On Friday 28th July, Emily and Ceri from Specsavers visited the science centre. There were lots of glasses to try on, some optical illusions and a model of the eye that we could take apart and put back together.
All visitors took away a Specsavers goody bag
Dave is experiencing macular degeneration with these glasses
Specsavers
Over 600 people visited the science centre during the summer holidays. 400 children enjoyed both playing with our permanent exhibits and also participating in special events in partnership with local and national STEM organisations.
Summer holidays 2017
On Friday 4th August, over 80 people came to the science centre in Coronation Square to have a go at some special activities brought along by local physicists. While Miranda Addey (Regional Officer for the South West branch of the IOP) played with sound, Paul Treble (a STEM Ambassador from Bishop’s Cleeve) showed children how different sorts of gear can be used in various ways before letting them have a go at building simple machines from LEGO. We had so much fun, that the IOP are returning on Saturday 9th September!
A model orrery made from LEGO
to show the relative motion
of the Earth, Sun and Moon
Paul Treble demonstrates
different sorts of gear
Institute of Physics
On Friday 11th August, Dr Alice Kennedy from Gloucestershire Geology Trust joined us at the science centre. Visitors used plaster of Paris to make model fossils, completed a fossil trail and tried a variety of crafts, including finger puppets and badge making.
Dave is very proud of the model
that he made (so are Alice and Sophie!)
Alice and the T-Rex
love Meg's badge
Gloucestershire Geology Trust
On Friday 18th August, Christine and Sally from the Cotswold Astronomical Society visited the centre. The sun came out so that we could observe sunspots ahead of the solar eclipse in the USA on Monday 21st August 2017. Visitors also used toilet paper to model the scale of the solar system and made a planisphere to locate constellations at different times of year.
How many sheets of toilet paper
is it to Pluto?
All set up for astronomical fun!
Cotswold Astronomical Society
Palaeobiologist and artist AJ Hacker from Schoolasaurus joined us in the science centre on Tuesday 22nd August. Dinosaurs and fossils are always particularly popular with our younger visitors.
Visitors could handle
real and replica minerals and fossils
The science centre has been
invaded by dinosaurs!
Schoolasaurus
Volunteers from the Jet Age Museum joined us at the science centre on Friday 25th August. The engineering challenge was to design and build a cargo-carrying paper aeroplane which you could land on a piece of carpet (otherwise known as the aircraft carrier HMS Jet Age). A more mathematical task looked at bearings as you had to navigate a toy aeroplane around Gloucestershire.
Navigation task
Can you land it on the aircraft carrier?
Jet Age Museum
Dr Jenny Eyley from the University of Reading helped us to investigate how astronauts stay safe from ultraviolet radiation on Friday 1st September with Mission Starlight resources produced by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Mission 3:
Investigate the best liquid
to improve an astronaut's spacesuit
Mission 2:
Investigate the best material
for an astronaut's visor
