Cambridge Science Festival - hands-on science at The Guildhall

A guide to UK cuttlefish, squid and octopuses

See and touch exquisite fossils that are 100’s of millions of years old and use ID guides to learn more about cephalopods in our waters. Dr Gavan Cooke, ARU, is on hand to explain more about his cephalopod citizen science project that needs your help! The project gathers observations of cuttlefish, squid and of course octopuses in UK waters. 

The wonderful world of bacteria. How clean are your hands?

Using our UV gel, come and test how well you wash your hands. This interactive activity will reveal how germs that are capable of causing infection, can be spread on items that we regularly touch. Presented by Department of Biomedical and Forensic Sciences, ARU.

Crime scene identification – from fingers to footwear

We take a closer look at the marks left behind at scenes of crime, from fingerprints to footwear marks. What makes you unique?

How do muscles generate force?

Join staff and students from the Cambridge Centre for Sport & Exercise science, ARU, in learning how muscles generate force under different conditions. In this hands-on event you will experience how muscles generate different amounts of force when they lengthen and shorten. Have a go at a vertical jump and drop-jump onto a force plate and compare your scores to the world record for a vertical jump.

Exercise and energy

Join staff and students from the Cambridge Centre for Sport & Exercise science, ARU, in learning how much energy we actually use when exercising. Have a go at some cycle based work and see how long and hard you would need to exercise for to burn the number of calories in a pizza.

Using virtual reality to assess hazard perception in young cyclists

Come along and play our virtual reality (VR) cycling game, designed to test how you spot dangers when cycling and improve it. When playing the game, you will sit on a stationary bike while the sensors attached to the bike transfer your cycling action into the game. The game enables you to cycle in real-time while the VR headset provides real-world experience. When cycling in the game, you will need to avoid potential dangers such as cars, pedestrians, etc. (through manoeuvring in the 3D world via turning the handlebars of the real bike). Come along and assess your hazard perception.

Presented as part of Cambridge Science Festival.