Latest news from Loughborough University
| 27 February 2006 | PR 06/17 |
Crime scene investigators needed at Loughborough University!
The chance to become a crime scene investigator for the day is on offer at Loughborough University in March.
The introduction to forensic analysis is just one of the events being held at the campus to mark National Science Week 2006. Taking place from March 10 to the 19, National Science Week aims to celebrate science and its importance to our lives, giving people the chance to participate in science activities and experiments and to engage in science discussions in their local area.
At Loughborough the Faculty of Science has a packed programme of events on offer for schoolchildren and members of the community.
Sessions taking place include:
- A robotics workshop: The Department of Computer Science will be hosting
this session where participants will work in teams to construct robots
that can perform special tasks.
- Make and test your own Frisbee: Participants will be able to make
and test their own Frisbees in an exciting laboratory experiment organised
by the University’s Institute of Polymer technology and Materials
Engineering. This session will show through an electron microscope how
Frisbees react at different temperatures and why you shouldn’t
play with them when it is cold.
- Taste of Forensic Analysis: In this two-hour laboratory workshop,
hosted by the Chemistry Department, students will use modern analytical
chemistry techniques to investigate the circumstances surrounding a
‘suspicious death’. The drowned body of a woman has been
found on a beach – but was it an accident, suicide or murder?
Working in teams, students will gain hands-on experience of laboratory
analysis using a variety of techniques and hopefully will be able to
piece together what happened to the woman.
- Solar energy: The Chemistry Department will also be hosting a workshop
focussing on solar energy. During this session participants will create
their own Grätzel solar cells. These are dye-sensitised solar cells,
which use a dye to directly convert sunlight energy into electrical
energy. Various types of dyes can be used; some include blackcurrants,
cranberries, turmeric powder, tea leaves and even onion skin. The best
working Grätzel solar cells created by the group will be used to
power a small electronic calculator.
- How ‘fit’ is your mobile phone: The University’s
Ergonomics and Safety Research Institute will be leading this design
workshop. The session will provide an opportunity for participants to
look at design from a new ergonomic perspective.
- Sir Nevill Mott lecture: Professor Sir Michael Berry, a Royal Society Research Professor at Bristol University and winner of the 2000 Ig Nobel prize in physics, will be giving this year’s lecture, which is hosted by the Physics Department.
Professor Ken Parsons, Dean of Loughborough’s Faculty of Science said: “The University really enjoys taking part in National Science Week as it enables us to show young people how science can be fun and exciting. Yet again the faculty has a packed programme of events for local youngsters and other members of the community to take part in so come along and join in the fun!”
Schools, youth groups or members of the community wanting further information about any of the events should contact Jackie Baseley, Loughborough’s National Science Week Coordinator, by calling 01509 228336 or emailing j.a.baseley@lboro.ac.uk. Places are booked on a first come first served basis, so for your chance to take part in a fun packed week of science reserve your space now.
Ends
For further information contact:
- Judy Smyth, Public Relations Office,
T: 01509 228697, E: J.L.Smyth@lboro.ac.uk
Notes to editors
- National Science Week is coordinated by the BA (British Association
for the Advancement of Science) and is supported by the Department of
Trade & Industry and sponsored by the Economic & Social Research
Council.
- An online programme of events can be found at: www.the-ba.net/nsw
- Loughborough has an established reputation for excellence in teaching
and research, strong links with industry, and unrivalled sporting achievement.
Assessments of teaching quality by the Quality Assurance Agency place
it in the top flight of UK universities; the National Student Survey
ranked Loughborough equal first among full-time students; and industry
highlights the University in its top five for graduate recruitment.
Around 40% of Loughborough’s income is for research, and 60% for
teaching. The University has been awarded five Queen's Anniversary Prizes:
for its collaboration with aerospace and automotive companies such as
BAE Systems, Ford and Rolls Royce; for its work in developing countries;
for pioneering research in optical engineering; for its world-leading
role in sports research, education and development; and for its outstanding
work in evaluating and helping to develop social policy-related programmes.
In 2006 Loughborough celebrates the 40th anniversary of its University Charter, awarded on 19 April 1966 in recognition of the excellence achieved by Loughborough College of Advanced Technology and its predecessor Colleges. Loughborough University of Technology was renamed Loughborough University in 1996.