TV star at Big Bang Solent Fair

BBC Two presenter and University of Southampton researcher Dr Helen Czerski will be one of the star attractions at this year’s Big Bang Solent Fair.

Helen, who is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research and presented BBC Two’s Operation Iceberg, will be giving visitors to the Fair a tour around the amazing ways that bubbles matter in oceanography, medicine and the natural world.

Her show Bubbles is just one of the many exciting demonstrations and activities being showcased at the University’s Highfield Campus on March 21 as part of the Big Bang Solent Fair to celebrate Science Week.

It is the first time the University has hosted the Fair, which is an annual event led by Solent EBP to highlight the best amongst regional Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and raise the importance of these areas.

It aims to inspire and excite young people and help them make important choices to remain focused on STEM-related educational pathways and careers.

More than 600 young people from schools and colleges in Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire are expected to attend and take part in the range of activities.

The University’s Physics show Accelerate will see students learning how to drive a particle accelerator, from the thousands of small machines that are used in medicine and industry, to the enormous 27km ring of the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.

They will also be able to meet employers from organisations including Astrium, IBM, Thales and BAE Systems.

Professor Malcolm Coe, Outreach and Public Engagement Team Leader in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton, said: “At Southampton we are committed to encouraging young people to gain an interest in and enthusiasm for the STEM subjects. We hope that by hosting this year’s Big Bang Solent Fair we will be helping inspire the next generation of scientists and researchers.

Robin Smith, Solent EBP’s Events Manager added: “This Big Bang Fair is an important part of the educational year. It is a perfect opportunity to help encourage more students into science and engineering careers.

“Teacher feedback from last year’s event was very positive. One visiting teacher commented: ‘The students enjoyed the event; it was excellent to have such a wide range of exhibitors who were extremely interesting.’.” The 2013 Big Bang Fair is sponsored by Engineering UK, Skills UK who provided European Social Funding, and the South East Physics Network (SEPnet).

Find more details on the Big Bang Solent Fair 2013.