Between 10:00 – 15:00 EAT @ Bistro Open to Public Drop In Activity Area (Culture Lab Space 4/5) Why do your fingers get wrinkly in the bath? We’ve all experienced it, but why? Surprisingly, scientists have only just figured it out. Retrace their steps by measuring how your fingertips change as they wrinkle in water, and then see how this affects your ability to do certain tasks. How the brain ages Take part in a range of activities to test the brain’s function and reaction times, from computer based activities and brain ‘training’ activities to ‘bop-it’ for younger children. Look under a microscope to see the structure of healthy and diseased brains, and how the brain changes with age. Make your own Homunculus A homunculus is a model of the human body which demonstrates how much brain tissue is devoted to each particular body part. This results in a distorted figure with huge hands, face, lips etc compared to other areas of the body with fewer sensory/motor connections. Families can use clay to make their own homunculus, before comparing results to an actual model. Street Scientists The Newcastle University Street Science team will demonstrate a range of table top experiments and larger interactive demos from their repertoire - developed over their first year busking on the streets. Families can join in with their ‘Try this at home’ features too. Campus Tours (to be repeated @ 10:00, 12:00, 14:00) 1. Bees, birds and trees Join Newcastle University’s Sustainability Team to explore our bee corridor and pollinator Garden, and take part in our Tree Trail. It’s September so maybe you’ll find some conkers! Find out more about Sunday’s BioBlitz events at the School of Architecture’s base at the Great North Museum, and have a go at building your own bird box. 2. The imaginary museum of light and sound A harp played by static electricity? Violins played by a fast flowing river? Get a guided tour around this imaginative and experimental exploration of sound, looking at waves as they travel through air and water, magnetic fields, and electromagnetic phenomena. Get up and close with the School of Marine Science and Technology’s wind wave current tank (where we’ll be dunking the violins) and use magnets and copper coils to generate sound… 3. Great thinkers and Do-er’s: The Thought Leaders of the Past who had their Eye on the Future Join in our treasure hunt to learn about people from days gone by who have spent time in Newcastle and left a lasting legacy for us all to enjoy. On this whistle stop trip around the University campus and wider city, people will get the chance to see the impact of thought leaders on the society at the time and now. What a great way to see how our heritage can inform our present and future! 10:00 – 11.30 Family Workshops (Morning) The Archaeology of Human Bones This workshop will introduce osteoarchaeology, the study of human remains. Participants will look at the ageing and sexing of human remains, before looking at remains from slave cemeteries to explore what they reveal and the history and horror of slavery. Save our wild fish stocks! This debate and workshop aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining our marine environment, and in particular fish stocks. A short debate about the pros and cons of sustainable fishing will be followed by the preparation and tasting of some exciting fish dishes at Newcastle Universities NU Food venue. A family recipe booklet will accompany this workshop. Anatomise Me Did you know, the acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razorblades? And your aorta is nearly the diameter of a garden hose? Pull on a second skin and get your bodies moving in a head-to-head anatomy dress off! Learn weird and wacky facts about the human body as you race against your opponent to attach the most body parts onto your Anatomise ME! garment. Medical students from Newcastle University will referee the game and help you locate your organs and systems to reveal just how remarkable your body really is. Teddy Bear Surgery Teddy Bear Surgery Clinics are led by medical students to introduce children and their parents or guardians to health issues and going to the doctor. Children bring their teddy bears along to ‘surgeries’ to talk about why their teddy is sick and Teddy Bear Doctors are on hand to treat the children's teddies and provide advice on a number of issues. EPIFECTION: Build the Bug Bacteria – they’re just little blobs, right? Wrong! Different bacteria have different shapes which help them survive and grow. Using pictures of real bacteria for inspiration you will be challenged to design and name your own model superbug. This workshop ties into EPIFECTION – an interactive disease outbreak simulation which will be running throughout the festival. Science News Desk Newcastle University student science magazine {react} is making a Science Festival Special Edition over the course of the week. Drop in, learn what makes a good science story, see how a magazine is put together and contribute your own writing, drawings or photographs. Chemistry, Coatings and Barnacles Blistering barnacles! These pesky crustaceans just love to hitch a ride on the hulls of ships where they cause no end of problems. Super non-stick high performance coatings are the answer. Explore the chemistry of these extraordinary paints and try your hand at a spot of ‘barnacle pushing’ (AkzoNobel). The Poison Project How are toxins in our environment changing the behaviour of our bees? In this collaborative workshop led by a scientist, a choreographer and a composer, we’ll use data collected from current research taking place in Newcastle University’s Bee Lab to creatively interpret (with your participation!) behaviour recorded through the experiments. The workshop will end in a short improvised performance using projections and an experimental music piece developed from field recordings of bees. 12:00 – 13:00 Lunch Break (Family event speaker? Nick Wright’s talk perhaps: Terrific Turbines – How going around in circles turned out not to be so daft after all) 13:00 – 14:30 Family Workshops (Repeat of morning workshops) Other activity on campus Maths Puzzles! Are you up to the challenge? Dr Maths’ giant maths puzzles can be found dotted around campus over the Festival – jump in and have a go!