17 September 2012

Turn marmite white and learn all about Sheffield dialect at Researchers’ Night

Over 80 academics will open the doors of the University of Sheffield’s laboratories, libraries and lecture theatres to the general public for one night only at Researchers’ Night 2012 (Friday 28 September 2012).

Researchers’ Night is set to happen simultaneously at 800 other institutions across 32 European countries – from Iceland to Israel, Finland to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The University of Sheffield will be only the sixth institution in the whole of the UK to have ever taken part.

Visitors to the event will be able to wander around the University’s historic buildings, taking part in night-time science experiments, archaeological digs and astronomy lectures as thousands of others do the same across the continent.

Science ‘buskers’ will mingle with guests, showing people quick hands-on demonstrations such as how to turn marmite white, or how to extract the DNA from a strawberry.

Pop-in lectures will also be occurring, where visitors can ‘Ask an Astronomer’, find out why life is constantly arriving on earth from Space or how to catch an elusive neutrino particle (billions of which pass through our bodies every second, but which – in spite of huge detectors having been built under a Japanese mountain and the South Polar Ice - are virtually impossible to pin down).

As part of the event, the little known Alfred Denny Museum will also be opening its doors for the first time in four decades.

Visitors to the museum will get to see hitherto ‘secret’ artefacts, including the rare, enormous skull of an extinct man-sized eagle – never before seen by the British public.

At the Jessop West Building, Dr Jane Hodson will help the public learn all about Sheffield dialect, explore the history of the words they use and open up the unique linguistic features of Sheffield English. Visitors will also be able to find out if they have criminal ancestors and learn about the history of hanging with Professor Bob Shoemaker as he opens up the Old Bailey records online. Meanwhile, the public can explore the concept of freedom and get a free tasty treat at Free Will and Free Cookies, with Philosophy PhD student Ben Arscott.

Dr Milton Wainwright, who specialises in astrobiology and the history of science, will give a talk on the oldest ever documented use of penicillin, which took place in Sheffield and saved several babies from blindness. Dr Wainwright said of Researchers’ Night: “This is a really exciting opportunity. The idea of taking part in a simultaneous, worldwide exchange of knowledge is an incredible thought.

“It’s a great chance for us to share some of the amazing research we’ve got going on here at the University.

“We’re working with teams across the world, and some of the advancements we’re making will have an impact globally – so it’s fitting that we are able to demonstrate it to people at an event like this, in a way that makes it so accessible.”

Researcher’s Night forms part of the Festival of the Mind (20-30 September 2012), which is the brainchild of Professor Vanessa Toulmin, Head of Cultural Engagement at the University of Sheffield and showman sculptor Anthony Bennett, whose Encased Ballerina is currently hanging outside the Royal Opera House as part of the Olympics cultural programme.

The 11 day experience, featuring 56 city-wide events, will include:

•The re-enactment by Professor Charles Stirling of the Von Guericke demonstration of atmospheric pressure, using replica vacuum apparatus and students dressed as pantomime horses (to replace the actual animals used in the original 1656 experiment).

•A tour of the secret Alfred Denny museum – closed to the outside world for four decades – and led by TV commentator and animal behaviour expert, Professor Tim Birkhead. Visitors will get to see many rare curiosities including the enormous skull of a rare giant eagle, never before seen by the British public.

•The broadcast of a poem at the edge of the earth’s atmosphere that will have been written by a member of the public and selected by the award winning poet and novelist Simon Armitage.

•A real-time production of a piece of giant installation art, painted by robots that have been programmed by Dr Tom Stafford and artist Mattias Jones to respond to an algorithm based on the flight pattern of bees.

•The recording of the random movement of particles (Brownian motion) by nano-scientist Dr Jonathan Howse and multi-disciplinary artist Mark Fell to produce a 12” single that will be released by a Barcelona-based record label.