Staff are invited to experience the work of the University’s technicians first-hand at a showcase event taking place at the Central Teaching Lab.
The Technical Showcase is open to all staff and is a great opportunity to meet some of our technical staff and the equipment they use to enhance teaching and research activities. Taking place on Tuesday, 25 June from 10am to 3pm, the event will feature more than 30 activities including inflatable planetariums, green screen demonstrations, acoustic custard and cave art experiences.
The event aligns closely with the Technician Commitment signed by the University in 2017 which aims to give greater visibility to our technicians, enhance career progression, create sustainability and to recognise professional registration.
The full programme for the showcase is now available online and highlights include:
Cave Experience
Step back into the Ice Age and experience cave art in our replica cave environment. Compare our work with that of our ancestors. This facility enables our students to gain direct experience of a prehistoric life that is very different to their own.
The experience helps students devise good questions to investigate as part of their own research projects. The lighting mimics that produced by animal fat lamps so that the artwork is produced and experienced in a more authentic environment.
Acoustic Custard
‘Acoustic Custard’, Oobleck, or a ‘non-Newtonian fluid’, is a fluid that does not follow Newton’s law of viscosity. Some non-Newtonian fluids such as custard, become more viscous (more solid) when exposed to greater stress (the opposite is true for other non-Newtonian fluids such as paint). In real terms this means when moving through the fluid slowly it will act like a liquid but if it is hit with any velocity, it acts more like a solid.
We can use this characteristic to entertaining effect by repeatedly ‘striking’ the fluid at (relatively) high frequency thus causing the fluid to remain in its ‘solid’ state for longer periods. This effect can be demonstrated using uniform repeating acoustic waveforms, played through a speaker and into the fluid.
Veterinary Nurses
Come and meet some of the Veterinary Nurses from the Institute of Veterinary Science and learn about their involvement in the hospitals and practice. You can also get some practical hands on tips on emergency First Aid for dogs and horses. You can even practice your bandaging techniques and learn CPR for dogs.
Skittles Spectroscopy
See the rainbow! Come and investigate colourings on skittles by visible absorption spectrophotometry and chromatographic techniques. Also check out our hydrogels for Halloween; make monster eyeballs and spooky glows from cross linked polymers!
This event is open to all staff and registration is not required as attendance is welcome on a drop-in basis.
