The focal point for day three here at the British Science Festival in Liverpool is Kazimier Garden, a garden bar in the heart of the Ropewalks district. Visitors were treated to an array of stalls covering all sorts of topics, with lots of opportunities to roll their sleeves up and get involved.
One of the first stands, I was there: Mapping Liverpool’s music scene run by the Department of Music at the University of Liverpool (UoL) invited people to contribute to a board of memories of the city’s many live music venues past and present; walking tours of the venues took place later in the afternoon (the rain will not deter us!).
Another interactive stand had people making botanic flower prints, choosing from a selection of wild flowers and leaves to make beautiful artworks to display or take home.
The natural theme continued with City greens, run by researchers from UoL and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU).There was the opportunity to taste nut free[JC1] vegan pesto and learn about food waste (2kg per household each week is wasted in Liverpool, less than the national average of around 4kg). Visitors could also hear from experts about urban plant growing and see a real miniature vertical farm in action: no soil is needed, in this model plants sit above of pool of fish whose poo fertilized the plants.
Upstairs on the balcony overlooking the gardens, researchers from the Ecology and Marine Biology group at UoL showcased a selection of small speakers which played sounds from animals including a southern killer whale, an American alligator and a large snout seahorse. Judging from this experience, whale song’s reputation for being peaceful is misguided!
There were live animals to hear from too, including a colony of worms and a crab in a tank – headphones at the ready.
Electrons in wonderland was a unique experience; in the Stockroom at Kazimier Garden, groups of visitors were shrunk down to the size of electrons (their mass is 1/2000th the mass of a proton or neutron) and taken on an immersive journey by scientists from the Department of Physics at the UoL. They explored how electron beam radiotherapy can be used to kill cancer cells, how electrons can break the energy barrier and more.
Kazimier Garden and the venue LEAF also hosted a timetable of talks, including Giving voice to refugee stories, exploring the power of zine making as a way for women refugees in Liverpool to share their stories, and Truth in the dirt: combatting pseudoarchaeology with Flint Dibble from the University of Cardiff, tackling misinformation about archaeology which can obscure the more fascinating truth and urging us to ‘prebunk’ instead of debunking.
Shoppers in Liverpool ONE today would have had the chance to enjoy science rapper Jon Chase (AKA Oort Kuiper) dropping scientific bars on subjects from aliens to genetics in his unique style.
Tonight we’re looking forward to the Science comedy spectacular at LEAF on Bold Street, set to be compered by Freya McGhee, a line up of performers, including Dr Rachel Honeyghan-Williams, researcher at the Ear Institute at University College London and a trustee at the British Science Association, will blend science and comedy for an extraordinary night of fun.
Bold Street is the place to be tonight with Bam Boo Brunch and Cocktails also part of the Festival late events, hosting Sounds of the wilds, a fantasy role-playing adventure inspired by research into animal hearing and the rich musical culture of Liverpool
Read blogs covering the other days of the Festival here: