Family fun day brings science to life

A science-based fun day which includes the opportunity to play against the Newcastle Eagles basketball team, get advice on running technique ahead of the Great North Run and learn how to save lives is being held at Northumbria University next month.

The University’s £30m Sport Central building will open its doors to the public on Sunday 8 September for Science Sunday – a free family fun day filled with science… but not as you know it – as part of the British Science Festival.

The fun day will be filled with activities for adults and children and will include interactive exhibitions, demonstrations and experiments.

Visitors will be able to understand the science behind sports such as basketball and even take on the Newcastle Eagles basketball team at their own game. They will be able to follow in the footsteps of TV drama shows in our very own CS Why Aye activity to examine forensic evidence and identify who committed a murder.

Adults can have a health MOT with experts using the latest equipment to check blood pressure, lung capacity and body mass index and the whole family can learn how to save lives in a CPR master class. Experts will also demonstrate the effects of footwear on running techniques ahead of the Great North Run and explore how LED lighting is impacting on personal and mobile communications.

Youngsters can take part in a teddy bears’ picnic and will have the chance to experience climbing, swimming, dodgeball and parachute games in sessions led by qualified student coaches.

Most events are free of charge but you must pre-book for the teddy bears’ picnic, CPR master class and history of LED lighting sessions by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/sciencesunday.

The British Science Festival is an annual celebration of science, engineering and technology which visits a different UK city each year. The Festival is organised by the British Science Association and this year is being hosted by Newcastle University with Northumbria University and Newcastle City Council as associate partners and AkzoNobel, Northumbrian Water, GE Oil & Gas and Saudi Aramco as sponsors. The Festival will take place in different venues in and around the city from Saturday 7 September through to Thursday 12 September.

For more information visit www.britishsciencefestival.org