Wendy Slimane, Sarah Chew and and John Raine
TechFest 2019 will have young people exploring the depths of the ocean and reaching for the stars with its programme of wacky, weird and wonderful workshops for ages three to 12.
The 26th annual festival of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) will run from September 21 - 28, and aims to introduce new topics, test skills and spark curiosity in the minds of youngsters throughout Aberdeen and the North-east.
Constellations, meteorites and current astrophysics research will be brought to life in Rocks, Stars and Rockstar Rockets (September 21). The drop-in workshop includes creating star-studded constellations - representing different stellar sizes and temperatures, handling real rocks from space and the chance to engineer and launch a paper rocket.
TechFest is taking a head on approach to tackle current social issues with Troll hunting (September 25). With up to 75 % of school children likely to experience cyberbullying at some stage, clinical and applied psychologists will discuss the four types of online ‘trolls’ and arm young people with the tools to identify and cope in this interactive seminar.
Visitors can also learn about civic hacking initiative Code the City (September 26) and their co-design weekends. The volunteer organisation harnesses government data, available to the public, to generate social good. Their strong belief in team work and bringing people together to find solutions is a core value and makes this a great workshop for the whole family.
Biologist and TV presenter Simon Watt returns to TechFest with The Ugly Animal Roadshow (September 27). This year Simon focuses on weird life underwater and includes fish that use sickening slime as a defence and sea cucumbers that fight with their bum!
The public programme runs until September 28, at venues across Robert Gordon University, the University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen city centre.
Sarah Chew, managing director of TechFest said: “This year we wanted to bring workshops to the kids programme that demonstrate the presence of STEM in the everyday world around us.
“With science and technology constantly evolving, our programme includes important topics and issues that young people are currently facing. From taking a stand against cyberbullying to applying coding in ways that can go beyond the virtual world to benefit the physical world.
“By making STEM engaging and accessible to children of all ages we hope to inspire a whole new generation of scientists and engineers.”
Other top picks from the programme line up include Superhero Science (September 25) with Dr Matt Pritchard who explores whether powers like super-strength, levitation and mind control will be fact, fiction or feasible in the future and Michael Leach shares his experience of living with mountain Gorillas in Central Africa in How to speak Gorilla (September 14).
Sarah added: “The festival attracts thousands of visitors and is made possible thanks to a huge amount of support from sponsors across industries. Our principal funders, Shell and BP, have helped us to reach people of all ages and have continually backed us in providing fantastic opportunities through STEM.”
Sponsored by Equinor, TechFest’s public programme will host a number of influential and expert speakers covering an array of STEM subjects, suitable for audiences of all ages.
- Rocks, Stars and Rockstar Rockets does is pay on the door, £1 or £0.01 concession – in for pound, in for a penny. Troll Hunting, Code the City and The Ugly Animal Roadshow are all £4 or £3 concession. To book, visit http://www.eventbrite.co.uk. For more information on TechFest 2019, visit www.techfest.org.uk or follow TechFest on Facebook and Twitter.