Centuries of Science celebrated at this year’s Cambridge Science Festival

The Festival is co-ordinated by the University of Cambridge and will feature exciting science from the past, present and future to celebrate the University’s 800th year.

The fun-filled festival is the largest free science festival in the UK, attracting up to 30,000 visitors during National Science and Engineering Week. Running from 9-22 March, it will give families, adults and children of all ages two weeks of hands-on science and insight into the University’s cutting-edge science. Many of the interactive activities, demonstrations and children’s lectures will take place on the two Science on Saturdays (14 and 21 March).

The first Science on Saturday, on 14 March, is an exciting free family day out, when personalities including Carol Vorderman and author Lucy Hawking, Stephen Hawking’s daughter, will be appearing.

Lucy Hawking will take a tour though the galaxy with her creation George and his friends. She will read tales of his first adventure, ‘George’s secret key to the universe’ and give a sneak preview of George’s next adventure, ‘George and the cosmic treasure hunt.’ Lucy will be available to sign copies of her latest book after the lecture.

Other highlights include Chris Bishop, Microsoft’s Chief Research Scientist, who will illustrate the exciting future of computing. This lecture will be introduced by Science Festival patron Carol Vorderman. The explosive demonstrations of Dr Pete Wothers will explore the unique and surprising properties of water. TV personality Jem Stansfield, eco-engineer and inventor, will also tell tales of his time on the National Geographic programme ‘Planet Mechanics’ in a special lecture on the day.

This year’s Science Festival features its very first concert. Musicians from the Intercontinental Music Lab will unleash scientists from the past singing about their discoveries and passion for science. The interactive concert will feature live demonstrations, plenty of audience participation and a few surprises along the way!

During the Science Festival, a series of evening talks and events during the day will feature more exciting science. BBC Radio 4’s ‘Home Planet’ will visit Cambridge to record a new edition of the show while the technology behind the phenomenon of ‘Second Life’ will be explored at Anglia Ruskin University.

Further evening talks will look at how our genes can cause obesity and will ask whether science can beat terrorism or whether the technologies used to combat it are in fact damaging the very society we are trying to protect. A question time style panel will discuss stem cells; chaired by BBC Radio 4 Presenter Quentin Cooper, it will include a panel of experts including the creator of Dolly the Sheep, Sir Ian Wilmutt.

The Guardian Bad Science guru Dr Ben Goldacre will join Professor David Spieghalter, the Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk, to discuss the phrase “statistics are just wrong and dull”. “The Nature of Life – a scientific debate” will feature Professor Lewis Wolpert and Dr Rupert Sheldrake, presenting a lively and controversial debate about theories of life.

Nicola Buckley, Co-ordinator of the Cambridge Science Festival, said: “The Cambridge Science Festival in 2009 is the biggest yet, with over 160 events offering a unique opportunity for people of all ages to visit the laboratories of Cambridge, meet scientists, and discuss interests and issues with them. We can show young people what scientific study can lead to when they meet the many hundreds of staff and students on hand to demonstrate exciting science.”

The full programme of events are available on the festival’s website /science-festival or from the information line 01223 766 766. Those interested in any of the events that require booking, should book soon due to some venues’ space limitations.

The Cambridge Science Festival’s sponsors include the Wellcome Trust, Cambridge University Press, Microsoft Research and the Medical Research Council.