Come join the fun and gets hands-on with research at the Pop-Up Curiosity Shop of Science and Culture.
Calling all imagineers, engineers, and balladeers! This is a bonkers celebration of discovery right in the centre of Falmouth at the Cornish Bank. Music, demonstrations, talks, workshops, and much more will bring to life the brilliant work that happens at University of Exeter in a celebration of discovery, mayhem, and much more. Bring a curious mind and encounter scientists, artists, musicians, historians, doctors, mathematicians, and many others.
This event is free and there is no need to book.
Red Kite In The Sky
Come and learn the story of the red kite! You’ll get to make your own red kite to take home and be part of putting red kites back in the sky. Lots of birds and animals, such as the red kite, have disappeared from the landscape and conservationists are working hard to bring them back. How people think about species is one of the biggest challenges to bringing them back. Dr. Virginia Thomas’s research looks at what people think about other animals and how we can share our future with them.
Antarctic Globetrotting
Step into Antarctica – virtually, of course! Dr. Ed Gasson is a climate scientist who is interested in what past climates can tell us about future climate change and sea level rise. Together with Johnny Pope, he has developed a VR experience of Antarctica, a landscape that still remains partially unknown but that Dr. Gasson has been researching over the past years. Spoiler alert: You may see penguins.
Small But Mighty! Fighting Cancer In The Nano World
It’s David vs. Goliath at this stall, as scientists from the RaNT team face-off against Cancer – a disease titan – armed only with tiny bits of gold and an invisible laser! Come play, and help develop new medical tech that could diagnose and treat cancer without even breaking the skin! YOU can help the team improve the lives of future cancer patients. Along the way, you’ll vibe with light and the molecules of life, and go deep with rainbows. You’ll blow your head up to the size of the whole UK, and compete with friends to kill cancer with Super Soakers!
My Blue Health
Did you know that most of the people living on the European continent live in urban areas? Here in the South West, we are lucky to have access to moorlands, woodlands, coastal paths, and so-called ‘Blue Spaces’, namely rivers, lakes, and the sea. These spaces positively contribute to our overall mental and physical wellbeing. Dr. Kath Maguire’s research focuses on health, communities, and place. She is bringing along a community created rock pool full of fabric shells and fish. There will be many hidden stories and things to discover!
Pollination Navigation
Have you ever wondered about how bumblebees navigate their way between their nest and a blooming flower without a Sat-Nav? Dunia Gonzales, a Postdoctoral Research Student at the University of Exeter, wants to understand how bumblebees develop their sense of orientation and spatial awareness. Watch her drone footage to see aerial footage of floral resources across South Devon’s fields to understand and track bee routes.
The Math Detectives – Something In The Way You Move
See how maths and technology work together to measure and predict your behaviour using hand and eye movements. Recordings from such technology hold clues to a person’s health. Researchers from the University of Exeter explain how they use data analysis and maths to find these clues, such as patterns, in the recordings. These patterns could help diagnose and treat illness in the body and brain. Dr Piotr Slowinski is a lecturer in mathematics and statistics at the University of Exeter where he is translating quantitative methods into healthcare technologies.
Monitor Your Moves
Have you ever wondered about how your body moves and what that can tell you about your health? Researchers from the University of Exeter have been developing wearable monitoring exercise, walkable pods and more to help us better understand health conditions. Join in with interactive activities and hear more about the wide range of research being done nearby.
Science Education At King Edward Mine
Discover and learn about the history of Cornish mining! We’re thrilled to have the team from King Edward Mine joining the Pop-Up Shop. With a VR set of an underground mine in Cornwall, the team will speak about Cornish mining heritage and their community work at King Edward Museum, including footage of the Mining Games 2023.
Triggering Your Happy Hormones
Rosa Pascual is a multidisciplinary visual artist. In her work, she explores the ‘Self by Choice’. Do we choose how we think about our own bodies? How do we determine our self-worth? How do we determine our identity? And how do these questions make us feel?
Suitable Solutions For Plastic Pollution?
How can we find suitable solutions to plastic pollution? Is it even possible? How can island systems help us to solve this problem? Lara Pinheiro is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter. She and her team are aiming to reduce plastic solution in the Galapagos Islands and are working to create alternative materials to help reduce plastic pollution in our oceans.
Meet The Pioneers Of Renewable Wave Energy
Prof Lars Johanning is the Deputy Head of Engineering and Professor of Ocean Technology at Penryn Campus. He is a leading researcher with international recognition in the field of ocean energy and technology. His most recent involvement is in the project WEDUSEA, a pioneering collaboration between 14 partners that aim to develop ways to generate energy from large waves.
Lunchtime Talks
Between 12pm and 2pm each day on the Pop-Up Shop, hear directly from University of Exeter researchers about their work in this series of short engaging talks.
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