Edinburgh International Science Festival, powered by EDF Energy, visited St David’s R.C. Primary School on Monday to give a hand in launching the school’s Science Week to show how much fun learning about STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) can be. It involved some thrilling experiments that saw the pupils learn how rockets work by launching their own made from balloons and bottles! Continue reading Science Festival gets off to an explosive start at St David’s!
Edinburgh International Science Festival: Life, The Universe and Everything
31 March – 15 April
Edinburgh’s 30th Science Festival will see 270 events for children, families and adults take place across the city over the course of two exciting weeks. And in a first this year, teachers ans their students are being offered a special £5 deal to eighty events through the new #SciFive initiative. Continue reading Life, The Universe and Everything: Edinburgh International Science Festival
The programme for Edinburgh’s 30th Science Festival has been revealed with 270 events for families and adults set to take place over the course of two weeks in April. Continue reading Science Festival programme launched
Something for everyone in Science Festival programme
The Edinburgh International Science Festival programme has been announced. Building Better Worlds centres around how science, technology, engineering and design have the potential to improve the world we live in and the way we live within it. Continue reading Building Better Worlds
The Edinburgh International Science Festival today announced the programme for Spring 2015.
The Festival, which will bring together hundreds of events, activities and exhibitions to celebrate science, will take place over Saturday 19 March – Sunday 4 April taking in the Easter school break.
This year, the Festival aims to transform into ‘The Ideas Factory’ – a hub of information, ideas and innovation. Some of the events taking place include:
The City of Edinburgh Council is a major funding partner of the Festival. Councillor Steve Cardownie, Festivals and Events Champion for the city, commented: “The Edinburgh International Science Festival is always a key highlight in the Spring calendar for both local Edinburgh residents and visitors to the city.
“Anyone visiting the Festival is in for a treat as this year’s programme is as jam-packed as ever. The Council’s City Art Centre will once again be transformed into a place of pioneering science and magic, and there will be a host of events and activities on offer for families.
“Every year the festival also features lectures from world-leading scientists and speakers, and a highlight for 2015 will be an insight from Professor Peter Higgs who was a recipient of the Edinburgh Award for his influence on the city.”
Full details of the 2015 programme can be found at sciencefestival.co.uk.
Tickets for all events can be booked online via the website or through the Box Office on 0844 557 2686.
‘An interest in science at an early age can last a lifetime’ – Dr Stephen Breslin, Glasgow Science Centre
More than 3 million people have visited Scotland’s science centres in the last five years, Science Minister Alistair Allan announced yesterday as he committed £2.75 million for the coming year. Dr Allan made his announcement on the eve of the programme launch for this year’s Edinburgh International Science Festival.
The Minister announced increased funding in 2015-16 for all four Scottish centres – Satrosphere in Aberdeen, Dundee Science Centre, Glasgow Science Centre and Edinburgh’s Our Dynamic Earth.
More than 658,000 people visited the centres in 2014, an increase of 12.6% compared to 2010‘s visitor numbers.
Highlights in the past 12 months included the opening of Scotland’s Time Lords galleries at Our Dynamic Earth and the Ice Station Antarctica exhibition, which travelled to Dundee from the Natural History Museum in London.
Speaking after a visit to Glasgow Science Centre yesterday (above), Dr Allan said: “I am absolutely delighted that the many new activities, exhibits and revamped galleries have delivered a great year for our science centres and continued to build up visitor numbers.
“This increase is a tribute to the staff and their efforts to encourage more people of all ages to visit the centres. Our schools will always encourage children enjoy the science they are learning, but there is so much more that families and adults can experience at the science centres with engaging exhibitions and events that stimulate debate and discussion around science.
“This year Scotland has a key role to play in the international celebrations for Year of Light 2015 as one of our finest physicists James Clerk Maxwell is remembered. This means that there are even more events on offer and I would urge all parents, young people and everyone with a spark of curiosity to look and see what is taking place near them and get involved.”
New attractions planned this year include a major new exhibition Powering the Future that will open in Glasgow in the Autumn and an exhibition at Our Dynamic Earth on the work of CERN and its Large Hadron Collider.
Our Dynamic Earth’s Chief Executive, John Simpson, said: “We are thrilled to hear that funding for Scotland’s science centres has been confirmed by the Scottish Government for the year 2015-16. This will allow us to expand and deliver events which engage with local Community Groups and Schools across Scotland who would otherwise be unable to come to the Centre. In addition to our Charity Golden Ticket, which gives free access to Dynamic Earth for 25 Lothians based charities, the scheme has now been extended to include five local primary and secondary schools.
“Looking to the year ahead, Dynamic Earth will be bringing new films to Scotland’s only fully digital 360° planetarium cinema, hosting a dynamic exhibition on the work of scientists in Cern using the Large Hadron Collider, introducing visitors to new, as yet un-tamed, arrivals in our Rainforest, and allowing guests to race against our very own dinosaur to find out if they will become a winner or dinner!
“Our ability to make such investments and to be able to engage with young and old on the wonders of our Planet in such a way is only possible thanks to the ongoing support of Scottish Government.”
Dr Stephen Breslin, Chief Executive of Glasgow Science Centre, said: “An interest in science from an early age can last a lifetime, and this funding will help us to bring science to life in an interactive way through our education programme. We want to inspire our young people to be excited and stimulated by the opportunities that science offers and for them to study and achieve qualifications in science, technology, engineering and maths in the future.
“We are excited about the year ahead and the enhancements we will make to our visitors’ experience through redeveloping exhibition spaces in the Science Mall, creating new education and public programme and working with our partners from academia and industry. We are thankful to The Scottish Government for supporting our mission and helping us to promote science and technology through thought-provoking and exciting experiences.”
The funding package announced today includes revenue funding of £2,500,000 plus £250,000 to support school visits and community engagement. They will receive:
Satrosphere, Aberdeen £250,150 (up from £226,010 last year)
Dundee Science Centre £340,800 (up from £312,220 last year)
Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh £926,350 (up from £869,090 last year)
Glasgow Science Centre £982,700 (up from £922,680 last year)
Edinburgh’s Science Festival programme is launched today. Go to http://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/
