What’s on when . . .

2010 SCIENCE FESTIVAL LAUNCH

Science in Our World
March 6, from noon
Venue: Broad Street, Oxford
Free
Info: www.oxfordshiresciencefestival.co.uk
A spectacular outdoor event where 20 Oxfordshire science organisations will gather in the heart of the city centre.
Professor Marcus du Sautoy will launch the festival.
Stage programme: 1.00pm — Mathemusica, a new commission by Oxford Philomusica, introduced by Marcus de Sautoy.
2.00pm — Street Science, street dancing by Step 2 Dance inspired by the science of the human body.
3.00pm — How to be Super. Learn about the science behind your favourite superheroes.
4.00pm — Dr Death and the Medieval Medicine Show. Gruesome treatments of illnesses of the past.
5.00pm — World record attempt for the largest number of people taking part in ‘Chinese Whispers’ .

SCIENCE TALKS

March 6, noon, 2.00pm, 4.00pm
The Old Ashmolean & The Royal Society with Dr Jim Bennett
Venue: Museum of the History of Science, Broad Street, Oxford
Info: www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/events

March 9, 7.00pm
‘Oxford and The Royal Society in the 17th Century’ with Dr William Poole
Venue: Museum of the History of Science, Broad Street, Oxford
Info: www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/events

March 9, 7.30pm – 9.00pm
Caudwell Xtreme Everest: Science on the Edge with Dr Denny Levett
Venue: Science Oxford Live
Tickets: £3
Info: www.scienceoxfordlive.com

March 10, 6.00pm - 7.30pm
‘In Sickness and in Health: Religion, Philosophy and Human Wellbeing’ with Professor Beverley Clack
Venue: Oxford Brookes University
Info: www.brookes.ac.uk/about/events

March 11, 3.30pm - 5.00pm
‘Contagious Extinction, Ecosystem Collapse’ with Dr Owen Petchey
Venue: Old Indian Institute (corner of Holywell Street and Catte Street, Oxford)
Info: www.21school.ox.ac.uk/news_and_ events/events/2010H_seminar_Series.cfm

March 19
‘What on Earth: How Do Animals Fly?’ with Dr Richard Bomphrey
Venue: Martin Wood Lecture Theatre, University of Oxford Physics Department
Info: www.physics.ox.ac.uk

SCIENCE & DRAMA

March 12, 5.00pm
Ethics of Progress
Professor Vlatko Vedral explains superposition, quantum entanglement, teleportation and looks at ethical, political, religious, philosophical impacts this technology may have on human civilisation.
Venue: Oxford Playhouse
Tickets: £7
Info: www.unlimited.org.uk/

FAMILY FRIENDLY

March 13, 10.30am – 12.30pm and 2.00pm – 4.00pm
Fascinating Colour, family drop-in event
Explore and discover the fascinating world of colour. Experiment using paint and record your results. Create your own artwork to take away.
Venue: The Oxfordshire Museum
Tickets: £1.50 per child
Info: www.tomocc.org.uk

March 13, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Wow!How?
Our seventh super science fair will delight and dazzle you yet again. Stalls and experiments for all.
Venue: Oxford University Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum
Free
Info: www.oum.ox.ac.uk

March 13–18
Ancient Wisdom — the science of the Ancient World
Family-friendly hands-on Science exhibition. Discover what the ancients did for us.
Venue: Banbury Museum
Free
Info: www.cherwell dc.gov.uk/banburymuseum

SCIENCE HEROES

March 16, 6.30pm – 8.00pm
Starstuff and Supergiants
Local author Keith Mansfield will talk about Johnny Mackintosh: Star Blaze, the sequel to Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London. He will explore how he brings together science and fiction, weaving the science of time travel, cloning, supernovas and alien life into his stories for anyone between the ages of ten and 100!
Venue: Science Oxford Live
Tickets: £3
Info: www.scienceoxfordlive.com

March 18, 7.30pm – 9.00pm
The Black Heroes of Science Awards
Science Oxford Live and Black Oxford roll out the red carpet as we present some of the world’s greatest black scientists and inventors with awards for their contributions to science and society.
Venue: Science Oxford Live
Tickets: £3
Info: www.scienceoxfordlive.com

SCIENCE TALK & EXHIBITION

March 17, 6.30pm
Melvyn Bragg
Royal Society Lecture Notes from an Amateur on the History of the Royal Society To mark the historic relationship between Wadham College and the Royal Society as they celebrate their 400th and 350th anniversaries respectively, broadcaster and Wadham alumnus Melvyn Bragg will give a perspective on the history of the Royal Society in this annual lecture, which looks at the origins and history of this extraordinary scientific institution.
Venue: Sheldonian Theatre
Free, but booking essential.
Info: www.oxfordplayhouse.com/ticketsoxford

SCIENCE COMPETITION

March 18, from noon
Innovative Ideas Competition 2010 final presentations
In an event sponsored by Oxford Innovation, Oxfordshire students are sharing ideas that might just change the world! Students in key stages 1-5 will compete for multiple prizes, including the top honour of Oxfordshire Young Entrepreneur 2010.
Venue: Saïd Business School
Free
Info: www.oxin.co.uk/oxfordshiresciencefestival

FAMILY FRIENDLY & SCHOOLS

March 19, 10.00am – 2.30pm
Science in the Kitchen
For modern scientists, chemicals, hghi-tech equipment and specialised rooms are fairly standard. But often, complicated techniques can be replicated using everyday equipment.
Join us to learn just how much science you can do in your own kitchen!
Venue: Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Free, but booking required.
Info: www.well.ox.ac.uk/public

FAMILY FRIENDLY

March 20, 11.00am – 4.00pm
Brookes Science Bazaar
Join us on the day for workshops and demonstrations, including your chance to design and build your own rocket car, become a micro-cosmonaut, get a whiff of some smelly science, see like a fly and much more.
Venue: Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane site
Free
Info: www.brookes.ac.uk/about/events

March 20, noon – 4.00pm
Oxfordshire Goes Wild
Wildlife and conservation groups bring the museum to life with animals, activities and information on all things wild and wonderful!
Venue: Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Free
Info: www.oum.ox.ac.uk

March 20, 10.30am – 4.00pm
Particle Physics Open Day, University of Oxford
Tours every 30 minutes
Join us for tours of our teaching accelerator, talks and presentations where you can find out why physicists are interested in making very small particles travel very fast.
Discover how accelerators are used to solve the mysteries of the universe, find new disease treatments and make chocolate even tastier. Please note, visitors must be able to climb some stairs.
Venue: Denys Wilkinson Building
Free, but booking essential.
Info: www.physics.ox.ac.uk

March 21, *3.00pm (ages 4-8)
Bugs!! Funomusica Family Concert
A creepy-crawly concert featuring those insects we either love or loath!
Alasdair Malloy will be in ‘David Attenborough’ mode and the audience are invited to come dressed as a bug or to bring along a toy or home-made bug.
Venue: Oxford Town Hall
Tickets: Adults £8, children £2.
No concessions apply.
Info: www.oxfordphil.com

SCIENCE TALKS

March 26, 1.30pm and 7.00pm
Darwin’s Islands by Dr David Robertson
Venue: Lecture Theatre, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Info: www.scitech.ac.uk/PandS/ Events/RAL/public/RALseries/talking.aspx

March 31, 6.00pm
Radiation, The Double-Edged Sword by Professor Munira Kadhim
Venue: Oxford Brookes University, School of Life Sciences, Main Lecture Theatre
Info: www.brookes.ac.uk/events

DRAMA & DANCE

March 26 from 6.00pm, March 27, from 2.30pm
The Fourth Dimension
Pegasus Theatre’s youth and adult drama groups present brand new work from our year of science and art. Caring For Lear, Walking On Eggshells’ and OYT Dance Company’s new show Within The Moment, will be presented in the programme
Venue: Oxford School
Tickets: £3
Info: www.pegasustheatre.org.uk

FAMILY FRIENDLY

April 10, 10.00am – 1.00pm
Finds and Fossils Day
Bring along anything you have found that you would like to know more about.
Venue: Wallingford Museum
Free
Info: www.wallingfordmuseum.org.uk

SCIENCE & MUSIC

April 28 - May 3
Oxford May Music Lectures
5.30pm, concerts 8.00pm.
Oxford May Music, brings together science, music and the arts in a six-day festival.
Venue: Holywell Music Room
Tickets: Lectures £2.50, concerts £17
Info: www.ticketsoxford.com

FAMILY FRIENDLY

May 1-9, 10.00am – 5.00pm
GWR175 Main Event
A celebration of 175 years of the Great Western Railway.
Venue: Didcot Railway Centre
Info: www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk

■ Oxford Inspires would like to thank its stakeholders: Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford Brookes University, University of Oxford, Arts Council England. And our corporate members CPM, Le Manoir, Barcelo, Finders Keepers, Oxford Bus Company, Berman Guedes Stretton, Mini Plant Oxford, Bicester Village, Four Pillars Hotel, Richardsons, Blake Lapthorn, Goodman, Oxford Castle, Hook Norton Brewery, VSL & Partners, Carbon Colour, Imageworks, Torpedo, Infineum, Redmayne Bentley, Fineprint, SAE, Lucy properties, MTD, Malmaison

VARIOUS

April–May 2010
Clean and Green Initiatives Science Oxford is exploring one of the most pressing problems to face us as a society: how we might all have a clean and green future. We will discuss the environmental problems we face and examine some of the potential solutions. We will explore the commercial opportunities that are arising out of the hunt for clean and green technology and ask how young people can take on the challenges of the future. The Science Oxford Clean and Green Festival is sponsored by Blake Lapthorn and James Cowper, and also supported by Hunts.
Venue: Science Oxford Live, St Clements, Oxford
Info: www.scienceoxfordlive.com

Highlights
April 27, 6.00pm for 6.30pm
Running a Successful Environmental Company — the Opportunities and Challenges
The environmental market is rich with opportunity but is also tainted with the complexity of challenges such as legislation and policy. Kevin Thomas, CEO Regenatec, and Ian Pritchett, Chairman and Technical Director Lime Technology, will share their experiences, lessons learned and pearls of wisdom in growing and developing environmental companies.
Free but booking essential on 01865 810000
Venue: Science Oxford Live, St Clements, Oxford

April 29, 7.30pm
Tidal Power – the UK picture
Offshore wind power already contributes to the UK’s electricity supply, but there are other sources of renewable power off our coasts. Join Prof Guy Houlsby as he explores how the UK’s tides might help generate the nation’s electricity.
Tickets: £3/SO Friends free
Venue: Science Oxford Live, St Clements, Oxford
01865 810000

May 5, 7.30pm
SO Apprentice Final and Launch of Life Lab
The final of the Science Oxford Apprentice culminates at the launch of a new local careers resource – Life Lab. The Life Lab website allows young people in Oxfordshire to see the potential career paths available to them in local companies.
Free but booking essential on 01865 810000
Venue: Science Oxford Live, St Clements, Oxford

FAMILY THEATRE

April 7, 7.45pm
Seal Skin
Multi-Story Theatre Company present a mix of naturalistic dialogue, song, story-telling and gesture as a siblings sift through their memories of a childhood story which gradually reveals to them the secrets of their parents’ relationship. “A dream-like tale of blue-moon nights and underwater adventure contrasts with the problems of 21st century communication”. Suitable for 14 years and over
Venue: The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury
Tickets: £8/£6
Info: www.themillartscentre.co.uk

April 11, noon and 2.00pm
Space Hoppers
With friendly astronauts as your guide, discover the wonders of outer space and the surprises to be found there. Using puppetry, live music, poetry and great design to create a magical experience, this is a promenade performance where the audience and actors sit together on set.
Venue: Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot
Tickets: £7, £5 (concs)
Info: www.cornerstone-arts.org

CONFERENCES

April 15–18
CLIMATE CHANGE: Evidence, Impacts and Solutions
Few deny that the world is warming, and the majority of scientists argue that this is due to society's increased emissions of greenhouse gasses. But is there any truth in climate change sceptics' arguments? An expert speaker line up has been assembled for this special weekend. Guests will stay in college rooms, and the weekend concludes with a gala banquet in Hall.
Venue: Christ Church College, Oxford
Tickets: Booking fees apply for talks and accommodation.
Info: www.chch.ox.ac.uk/conferences

June 15-17
Royal Institute of Philosophy Conference 2010
The 32nd RIP conference, on the theme of Human Nature brings together philosophers working in a multitude of areas and raises questions such as ‘What is human nature?’; ‘Is there such a thing as an exclusively human nature?’; ‘Through what methods might we best discover more about our nature?’, and ‘To what extent are our actions and beliefs constrained by it?’. Venue: Main Lecture Theatre, Oxford Brookes University’s Harcourt Hill campus
Tickets: £25 (day); £40 (entire conference)
Info: www.brookes.ac.uk

OPEN DAY

April 18, 10.00am - 5.00pm
Combe Mill in Steam
Come along to Combe Mill see our working beam engine and line shafting together with the restored waterwheel. Demonstrations of craftsmens’ tools together with our collection of working historic tower clocks make for an enjoyable visit. The public are welcome to contact us beforehand should they wish to display a craft, show a collection or play music
Venue: Combe Mill
Tickets: Adults £4, children and concs £2.50; under-fives free
Info: www.combemill.org

ONE-WOMAN SHOW

May 10, 6.00pm – 7.30pm
Hidden Glory: Dorothy Hodgkin in her own words
A new work by local author Georgina Ferry, Hidden Glory is a one-woman multi-media show based on the letters and other writings of Dorothy Hodgkin, the only British woman to have won a science Nobel prize. To mark the centenary of Hodgkin’s birth, a bust of Hodgkin will be unveiled in the museum where she began a lifelong Oxford career using X-rays to reveal the hidden beauty of biological molecules.
Venue: Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Free
Info: www.oum.ox.ac.uk

EXHIBITION

May 15-June 27
Cutting Edge–A History of Human Hair
This exhibition explores the history and science of human hair in a hands-on exhibition suitable for all ages and hair types. Hairdressing from the Roman period through to the elaborate wigs of the 17th century and the amazing moustaches of the Victorian period to the varied hairstyles of today.
Venue: The Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock
Free
Info: www.tomocc.org.uk

THEATRE

May 23, 7.30pm
The Lion’s Face
The Opera Group presents The Lion’s Face with music by Elena Langer and text by Glyn Maxwell; a compassionate, heartfelt, strikingly dramatic and often witty story of love, loss and family. A man forgets his own birthday: a trivial thing, but one which signals an irreversible return to childhood. Told through theatre and music, this is not only a highly original take on ageing and dementia, but a look at the incomprehension of getting old in the minds of the young. Venue: Oxford Playhouse
Tickets: £17.50, £21.50, £24.50
Info: www.oxfordplayhouse.com

GUIDED WILDLIFE WALK

May 27, 4.30am
Dawn Chorus Wild Walk and Breakfast
Witness the dawn chorus in our ornamental gardens accompanied by wildlife expert Ernie Bingham. This special event will be followed by a hearty breakfast in the Pear Tree Teashop and a slide show of some of our more elusive wildlife residents! Numbers are limited and children must be accompanied by an adult. Meet in the main car park and bring binoculars and appropriate clothing!
Venue: Waterperry Gardens
Tickets: £17.50 (£12.50 concs)
Info: www.waterperrygardens.co.uk

EXHIBITION

May 28 - October 31
John Aubrey and the Development of Experimental Science
This exhibition examines the intellectual world of the English seventeenth-century scientific and cultural figure, John Aubrey (1626-97). As one of the founding fellows of the Royal Society of London, Aubrey lived a rich life in the great decades of the British scientific revolution. A keen mathematician, pioneer biographer, natural philosopher and antiquary, Aubrey manifested a broad and deep range of scholarly interests, from the study of ancient megaliths to the creation of a new artificial language. The exhibition features Aubrey’s papers which are today held in the Bodleian Library.
Venue: Exhibition Room, Bodleian Library, Oxford
Free
Info: www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/bodley/

SCIENCE EVENTS AT THE 2010 SUNDAY TIMES OXFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL

March 20–28:
Science book events:
March 20: Ian Glynn (elegant science)
March 21: Richard Hamblyn (history & science)
March 24: Tristan Gooley (natural science); Patricia Fara (science & global history); John Lister Kaye (nature writer)
March: 25: Simon Singh (science & medicine)
March 27: Ben Goldacre (science & medicine)
March 28: Jonathan Balcombe (animal science); Richard Wiseman (weird science)
More details from the Oxford Literary Festival website: www.oxfordliteraryfestival.com