Event details

Find out about some of the exciting research being carried out in York. With lots of hands-on, interactive activities, this fun event - held in the heart of th city - is suitable for all the family.

Why not come along and talk face-to-face with researchers about how their cutting-edge work is improving the world we live in?

Making Stars on Earth

Discover how scientists are trying to create a 'star in a jar' to solve the world's energy crisis. Meet fusion energy researchers from the University of York and learn how fusion powers the stars. You can even play with plasma - the fuel of stars. 

A Taste of Chemistry

Come along and try some hands-on chemistry demonstrations, including testing your sense of taste and smell. Hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry, this activity also offers a chance to get crafty and celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table.

Binding Blocks

Explore the Universe… using Lego™. Join the Binding Blocks team from the University of York’s Department of Physics and find out about the building blocks that make up our world. Help make an 8 metre long 3D nuclear chart and discover how nuclear physics works.

Plantlet Culture.com

Join Plantlet Culture.com and find out about growing plants in test tubes. Discover how a small cutting or seed is taken, the surface sterilised and then grown on in a colourful nutrient rich gel, with new leaves, stems and roots developing over a few weeks.

Lego Mindstorm Robotics for Chemistry

Using Lego Mindstorm EV3 systems, researchers from the University of York’s Department of Chemistry demonstrate how you can conduct chemistry experiments in a safe, controlled and reliable way. Find out about some of the Lego Mindstorm devices that have been developed, including automated syringe pumps, solution dispensers, sample collectors and reaction stations.

Fun with Numbers!

How good is your number sense? What can The Very Hungry Caterpillar teach us about learning to count? Come and try some hands-on activities with researchers from the Numerical Cognition Lab at the University of York’s Department of Psychology, and you’ll find out the answer to these questions and more!

Tooth Detectives

Did you know that teeth contain information about your age, diet and where you have lived? York’s archaeological scientists are using ancient teeth to discover past peoples’ lives. Come learn what secrets your teeth hold and the techniques archaeologists use to reveal them.

Something to Try at Home…

Find out about a range of engaging practical ideas you can try out at school or home with STEM Learning and the University of York science PGCE. Whether you are a primary or secondary school student or teacher, why not come along and learn more?

Analysing the Past: The chemistry of a bog body

Discover how analytical chemistry is used to study a 1,000 year old body preserved in a bog - from his last meal to what he was wearing - through a series of games and demonstrations. Join researchers from the University of York’s Department of Chemistry for hands-on experience with professional scientific equipment.

What Makes you, YOU: Reading DNA

DNA give the instructions of life, but can you read the manual? Be a DNA detective and decipher the sequence. Will you find the DNA of a lily or a cat? Join the Physics of Life researchers who unlock the mysteries surrounding DNA, and see if you have what it takes to read the DNA manual.

Where Would you Like to Sing?

Would you like to hear your voice as if you were in a cathedral? Or in a Roman Theatre? If you are curious about how a space modifies sound, join researchers from the University of York and find out about the science behind acoustic measurements and computer simulations.

YORMEGA: York Memory Games

Have a go at our smartphone memory games and contribute to scientific research. The York Memory Games (YORMEGA) project aims to understand what limits our memory and how we might do better at preserving it. Meet researchers from the University of York’s Department of Psychology.

Materials and Structure of the Universe

Explore some of the peculiar properties and phenomena of a variety of materials - from invisibility to materials that change their state of matter under applied forces, to the underlying structure of the Universe itself (spacetime). Join the Institute of Physics for some fascinating demonstrations.

Games and Interactive Media

DC Labs researchers provide an inspiring immerse experience as they demonstrate games and interactive media. Come along and find out about the amazing research carried out at the DC Labs - a world centre of excellence for impact driven research in games, interactive media and the rich space where they converge.

Partners