October 4, 2022
ARU to host the brand-new Chelmsford Science Festival in October 2022
ARU is hosting the first-ever Chelmsford Science Festival in October this year, following on from the success of the British Science Festival held in the city last year. The festival will run from 12th to 18th October and will be hosted on the ARU Chelmsford campus.
On campus
Events at the festival are set to include free public lectures, workshops, exhibitions, drop-in sessions, and hands on activities. Some of the on-campus events include:
- From pyramids to Rubik’s Cubes: unearthing the secrets of getting fit (Dr Dan Gordon, Associate professor in Cardiorespiratory Exercise Physiology)
- How can citizens get involved in social sciences research? (Drop in and meet our Participatory Research Group whose projects encompass a wide variety of fields such as bullying, palliative and end of life care, women with complex needs and young women and anxiety).
- LGBTQ+ I’m a potato: mental health in young people and adults (Join Larina and Issy from The Outhouse who will offer an overview of their experience in working with transgender and non-binary adults and young people, with a focus on supporting the mental health of members of the LGBTQ+ community and their families from a person-centred perspective.)
- Fighting fibrosis (Selim Cellek is a Professor of Health and Biomedicine, co-founder, and the former director of our Medical Technology Research Centre here at ARU. He leads the Fibrosis Research Group which focuses on discovery and development of novel anti-fibrotic drugs through phenotypic screening assays).
There will also be a Family Science Day on the Chelmsford campus on Saturday 15 October, between 10am and 4pm.
Gaia artwork in Chelmsford Cathedral for the Science Festival
This year, the festival will have Gaia artwork, in Chelmsford Cathedral, as a centrepiece. Gaia is a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram. Measuring six metres in diameter and created from 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface, the artwork provides the opportunity to view the planet, floating in three dimensions. It will be suspended, two metres up, giving visitors an opportunity to see the earth as astronauts see it from space and will fill the nave of Chelmsford Cathedral. Though part of the Science Festival, Gaia will be at the Chelmsford Cathedral for an extended period from 12th to 29th October.
Other Science Festival events on during the week
You can visit Chelmsford Museum for an exclusive chance to experience and learn more about the creation of Forecast22, the new digital artwork and exhibition at Chelmsford Museum, before it opens to the public.
The Rhythmic Breath, a music therapy group who aim to support people with a wide range of physical and mental health conditions, are also holding a workshop on Wednesday 14th October.