MRC involvement in the Cambridge Science Festival
10 – 20 March 2008
The MRC is once again one of the sponsors of this festival, which gets bigger and better each year! This year, 8 MRC units and centres will take part in this free family fun event, mainly on Saturday 15 March.
The 2008 Festival, The World of Science, will be opened by Festival Patron Carol Vorderman. Other attractions will include aliens from Doctor Who, Bjorn the polar bear marking International Polar Year and, to co-incide with the China Now festival, various exhibits on Chinese science and technology. For more information call
Telephone 01223 766766 or visit www.cambridgescience.org
Many MRC scientists are involved:
Tuesday 11 March
6.00pm to 7.00pm - University Centre
Dr Ann Prentice from the MRC Collaborative Centre for Human Nutrition Research will present Preserve the old, but know the new, a talk about osteoporosis in older people, highlighting new research from Cambridge, China and The Gambia on the links between nutrition, lifestyle and bone health.
Saturday 15 March
10.00am to 12.00noon and from 2.00pm to 4.00pm
Scientists from the MRC Centre for Behavioural and Clinical Neurosciences and the Department of Experimental Psychology will present, The diverse world of cognitive neuroscience. This is a hands-on, drop-in event, suitable for ages 12+
In the Chemistry Zone, scientists from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology will take part in Chemistry in action, which is a hands-on, drop-in event suitable for all ages.
In the Biology Zone, Arts School, Large Exam Hall, MRC scientists will be wowing visitors from 10.00am to 4.00pm with the following exhibitions and displays (all events are hands-on, drop-in and suitable for all ages:
Get your pulse racing!
How active are you? How active is active? Visit the MRC Epidemiology Unit and find out if you're a fitness fiend or a couch potato - and what your lifestyle means for your health.
From molecules to medicine, stopping cancer in its tracks
Ever wondered how new cancer drugs are developed? Take a tour with the MRC Cancer Cell Unit and learn how drugs go from the lab bench to patient bedside.
The world of nutrition science
Come and see how the work of the MRC Collaborative Centre for Human Nutrition Research relates to our everyday world. There will be practical activities for all ages to get you thinking about the world of food.
Biostatistics behind the news
You’ve heard the headlines, now read the back story! In public health, criminal justice and other fields, statistics are routinely used to make the news. The MRC Biostatistics Unit will explore how these statistics are obtained and why they are vital to us all for the future.
Where do we get our energy from?
Every organism needs energy to survive. Experts from the MRC Dunn Human Nutrition Unit will show how the body uses energy stored in food to produce ATP, the ‘energy currency’ in cells and explain the science behind it.
Lifelong health: the bioscience of ageing
People in the UK are living longer than ever before. ‘Ageing well’ is increasingly important and scientific research can help us to understand how to age healthily. The Babraham Institute and the MRC use this new poster display to show how work is progressing.
Wednesday 19 March
6.00pm to 8.30pm - MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge
Exploring Mind and Brain
Have you ever wondered how the human brain makes sense of spoken language, deals with emotions or stores memories? The CBSU will explore some of these questions with talks and experiments. This is a ‘drop-in’ event, suitable for ages 14+
Any scientists wishing to take part as volunteers in any of these events should contact Adrian Penrose, MRC regional communications manager on 01223 402277 or by e-mail on apenrose@mrc-centre.cam.ac.uk
