̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - CHaOS

Science roadshow comes of age at Cambridge

bjb42 — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000

As one of the few student-run educational science roadshows in the country, the CHaOS Roadshow brings its own unique brand of fun science to adults, children and families, both at the annual Cambridge Science Festival and in tours during the ̽��ֱ�� summer vacations.

At Cambridge Science Festival, the CHaOS event (called Crash Bang Squelch!) is one of the main attractions for children and families, drawing as many as 2,000 people in just a few hours. Each year the event is supported by around 120 student volunteers, enlisted from the group's 1,500 members.

Every summer, armed with water-powered rockets, kiwi fruit, and a skeleton named Boris, a group of about 30 CHaOS members take to the road in a hired minibus. Not only do they set out to explain some of science's intriguing puzzles but they also encourage adults and children to discover the answers for themselves.

CHaOS founder Dr Anthony James, a former Cambridge student who now works for the NHS, explained: “We started the project because there is so much more to science than white coats and laboratories. We wanted to show that it's fun, and relevant to everyone.”

And show they have. Over the last ten years, the CHaOS Roadshow minibus has descended on towns from Scotland to Devon, with events at schools, festivals, bandstands and even a beach! From its modest origins in Cambridge, the roadshow has grown to reach more than 8,000 people each year at venues across the country.

A visitor to a recent roadshow held in Dover said: “I think I learnt more about what my son actually knows about the world around him in the couple of hours he spent with student volunteers than I have done for many years – they opened his mind.”

Kirsty Leake, local Cambridge resident and CHaOS volunteer, remembers visiting CHaOS at the Cambridge Science Festival as a child nine years ago. She recently helped to run the experiments while training to be a teacher. She said: “It's a great chance to get your hands on some fun and perhaps surprising science. ̽��ֱ��students are lively and they really tailor the experiments for their audience.”

CHaOS is one of the few student-run science roadshows in the country. With no paid staff, the group relies entirely on the enthusiasm of its student volunteers. This informal approach keeps the group fresh and creative, with new experiments and events added every year. ̽��ֱ��latest development is a “lab on a bicycle” initiative to take experiments out to local schools.

What will the future hold for the group? “Science explains the world around us and impacts almost every aspect of our lives – it's much more than just a school subject,” said Phil Tuddenham, one of the CHaOS organizers, who is doing a PhD in computer science.

“Children need inspirational role models in science, now more than ever, and that's where we come in. I would like to see every ̽��ֱ�� have a student science roadshow.”

Look out for the CHaOS Roadshow at Strawberry Fair on Midsummer Common, Cambridge, in June and on the south coast during the school summer holidays.

More information about the CHaOS Science Roadshow is available on the group's website, http://www.chaosScience.org.uk/.

Students throughout the ̽��ֱ��'s science departments – right from Astronomy to Zoology - this week celebrated a decade of bringing fun science to the public.

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Touring CHaOS

bjb42 — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

On Thursday 31 March and Friday 1 April, CHaOS will be taking 15-20 of its experiments and volunteers to two schools in Southend (Blenheim Primary School and Earls Hall Junior School). Then, on Saturday 2 April, the young scientists will be holding an open event to the public, allowing parents and children from around the area to experience some fun hands-on science.

̽��ֱ��tour was a result of a request from the Local Education Authority in Southend-on-Sea, who were keen to encourage adults to get involved in their children's learning, and in turn consider going back into education themselves.

CHaOS, is a non-profit student-run society at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, whose principal aim is to inspire children, and their parents, to become interested in science.

CHaOS events consist of a range of short hands-on experiments for children. Each experiment is staffed by a student volunteer who takes children through it in small groups, tailoring the experiment to their level of understanding and challenging them to think further.

“By sharing our own enthusiasm for science, we help children see the area as exciting and dynamic, rather than as ‘just another school subject’,” said Mudit Matanhelia, ChaOS president.

Each year, as part of the Cambridge Science Festival, ChaOS runs the annual ‘Crash, Bang, Squelch!’ event, consisting of over 50 fun experiments with more than 100 student volunteers to demonstrate them. This year’s event attracted nearly 2000 people in just 6 hours. ChaOS also organises a Summer Tour, taking volunteers and experiments to places around the country where the opportunities to visit science museums and festivals are rare. This year’s tour will run from 15-31 July, and visit venues in Kent and East Anglia.

For more information visit www.chaosscience.org.uk or email contact@chaosscience.org.uk

Cambridge Hands-on Science is going on a three-day tour to Southend-on-Sea.

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Science in the summer

bjb42 — Fri, 15 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Seaside science
Cambridge Hands-On Science (ChaOS) will be encouraging youngsters to get involved in interactive demonstrations at events in some of Britain's top holiday destinations. ChaOS will bring exciting hand-on experiments to ballrooms, bandstands, halls and leisure centres from the East coast to the South West this summer. Armed, amongst other weird and wonderful things, with 100 kiwi fruit, a xylophone made from drainpipes and a skeleton named Boris, they promise their own unique brand of fun science.

By getting sticky with slime, blowing mysterious bubbles, building bridges galore and much more, the group not only explain some of science's intriguing puzzles but also encourage people to answer many for themselves.

One of the event organisers, Sarah Crisp explained:

"There is much more to science than white coats and laboratories. We want to show that science is fun and relevant. ̽��ֱ��ChaOS events provide a unique opportunity to get your hands on exciting science with lively one-to-one helpers."

Tour dates
Sat 16 Aug - Skegness, Methodist Church Hall, Algitha Rd
Sun 17 Aug - Cleethorpes, ̽��ֱ��Winter Gardens
Tue 19 Aug - Gloucester, GL1 Leisure Centre
Wed 20 Aug - Ross on Wye, ̽��ֱ��Market Hall
Thu 21 Aug - Malvern, Lyttelton Rooms
Sat 23 Aug - Kingsbridge, ̽��ֱ��Quay
Sun 24 Aug - Ivybridge, Chapel Place Community Centre
Mon 25 Aug - Brixham, Scala Hall
Tue 26 Aug - Exmouth, Elisabeth Hall
Thu 28 Aug - Swanage, ̽��ֱ��Mowlem Community Room
Fri 29 Aug - Lymington, St Thomas' Church Hall

ChaOS is a voluntary, student-run organisation dedicated to passing on its members' enthusiasm for science to the public. Further information about the events can be obtained by contacting the organisers at contact@chaosscience.org.uk or on 07718 656655. ̽��ֱ��2003 tour is sponsored by: the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, Arthur D Little, the Institute of Physics; the Campaign for the Promotion of Engineering; the Biochemical Society; Microsoft Research. Corus and TiOxide.

Cosmic tours
Astronomy organisations all over the country will be hosting events during the National Astronomy Week (23 - 30 August), aimed at raising the profile of astronomy and astrophyics. In the ̽��ֱ��'s Cavendish Laboratory, the astrophysics group will be offering tours around their observatory, the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory (MRAO) at Lord's Bridge.

Situated a few miles west of Cambridge, MRAO is home to more than half a dozen radio telescopes, many of which have played key roles in important discoveries in astrophysics over the last few decades. ̽��ֱ��observatory remains central to research activities of the Cavendish Astrophysics group, in particular to studies of the Cosmic Microwave Background and high-resolution optical imaging.

Tours will last about two hours and, weather-permitting, will include an introduction to AMI - an exciting new telescope currently under construction - which will be used to image secondary anisotropies in the microwave background.

Tours will run on Monday 25 August at 4.30pm; Wednesday 27 August at 6pm and Friday 29 August at 6pm.

There will be no charge for the tours, however places will need to be booked in advance. Please contact Kate Gilbert on (3)37294 for booking information. Further details about the MRAO may be found at the website: www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/

Further information on National Astronomy Week, as well as a listing of other events, local and around the country can be found online at: www.astronomyweek.org.uk

A group of Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� students will be bringing their own brand of fun science to seaside resorts over the next two weeks. Meanwhile back at the ̽��ֱ�� staff from the Cavendish Laboratory will be offering tours of the Observatory as part of National Astronomy Week.

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