British Science Festival heads to Hull

The British Science Association, which showcases the best of British science, is pleased to announce that the British Science Festival will take place in Hull and the Humber in 2018, from 11 – 14 September, hosted by the University of Hull. The four-day event is one of Europe’s longest-established science festivals, which each year travels to a new part of the UK, bringing a vast array of events, performances and exhibitions with a scientific twist.

Working in partnership with the University of Hull and other organisations in the Humber region, the British Science Festival will be a flagship event as part of Hull’s City of Culture legacy focusing on three key areas - energy and the environment; health and the medical sciences; and exploration, movement and discovery.

Ivvet Modinou, Director of the British Science Festival, said: “We are delighted to be bringing the Festival to Hull and the Humber in 2018. The University of Hull has a fantastic reputation for its research and scientific excellence, and we’re very excited to be working with the team at the University to create a stunning event to highlight the broad range of talent at the institution.” 

The British Science Festival has only visited Hull twice in its history, the first in 1853 and most recently in 1922.

The British Science Festival hosted by University of Hull will take place between Tuesday 11 and Friday 14 September 2018, and will feature a diverse programme of talk, debates, performances and activities.

Professor Susan Lea, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hull, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the British Science Festival in Hull next year. It is a wonderful opportunity for the University of Hull and for the city as a whole, building on Hull's legacy as this year's City of Culture. Through a series of fantastic events, the Festival will engage a variety of different audiences from across the country.”

 Mark Lorch, Professor of Science Communication and Public Engagement at the University of Hull, commented: “Hosting the Festival offers an incredible opportunity for the University to help showcase the best of British science and inspire the public. We are looking forward to building on our strong foundations of science engagement and our City of Culture programme to bring thousands of visitors onto our campus and to the region - many of whom are likely to be visiting Hull for the first time. The Festival will bring many celebrated scientists to the city, engaging people in a fun, interactive and informative way. You only need to look at the creativity of this year’s programme to see how the Festival is going to bring science to life.

“The Festival also gives us chance to showcase how science and technology is a growing industry in the region. At the University of Hull we are committed to inspiring people to engage with science – whether that’s by training people to take up careers in this sector, or via our vibrant community outreach programme which includes our Science Buskers who bring science to the community at major events like the recent Freedom Festival.”

The Festival will focus on an audience of non-specialist adults with a broad interest in science, delivering 100 events, specially curated by the British Science Association. World-leading academics from University of Hull and other institutions and organisations across the UK will present, discuss and debate cutting-edge science (across the scientific spectrum including technology, engineering and social sciences) at a range of different events, from talks to performances.

 This year’s festival, currently taking place in Brighton, included University of Hull volcanologist and lecturer Dr Rebecca Williams, who delivered the prestigious Charles Lyell Award Lecture for Environmental Sciences based on her pioneering research into deadly volcanic clouds.

 Also earlier this week, the likes of broadcaster Lauren Laverne were among those hosting events – showing the breadth of appetite for engagement in science beyond an academic audience.

 The Festival has been the stage for many iconic moments in history – such as the famous debate on Darwin’s controversial theory of evolution between Thomas Huxley and the Bishop of Oxford in 1860. It also saw the first use of the word ‘scientist,’ in 1834.

The origins of the Festival, previously known as the annual meeting, can be traced back to York, in 1831. Since then it has travelled the globe, including visits to Montreal and Australia.