The North West branch has an enthusiastic committee who put on regular events throughout the year. The jewel in our crown is the mini-festival, held the first weekend in October every year at Daresbury Laboratory. This is a full day of lectures, workshops and hands-on events, designed, as the name suggests, to mirror the success of the BA Festival of Science, albeit only for a day. The rest of the programme varies from year to year, but usually includes a fieldtrip, a debate, a visit and the very popular Knutsford SciBAr.
We have been particularly successful at joining forces with other active groups in the area and putting on joint events sharing the work and doubling the audience.
Record Numbers Join the Discussion at Knutsford SciBAr
Knutsford SciBAr consists of a group of people who meet informally once a month in a pub. A leading scientist attends and talks to the group for a maximum of 30 minutes about their latest research, any issues around that, and where the research is leading. The control of the agenda then passes to the audience and an audience-led discussion then follows for about an hour and a half until the speaker, the audience or the chairman have had enough.
It’s a very friendly place and very informal and it’s FREE. You don’t need to know any science, so there’s nothing to stop you dropping in. Just bob along, grab yourself a pint or a coffee and join in the discussion.
As Dave Thompson (he runs Knutsford SciBAr)) tells them each month: “If you think you’re the only person in the room who doesn’t know the answer to the question you want to ask – don’t worry about it – ask it anyway”. Similarly “if you’re an expert and you think no-one else in the room will understand the point you want to make, never mind the answer from the speaker, make it anyway”. Dave says that his main job is just to make sure no-one hogs the show so everyone can enjoy it.
Over the last few months Knutsford SciBAr have discussed such topics as:
- Immortality – When?- not if ?
- The science of invisibility cloaks – Harry Potter eat your heart out
- Sleep – What does it do for you
- The pre-history and evolution of the mind
- From Big Bang to Stars & Galaxies
- Shock Horror – Global Warming – Media hype & the Crisis in Scientific Communication
This last attracted a record number of 88 attendees and was rated highest ever for audience participation.
Knutsford SciBAr has developed beyond the monthly meeting and now has some fun stuff on the go: a team is designing rockets for a Pop Bottle Rocket Competition at Chester Race course; a monthly Book Reading Club which reads and discusses about 40 pages of a selected book each month; you can see poetry written about the SciBAr by SciBArians including one by The Poet Laureate of Cheshire, Andrew Rudd, inspired by a previous visit to the SciBAr. The poems can be read (and even watched) on the website. They also have a flourishing Discussion Group where views can be expressed and questions asked on any scientific topic outside of the meeting.
It’s great fun to go to a SciBAr and, as Dave says, “It’s great fun to RUN a SciBAr”. Why not get along to a SciBAr near you - or if there isn’t one near start one up. It’s easy and there’s plenty of help available from speaker lists to poster design and all the things you’ll need.
Visit Knutsford SciBAr at http://www.knutsford-scibar.co.uk/
Join in the discussions at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kscibar, - even if you live far away, the web is your neighbour.
If you want to START a SciBAr just ring Dave Thompson on 07768-355-814. He has available all the help you’ll need to make the whole thing - Good Fun !
Chairperson: Lorelly Wilson
Treasurer: Graham Bonwick
Secretary: Lorelly Wilson
Underwood
Glebelands Road
Knutsford
Cheshire
WA14 9DZ
Telephone: 01565 653279