• Scientists from the University of Warwick will be appearing at the world's largest festival of public science talks which takes place from 17-20 May
• The Warwick events feature space travel, botanical drugs and eco racing cars
• The Warwick presentations are part of a wider festival of 70 engaging talks on science topics taking place online during the four day festival
• For more information and to register visit: https://warwick.ac.uk/wie/warwickengages/calendar/pintofscience21

The public science festival, Pint of Science, kicks off next week with experts from the University of Warwick talking about their research live in your living room.

One of the first events from Warwick to take place during Coventry’s City of Culture tenure, the researchers will be delivering fun and engaging events full of scientific discovery and you can enjoy it all from the safety of your sofa.

Dr Phil Jemmett, outreach officer for WMG and fellow of Warwick’s Institute of Engagement, will be hosting the first event, Mission 21: Journey to galaxies far far away. He said: “Going to space is a big dream for a lot of people. At the moment it may only be possible for astronauts and Earth’s wealthiest people, but along the way space exploration has contributed other amazing things to society as a whole. Mission 21 is all about a journey through the stars inspired, powered and navigated by the work we do at Warwick. This year Pint of Science is online – so pretend that the sofa is your seat on our rocket, buckle up and get the popcorn… it’s going to be a bumpy ride!”

Dr Alex Baker, a researcher from Chemistry and a fellow of Warwick’s Institute of Engagement, is hosting Tuesday’s event on plant chemistry and how we use them in society. He said: “We’ll be exploring how some products in nature’s medicine cabinet can cause societal problems and also become medical marvels or cultural icons. Plus since we couldn’t go to the pub, we’re bringing the pub to the people. How about a bit of cocktail mixology to help illustrate some chemistry? Grab the ingredients – we will see you there.”

Evé Wheeler-Jones, a PhD researcher from WMG who is hosting the final event, looking at developing sustainable motor racing on Thursday, said: “The world has moved quickly since WMG developed the chocolate powered racing car over ten years ago. We will be exploring the challenges and innovations the team faced when creating the sustainable racing car. Plus how the amazing work by Warwick students working on the Warwick Racing team are developing new ideas for their cars. We will be discussing what lessons can be learnt from this to help us achieve more from our waste in the future.”

Emily Little, from the Institute of Engagement, who has curated this year’s events along with the researchers, said: “This online festival is an exciting opportunity for researchers from Warwick to share their expertise to a local and international audience in a fun, relaxed way. From the potential of exploring space to engineering greener sports cars and understanding how nature provides us with life-saving medicines, our events will inform and inspire you. It’s also especially thrilling to be one of the first Warwick Resonate Festival events during Coventry’s year as City of Culture. So register, come along and enjoy science from your sofa.”

There are three events from Warwick this year:

Mission 2021: journey to galaxies far far, away

Monday 17 May, 7-8pm

Inspired by the Mars Rover Perseverance, researchers from Physics and WMG take a look at the possibilities of space travel using solar power and energy from stars, how batteries can sustainably work in space and how important it is to mine for elements to help us understand and travel to other planets.

Chemicals, Cocktails and Creativity - from molecules to masterpieces

Tuesday 18 May, 7-8pm

A stimulating discussion from four different perspectives around the subject of botanical medicine with researchers from Chemistry, Life Sciences, WMS and Liberal Arts. They will be examining natural drugs like caffeine and it’s infiltration into our everyday lives, how making small molecular changes can make controversial drugs like cannabis and heroin save lives in the hands of doctors and surgeons and how nature’s creations have influenced our culture and society.

Taking the trash out and onto the track. The future of eco-racing cars

Thursday 20 May, 7-8pm

At WMG over a decade ago motorsport and sustainability came together in an exciting union creating the supercharged chocolate-powered racing car, steered by carrots and with potato skin tyres. Since then the environmental impact of motoring and everyday life has become an issue the world can’t ignore. Landfill sites have been multiplying and our product lifecycles shortening so researchers from WMG, Engineering and the motorsport industry will be discussing the legacy of their inspirational car and what can be done to act now to save the planet. Is a new generation eco-car in the making? All will be revealed.

All the events are free and will be streamed on the Pint of Science YouTube channel. Full listings and an interactive guide are available here https://pintofscience.co.uk/

The international, four-day Pint of Science festival will see thousands of scientists simultaneously bringing their research out of the lab to share with the public in 30 different countries. Founded in 2015 by two UK researchers, the festival features a unique line up of talks, demonstrations and live experiments.

-Ends-

13 May 2021

For further information:

Andrea Cullis

Media relations manager, University of Warwick

E: a dot cullis at warwick dot ac dot uk

M: 07825 314874