It has been really great to see so many people enjoying the events at this year’s Sidmouth Science Festival, writes Liz Bramley, one of the organisers.
On Saturday, the dinosaur-themed trail took you to various venues where children and grown-ups could take part in lots of activities, many demonstrated by enthusiastic young people and students.
These included looking at your brain waves, making a tornado in a bottle, giving yourself an electric shock, exploding a volcano and being a weather forecaster.
There was also a spectacular drone race at the cricket club.
This year’s talks were of very high quality, ranging from serious talks about tropical diseases to the more entertaining science behind the movies.
Adults enjoyed the trips to Lyme Bay Winery and the ever-popular Otter Brewery.
Sunday’s family event at the Norman Lockyer Observatory (NLO) was extremely popular, with more than 400 people enjoying the various activities, which included talks by Adam Hart Davis and Dallas Campbell, and pre-school fun as well as the planetarium, domes and telescopes.
One exciting aspect of the day was the launch of two weather balloons, sponsored by the Keith Owen Fund, which had been programmed by students from Sidmouth College to receive data back at the NLO. They eventually landed near Wincanton. The information collected will be available on our website.
All this could not be achieved without the generosity of the festival’s sponsors and supporters and those who have helped by donating time and materials.
The festival is run by volunteers so if you would like to help with next year’s festival, please contact info@sidmouthsciencefestival.org, through the website or on Facebook. www.facebook.com/sidmouthscience/
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