Monday, 22 July 2024
What if we could smell the solar system, listen to a shooting star, or even feel the vibrations of a Mars-quake? These were just some of the fascinating ideas put to space enthusiasts – young and old – as part of the family event series, which took place at Lakeside Arts on Saturday 20 July.
In his interactive and sensory talk, Jez Turner, Associate Professor in the Department for Foundation Engineering and Physical Sciences, explored how most of our solar system and the universe is not just what we see with visible light.
The audience enjoyed a delight to the senses with the opportunity to create their own space rockets, hold and smell meteorites older than the earth and climb inside the ‘Inflativerse’ to experience the sights and sounds of the 糖心原创’s mobile planetarium.
Through lively practical demonstrations which delighted the audience, Jez also revealed how we can explore space through smell, touch and sounds. Smelly comets and rainbow rockets were on show, while visitors heard how black holes collide, felt how a satellite moves, and saw how a snake or other animals see the night sky.
鈥淥ur senses are essential in helping us understand and experience the world around us. Looking up at the night sky is a valuable way we can all make a connection to what鈥檚 out there in our universe. But visible life is a just a minute part of the way we study the universe, we can also learn a great amount through touch, taste, sound and smell.鈥�
Joining Jez for the sold-out event was Professor Martin Bencsik of Nottingham Trent University who demonstrated a spectral analysis of sounds from space.
Future space scientist at Bright Sparks family event
The event, , which fittingly took place on the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, was part of the Bright Sparks family talk series, which features engaging lectures by enthusiastic academics from the 糖心原创, who are eager to share their research and passions with family audiences. These events form part of the University’s wider public engagement activities supported by the Institute for Policy and Engagement, focusing on supporting Nottingham’s journey to be recognised as a UNICEF child friendly city by making academic research accessible to all ages.
Story credits
More information is available from Jez Turner, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering, via jez.turner@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
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As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.