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University festival bringing science to life at Trafford Centre

11 Apr 2016

The Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences is taking science and engineering to the public on Saturday, 23 and Sunday, 24 April for the European City of Science

European City of Science 2016

Have you ever wanted to hold a piece of the moon, or to find out how electricity arrives at your plug socket? Perhaps you would you like to programme a Lego robot, or have a go at landing a plane in a flight simulator? If so, get down to the Trafford Centre on the weekend of 23-24 April, when experts from EPS will be providing shoppers with the chance to take part in a wide array of exciting activities as part of the #scienceX Extravaganza.

The event is a chance for people of all ages to learn more about science and engineering, how they affect the world around us, and how taking part in experiments can be a lot of fun. The main aims of #scienceX are to raise the profile of scientific subjects of all kinds, to interest people in scientific careers, and to make people aware of other activities taking place this year as part of Manchester’s 2016 European City of Science designation.

Being European City of Science offers a unique chance to showcase groundbreaking science and cutting-edge technology to people across Manchester. Throughout the year, the city is coming alive with science - everyone will have lots of opportunities to take part in experiments, activities and conversations that bring science, technology and engineering to life.

“#scienceX is our way of bringing science and engineering to the masses,” says Daniele Atkinson, EPS Social Responsibility Manager. “Universities can appear to be daunting places, and science may seem like an intimidating subject - we hope to dispel these myths by showing that there is a budding scientist or engineer in all of us, and that it is really exciting to use science and technology to grow our understanding of the world we live in.

“We hope to inspire, challenge, surprise and entertain visitors to the Trafford Centre with our range of activities for curious minds of all ages.”

Staff from across EPS will be situated around the shopping centre, Legoland and Sealife Centre for most of the weekend.

The main activities are as follows:

  • Lego Mindstorms robot challenge - Saturday and Sunday 10-4, Legoland;
  • Formula Student racing car display - Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 11-6, Peel Avenue (outside Vodafone);
  • Flight simulator - Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 11-6, Peel Avenue (outside Vodafone);
  • Space Rocks - Sunday 11-6, The Great Hall;
  • Sealife water experiments - Saturday and Sunday 10-4, Sealife Centre;
  • How astronomers explore the Universe - Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 11-6, Peel Avenue (outside Armani);
  • Interactive energy display - Saturday 10-9 and Sunday 11-6, Ground Floor entrance to the Orient;
  • Materials experiments - Sunday 11-2.30, Peel Avenue (outside Vodafone);
  • Ribbon curling experiment - Saturday 10-2, Peel Avenue (outside Vodafone);
  • Sugar solves the problems of tomorrow - Saturday 6pm-9pm, Peel Avenue (outside Vodafone).

Further information