From exploring the ugliest animals on the planet to learning weird and wonderful facts about science, TechFest 2018 has brought together some of TV’s best-known scientists to keep young people across the North-east entertained this September.
TechFest 2018, the North-east’s annual festival of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), will run until September 22 with children aged between three and 12 encouraged to test their science and engineering skills at hands-on workshops
Chortle award nominees Peter Sutton and Lloyd Henning bring their unique brand of comedy to TechFest this year in the highly entertaining and interactive show Robot Chef (September 13). The duo will explore Wi-Fi and smartphone technology with audiences having the chance to connect their phones to in-house Wi-Fi throughout the performance to play games, music and more.
TV scientist Dr Emily Grossmann shares some of science’s weirdest facts, including that we share 50% of our DNA with a banana, and challenges the audience to engage in fun experiments in Dr Emily’s Weird and Wonderful Science Facts (September 17).
CBeebies presenter Lizzie Daly explores the animal kingdom’s wild and wacky adaptations and explains which species is best at camouflaging as she explores some of the most bizarre survival strategies the natural world has to offer in Wild Adaptations (September 15).
Biologist and TV presenter, Simon Watt brings a double bill to this year’s festival as he celebrates the incredible biology of the animal kingdom’s most monstrous creatures in The Ugly Animal Roadshow and explains the science behind space exploration in Look Up (both on September 22).
Sarah Chew, managing director of TechFest, said, “We are thrilled to bring some of TV’s most loved STEM personalities to this year’s festival and can’t wait to see each of these shows which promise to entertain and educate the audience.
“TechFest aims to give young people a real insight into STEM subjects which can be incredibly beneficial in educational development and could even inspire them to pursue a career in one of the many career paths these skills can lead to.
“We’d like to thank each of the speakers appearing at this year’s festival for providing a real range of entertaining and thought-provoking events for people of all ages.”
TechFest is an Aberdeen-based charity which aims to promote STEM activities to young people and the wider community.
The public programme runs until September 25, at venues including RGU and the University of Aberdeen.
As well as delving into wildlife, history, technology and music, TechFest 2018 also pays tribute to its milestone 25th year with a range of events exploring the history and uses of silver.
National Museums Scotland will present key objects from its touring exhibition with Behind the scenes of Scotland’s Early Silver: From conservation to display (September 12).
Other highlights of this year’s festival include Aberdeenshire singer songwriter Jenny Sturgeon performing tracks from her critically acclaimed album ‘The Wren And The Salt Air’ as part of Jenny Sturgeon Trio (September 15), and science magician and associate of the world renowned Inner Magic Circle Dr Matt Pritchard exploring the history, conflict and collaboration between scientists and magicians in Wonder Workers (September 19).
The festival will close with a talk from author, commentator and ex professional cyclist, Graeme Obree. In Graeme Obree the ‘Flying Scotsman’, the athlete will share his story of breaking a world record using a homemade bike and talk about his decades of cycling and competition experience.
Sarah added: “None of this would be possible without the help we receive from our sponsors and supporters, in particular our joint principal funders Shell and BP, whose continued backing allows us to engage people of all ages in the fantastic opportunities that STEM can offer.”
TechFest’s public programme, sponsored by Equinor, is expected to attract thousands of visitors from across Aberdeen City and Shire from September 8 to September 22.
