Scientists exhibit at prestigious Royal Society Summer Exhibition

From l to r: Marian Holness (Cambridge), Yan Lavallee (Liverpool) and Peter Lee (Manchester)

This year’s Royal Society Summer Exhibition (SSE), which showcases the best in cutting edge science and technology from across the UK, will feature two researchers from the University.

The SSE, which attracts thousands of visitors, consists of 22 curated exhibits alongside a series of inspiring talks and activities for all ages.

Liverpool Physicist, Professor Tara Shears, is part of the `Antimatter Matters’ exhibition which invites visitors to explore the mysterious nature of antimatter and asks why we live in a universe made of matter, rather than one made of antimatter.

Professor Shears said: “Antimatter might sound like science fiction, but it is one of the biggest mysteries in science today. We’re going to show everyone just why it matters so much – from what it can tell us about the earliest universe, to how we study it at the frontiers of research, to how it has everyday uses in medical imaging.“

Professor Yan Lavallee, from the University’s School of Environmental Sciences, is participating in the `4D Science’ exhibit which shows how 4D synchrotron X-ray tomography is being used to better understand volcanic eruptions.

4D Science allows scientists to build up a 3D picture of an object’s internal structure using a series of X-rays. It is used in many fields from archaeology to medical research and is helping Liverpool volcanologists investigate the physical processes behind volcanic eruptions.

Professor Lavallee said: “Using Diamond Light source and the magma flow simulator developed by Manchester, we are gaining all new insights into how water vapour bubbles form in magma and how they can be released via fracturing. Understanding how these bubbles and fractures form should help us in the future to better predict if a volcano might erupt explosively, or not.”

This exhibit also involves the University of Manchester and the Diamond Light Source, the UK’s synchrotron science facility.

The Royal Society Summer Exhibition runs until Sunday 10 July 2016. For more information please visit the website:

https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/summer-science-exhibition/

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