MIDAS at Bluedot

The Lovell Space telescope lit by artists from MESH for Max Richter’s compositions

Against the iconic backdrop of the Lovell Space telescope, MIDAS, in partnership with the Henry Royce Institute and the LightForm programme grant, braved unprecedented rainfall and mud to present to the 25,000 festival-goers at bluedot this summer. Bluedot is a festival that combines music, live science experiments, expert talks and immersive artworks; it is held annually at the UNESCO World Heritage site at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, England.

Over the course of three days, MIDAS chatted with an estimated 1,500 guests about our work. This gave people of all ages a chance to meet our researchers and to learn more about Materials Science. Our researchers developed their science communication skills and got inspired for future outreach by the range of science communication events on offer.

The stand

Activities focused on the characterisation of metals, which is fundamental to MIDAS and Lightform research. Festival-goers tested the real-world properties of metals by bending brass, aluminium and steel rods to test their strength and sorting metal element blocks, including zirconium, on a periodic table. Starting with hands-on experience with metals lets participants and volunteers “zoom in” on the microstructure of metals. Volunteers used this to guide participants in understanding the impact of changes to the atomic structure on the properties of metals in the real world.
Watch us in action on the Royce YouTube channel here.

Royce’s Outreach Officer, Alice La Porta said:
“This year’s stand featured a fantastic range of outreach activities focusing on the characteristics of advanced materials that we encounter in our daily lives. Our volunteers talked with the public about the properties of materials, explaining the field in an accessible and engaging way. Over the weekend, we met hundreds of visitors at our stand to try the activities, quiz the experts and engage in fun discussions about science.”