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British Science Festival to create a big bang in Newcastle

Brains, boffins and business opportunities will flavour the British Science Festival in September, as it returns to Newcastle for the seventh time.

A full programme of lectures, demonstrations and networking will interest North East businesses who are keen to forge their way in new technological markets.

The festival takes place between September 7-12 and includes star speakers such as fertility expert, Lord Robert Winston and space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Drawing on the festival’s historic pedigree the festival will stage a modern equivalent to the famous 1860 “Huxley Debate” in which biologist Thomas Huxley, known as “Darwin’s Bulldog,” made the case for evolution via natural selection against the Lord Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Wilberforce.

A one day event designed to bring businesses, researchers and investors together, facilitated by the Technology Strategy Board, will also allow businesses to show off their scientific credentials.

Lectures on the carefully crafted mathematical equations behind Google’s success; the role Parliament plays in examining big scientific challenges facing society; and how to commercialise scientific studies, will provide insight.

A selection of North East businesses will also be opening their doors for people to explore the scientific processes going on in their workshops.

GE Oil and Gas will offer a behind the scenes look at their Walker Riverside manufacturing facility where the company produce subsea flexible pipelines; and Northumbrian Water will demonstrate the inner workings of their Tyneside sewage treatment works.

The British Science Festival is organised by the British Science Association who take it to a different UK city each year.

Newcastle University will host this year’s event, while Northumbria University and Newcastle City Council act as associate partners.

For more information about the programme, tickets and venues, visit the British Science Festival site here.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .