Street Science
Do you want to hear more about the amazing science conducted at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus? If so, look out for our fabulous Street Scientists while out and about across Cornwall!
At various times throughout the year, researchers from the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus will be in busy locations around Cornwall, telling members of the public about their amazing discoveries. There will be no microphones or gadgets, just engaging speakers, a box, a few props and some great science! Learn about foraging meerkats, weird and wonderful insects, the science of animal tracking, and much more. Our science busking team will also conduct experiments in front of you. Come and be inspired and amazed!
Our first Street Science event took place on Friday 14 August 2015, 11-2pm on The Moor in Falmouth. The speakers included:
- Dr Sarah Hodge
Sarah’s research aims to understand the behaviour of group living animals, and in particular why some animals are more helpful than others. She will be telling us about her work studying wild meerkats in the Kalahari Desert. - Dr Lucy Hawkes
Lucy studies the biology of animal migration. Her research has taken her all over the world, from turtles in West Africa, to basking sharks in Scotland, to geese in Outer Mongolia. She’ll be telling us about the amazing feats of animal migration in the animal kingdom and the techniques she uses to study them. - Dr Ros Shaw
Ros’ work explores the importance of invertebrates for crop production. She’ll be explaining why looking after wild insects is so important, both to pollinate our food plants and keep pests away. - Dr Alex Thornton
Alex studies animal intelligence. He began his career working on meerkats, but quickly realised he needed a more intelligent study species! He now studies jackdaws in Cornwall and will tell us how clever these birds really are and how they compare to other animals – including humans!