Science Alive 2016 invites children and adults to discover science in our everyday lives
One of the major events under the HKSciFest 2016 organised by the British Council on 5-18 March
5 March 2016 (HONG KONG) - Science is the execution of people’s imaginations. Not only fulfills our curiosity, science also does improve our livings. To inspire the public to reach for the impossible, the British Council has chosen ‘Impossible to Possible’ as the theme of the annual Science Alive programme this year, which is held at the Hong Kong Science Museum from today to 18 March 2016. Leading UK science academics and communicators are invited to educate the public in an interactive way to explore, discover and find fun in science.
As an annual event which has run for 24 years, Science Alive is jointly organised by the British Council, the Education Bureau (EDB), the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Hong Kong Education City Limited and sponsored by The Croucher Foundation. The event gathers leading UK academics and communicators in various fields of science to engage Hong Kong’s students, teachers and the public in activities that promote a wider understanding of science. This year, Science Alive once again becomes one of the key programmes under the HK SciFest 2016, taking part in elevating public’s recognition and interest in science and technology.
‘With imagination, some seemingly impossible things have been made possible, thanks to science. As Stephen Hawking puts it, “with the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded.” Themed
“Impossible to Possible”, Science Alive 2016 consists a series of activities not only inspire participants’ interest in science, but also encourage them to apply science to their daily lives.’ said Sophia Chan-Combrink, Head of Education and Society at the British Council.
‘Apart from activities aiming at arousing students’ interest in science, we have family workshops in this year’s Science Alive. Parents and children can experience together how science relates to and applies to their daily lives. And we are honored to have three leading UK science academics and communicators sharing their interesting science research in interactive lectures including “what is dark energy?”; the latest development of solar power and the possibility of having made-to-measure organs. We believe the interactive lectures not only will arose young people’s curiosity, but also encourage them to explore science,’ added Sophia.
Here are some Event Highlights of the ‘Science Alive 2016’:
• Family days with drop-in activities and science walk-out shows: UK science outreach team of the School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, and outreach team of School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham will conduct various drop-in activities and science walk-out shows for children to learn science, including exploring the astronomy, seeing yourself in invisible light, using robot telescopes, and trying some ‘impossible-to-possible’ chemical tricks. There are also walkabout magic shows and science activities to enhance the children’s interest in learning.
• Science drama shows: Children can learn about how forces shape our world by participating in ‘Feel the Force’ or explore how science affects the functions of our body in ‘Extraordinary me…’.
• Family Workshops: An opportunity for parents and kids to gain first-hand experience about science. They can learn to use a soldering iron in the ‘Build your own circuit board’ workshop. At the ‘Slime time’ workshop, parents and students discover how the materials change and transform. During the ‘Make a Moisturiser!’ workshop, they work together to create a good moisturiser. They can understand how the 3D printer and the laser cutter work in the ‘Digital Fabrication for Youn Makers!’ workshop.
• FameLab Hong Kong Grand Final: The FameLab competition has been in Hong Kong for seven years with an aim to find the most talented science communicators in Hong Kong. At the Grand Final on 12 March 2016, contestants will compete with each other by sharing a scientific topic in an exciting, captivating and innovative way in three minutes, in order to inspire and excite public imagination. Students (S4-6) and teachers are welcome to attend the final, online registration: https://tcs.edb.gov.hk/tcs/publicCalendar/start.htm
General public are welcome to attend, online registration: https://www.britishcouncil.hk/en/programmes/education/science/science-alive More details, please visit: http://www.britishcouncil.hk/famelab
• Student debate: This year, students from two Hong Kong schools will debate on the motion of ‘Science: Humanity’s Friend or Foe?’
• Science interactive lectures: Three scientists from universities in the UK and one scientist from The University of Hong Kong will host interactive lectures to share their research and studies in several topics, including (1) The dark side of the universe; (2) The Power of the Sun; (3) Tissue engineering: made-to-measure organs; (4) The Science of Superheroes.
• Student workshops: These workshops are linked to the daily life and provide students with hands-on experience with science. They can, for example, design their own circuit boards with the soldering iron skills at the ‘Madlab’, or explore the entire life-cycle of the stars with Star-in-a-Box and robotic telescopes. The amazing superpowers and hydrogels will surprise all of us at the workshop either!
• Teacher workshops: These workshops gather specialists from London Science Museum in the UK to showcase the effective teaching tools for arousing students’ curiosity, making science relevant to their lives, building inquiry and science skills and challenging the way they view science. Science teachers can bring back truly useful ideas and resources.
• School Tour Science Drama Shows: The Outreach team of London Science Museum performs science drama show ‘It takes guts’ in Hong Kong secondary schools and ‘Feel the Force’ for Hong Kong primary school.
Leading speakers and facilitators from the UK include:
• Dr. Clare Burrage－Royal Society University Research Fellow of Faculty of Science at the University of Nottingham. Dr. Burrage’s research interest is in theoretical cosmology, particularly the study of dark energy.
• Dr. Paul Coxon－Physicist in Materials Science at the University of Cambridge. Research on new solar cells & energy storage materials.
• Dr. Helen Colley－Non-clinical lecturer in Oral Science at the University of Sheffield with research interest in the development of multi-cellular three dimensional in vitro models of the oral mucosa.
Free Admission. Programme details: http://www.britishcouncil.hk/en/programmes/education/science/science-alive