fun science young...and the interest will (hopefully)stick!

[ScienceO3]

Glad you had a good day Dadie and thanks for the suggestion re science for the tiny ones, it sounds like a great idea for next year!
Thanks to all who came today and made it such a success - the kids doing to "molecule dance" were fantastic.
Don't forget - there's a free public event at Pulteneytown Academy on Tuesday evening at 6.30pm, showcasing some of the Festival acts which the children swill see in the schools this week. Gen Science will be bringing their animals and James Soper will be giving an electrifying performance. Pat Duchart will have a family "marble run" challenge and the molecule building workshop will be running. Hope to see you all there!

[secrets in symmetry]

Congratulations to the organisers for putting on a range of activities and talks at the right level. There's a delicate balance between being too technical and dumbing-down so far that you insult your audience. You guys seem to have got it right. :cool:

[Dadie]

Depends on the audience level of knowledge!:D
If its kids 5-8 years old its dumbed down a bit and explained more with more friendly language than with a PHD student!
Better that the kids get it than it being boring and well over their heads than too complicated and off putting.
Adults often pick up on facts the kids dont get in a well thought out lecture that caters for all people, that is a hard acomplishment to carry out, and its to be appauded!

[ScienceO3]

A quick reminder about tonight's (Tuesday) free family show at Pulteneytown Academy at 6.30pm to 8.30pm - there will be snakes, parrots, hedgehogs, marble runs, molecules and a whizz bang show from James Soper. Hope to see you all there!

[Bill Fernie]

Just before I unstick this thread for this year I am adding some Science links that some of you might be interested in. Addd more if you have any for future reference.

Periodic Table of Videos http://periodicvideos.com/
(http://periodicvideos.com/)Many links at this forum http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33391
(http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33391)Numberphile http://www.numberphile.com/
(http://www.numberphile.com/)Molecular Videos http://periodicvideos.com/molecularvideos.htm
(http://periodicvideos.com/molecularvideos.htm)Symbols of Physics and Astronomy http://www.sixtysymbols.com/