• Festival-goers will be immersed in mind-bending performances, peek into the future of healthcare, and experience the cutting-edge of smart technology.
• Jaguar Land Rover announced as Principal Partners, alongside Cadent and Lubrizol.

The British Science Association (BSA) has today (25 June) unveiled the full programme and opened bookings for the British Science Festival 2019. This year’s line-up is notable for its diverse and entertaining programme of events.

Held in partnership with the University of Warwick, the Festival will transform Coventry and Warwickshire into a celebration of science and culture from Tuesday 10 – Friday 13 September. Events have been curated to highlight the region’s strength in digital technologies, smart cities and the future of energy and healthcare.

Highlights of this year’s programme include:

Events to challenge and provoke

Hear from the Chief Investigator of the Russian doping scandal in Chasing elite cheats, see celebrity chef Jack Monroe about how they’re Tackling food poverty, explore the future of cancer’s diagnosis, treatment and ultimately patient survival in AI for Cancer, cross cultural and political divides in Love your enemy, and delve into Louis Theroux’s most recent documentary topic in Childbirth broke my brain.

Immersive and interactive experiences

Experience Holotronica, a live 3D show with a retro-futuristic synesthetic trip that merges sound and colour frequencies, hop into the automatically-driven Festival carpool, don a blindfold and take A dark tour of the Universe, and create your own perfect tea blend with real and “virtual” flavours in Time for tea.

Showcasing local places, spaces and people

Listen to a unique music performance from the talented Coull Quartet in Immersed in sound waves, share the joy of food with the Cook together, Eat together over 55s cooking club, hear from a pool of talented LGBT+ researchers from the University of Warwick in Out Thinkers, and grab your friends for a drink at the end-of-the-Festival FarGo Village takeover, filled with comedy, workshops and even an escape room.

And for something a bit different…

Comprehend the politics of an alien invasion with Close encounters of a political kind, listen to Roger Highfield In conversation with Konnie Huq - Blue Peter’s longest-serving female presenter, laugh along at the part stand-up comedy, part science show Dark Matter, discuss mortality at pop-up installation The Departure Lounge, and get dirty in our Mud kitchen.

These great events are among 100 free others from top scientists, artists, performers, academics and local community groups.

The BSA’s Ivvet Modinou, Director of the British Science Festival, said: “This year’s programme has shaped up wonderfully and we’re really proud of the great selection of events on offer. Local stories are at the heart of the Festival, showcasing the world-class research that’s impacting on a national and international level.

“It also draws out the breadth and diversity of science by touching on all corners of culture and society, providing something for everybody to enjoy. We look forward to bringing the Festival to Coventry and Warwickshire later this year and welcoming all our Festival-goers with experiences that will surprise, delight, and challenge.”

The programme covers topics one may not usually associate with science, demonstrating the breadth of science and the impact it has on everyone’s life. The organisers have put special emphasis on the fun, thought-provoking, and societal aspects of science, to show that it’s not just confined to laboratories, but something that’s all around us.

Partnerships

The British Science Festival this year is being well-supported by leading businesses and industry groups from Coventry and Warwickshire and the wider West Midlands region. Jaguar Land Rover have today been announced as sponsors, joining Cadent and Lubrizol as the Principal Partners of the Festival.

Professor Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick, said: “We are delighted that industry leaders Jaguar Land Rover, Cadent, Lubrizol, and Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership are supporting us in putting on a must-see event in our city and region. We look forward to welcoming members of the public, businesses and researchers from across the region, the UK and further afield to our campus to learn more about our research, the breadth of the Midlands’ technological skills and to build a legacy for public engagement with science and engineering across the region.”

Family Day

Immediately following the Festival, on Saturday 14 September, the University of Warwick will be hosting an extra special Family Day. Aimed at families from Coventry and Warwickshire, especially children up to the age of 11, the event will be a jam-packed day of discovery and exploration. The university’s campus will be overtaken with dozens of stalls, workshops, talks, performances and much more.

Highlights include YouTube filmmaker and BAFTA-winning children’s presenter, Maddie Moate, who will be taking audiences on a journey through the solar system; alongside dinosaur discovery, mosaic making, pottery, and interactive maths.

The Family Day is delivered by the University of Warwick in association with Jaguar Land Rover.

For more information, visit: www.warwick.ac.uk/familydays 

Ends//

The full programme for the British Science Festival was revealed at a launch reception at 78 Bishopsgate in London. All tickets are completely free, although space for some events is limited, so booking is recommended. More information about each event and ticket bookings can be found at: www.britishsciencefestival.org

Notes to editors

1. About the British Science Festival  

The British Science Festival is one of Europe’s largest science festivals and regularly attracts hundreds of the UK’s top scientists and speakers to discuss the latest developments in science with the public. Working in partnership with the University of Warwick and other organisations in the Coventry and Warwickshire region, the Festival will entertain an audience of non-specialist adults with a broad interest in science, delivering 100 specially curated events. Over 15,000 visitors attend the talks, workshops, performances and activities.

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.

Registration is free for journalists and gets you access to all the events. The Festival takes place at a different location each year. The 2019 Festival will take place from 10 – 13 September, hosted by the University of Warwick and sponsored by Jaguar Land Rover, Cadent and Lubrizol.

For further information, visit www.britishsciencefestival.org @BritishSciFest #BSF19

2. About the University of Warwick

The University of Warwick is one of the world’s leading research institutions, ranked in the UK’s top 10 and among the top 20 in Europe. Since its foundation in 1965 Warwick has established a reputation of scientific excellence, through the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine (which includes WMG and the Warwick Medical School).

3. About our Principal Partners

Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy. We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change. Day to day we continue to operate, maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network, transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency. Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve, working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the welsh borders to East Anglia, to keep your energy flowing.

Cadent manages the national gas emergency service free phone line on behalf of the gas industry - 0800 111 999*

Cadent Gas Ltd is majority owned by a consortium of global investors.

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all-wheel-drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports saloon and sports car marques.
At Jaguar Land Rover, we are driven by a desire to deliver class-leading vehicles, which will provide experiences our customers will love, for life. Our products are in demand around the globe. In 2018 Jaguar Land Rover sold 592,708 vehicles in 128 countries.

We support around 260,000 people through our retailer network, suppliers and local businesses. At heart we are a British company, with two major design and engineering sites, three vehicle manufacturing facilities and an engine manufacturing centre in the UK. We also have plants in China, Brazil, India, Austria and Slovakia.

From 2020 all new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will offer the option of electrification, giving our customers even more choice. We will introduce a portfolio of electrified products across our model range, embracing fully electric, plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles as well as continuing to offer the latest diesel and petrol engines.

The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a market-driven global company that combines complex, specialty chemicals to optimize the quality, performance and value of customers’ products while reducing their environmental impact. It is a leader at combining market insights with chemistry and application capabilities to deliver valuable solutions to customers in the global transportation, industrial and consumer markets. Lubrizol improves lives by acting as an essential partner in our customers’ success, delivering efficiency, reliability or wellness to their end users. Technologies include lubricant additives for engine oils, driveline and other transportation-related fluids, industrial lubricants, as well as additives for gasoline and diesel fuel. In addition, Lubrizol makes ingredients and additives for home care, personal care and skin care products and specialty materials encompassing polymer and coatings technologies, along with polymer-based pharmaceutical and medical device solutions.

With headquarters in Wickliffe, Ohio, Lubrizol owns and operates manufacturing facilities in 17 countries, as well as sales and technical offices around the world. Founded in 1928, Lubrizol has approximately 8,700 employees worldwide. Revenues for 2018 were $6.8 billion. For more information, visit Lubrizol.com.

For more information/interviews contact:

Peter Thorley
Media Relations Manager (Warwick Medical School and Department of Physics)

Email: peter.thorley@warwick.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)24 761 50868

Mob: +44 (0) 7824 540863