Jeff McIlhinneyreports on the Cheltenam Science Festival:
Ruth Faram and I served on the MRC stand at Cheltenham Science Festival which ran from the 9-14th June. We were joined by many members of the MRC from all over the UK, as can be seen from the picture. Large numbers of the public, the organizers of the festival thought another record breaking year, passed through the main hall enjoying the different exhibits. This year the emphasis at the MRC stand was on the brain, which suited Ruth and I well. The "Guess the weight of the human brain", the "Identify the brain disease from the scans" and the "Take the brain apart, and put it together again" exhibits all proved popular with all ages. As usual I was surprised by the interest shown by the wide range of ages in all of the exhibits, and by the appreciation shown by those we talked to about our work. Again several teachers were picking up ideas from the stands for future use in the classroom, so the benefit of the Festival is longer lasting than the event itself. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and despite the drain on energy one that everyone on the stand wanted to repeat. We also got to meet and engage with some interesting visitors on the stand.
Prof. Robert Winston visits the stand.