Head to your pub to enjoy a Pint of Science

Our postgraduates are once again organising Colchester’s Pint of Science Festival in May with talks covering everything from the make-up of our blood through to migration.

Tickets can now be booked for the Colchester events involving 45 scientists – many from the University of Essex.

The three-day international Pint of Science festival will sees thousands of scientists presenting their research to the public in over 300 cities across 24 countries.

Founded seven years ago by two UK researchers, the festival brings a unique line up of talks, demonstrations and live experiments to the nation’s local pubs.

New for 2019 is the festival theme “What Next?” – this is the critical question given to researchers to explore working across a huge range of scientific disciplines.

This is a great opportunity to witness contemporary and current science projects but in a relaxed and comfortable environment.

The events organised by Essex postgraduate researchers in Colchester will be held at several pubs across the town, including Three Wise Monkeys, V-Bar, CODA and The Queen Street Brewhouse.

Exciting talks include:

• Kids on #climatestrike: Considering how education for sustainability encourages the next generation to become ecological citizens.
• Fake news and fake history in the age of Donald Trump: What the implications of his distortions are teaching people about the United States
• Cutting edge - CRISPR-Cas9: A precise technique that accurately 'edits' the human genome leading to speculation that it may be possible to edit diseases, such as cancer and HIV, out of a person completely.

As well as research talks, there will be a range of fun, science-related activities including quizzes, geeky puzzles, engaging stories and other interactive activities.

Shellie Wall.one of the Colchester Pint of Science team, said: “It was nerve-wracking, and a hard slog to run Pint of Science, but it’s a great initiative from our perspective and one that we were proud to run. We wanted to bring the public into scientific debates, and this festival is a great place for anyone to get wide exposure to current thinking and ideas.”

Alex Bowles, another member of the Colchester Pint of Science team, said: “Organising Pint of Science has been a really rewarding experience. I’m excited to see the hard work of all the volunteers come together to showcase the diverse research of the University.”

National festival director Dr Callam Davidson said: “As the festival enters its seventh year, we're absolutely thrilled to have Pint of Science reaching more people than ever before. This year's festival will feature some fantastically creative events cooked up by our endlessly ambitious volunteers, showcasing some of the nation's most brilliant researchers in their local pubs and cafes. This year has been a big one for Pint of Science, and we see some very exciting things on the horizon - join us for a pint in May and we'll tell you all about it!”

This article was completed by Nathan Carpenter while completing work experience as part of a partnership between the University's Communications Office and the Tuskar Trust.