Schedule by Session

From June to July 2016, the University of Central Lancashire delivered a Science and Technology Facilities Council funded exhibition and art installation project entitled ‘Exploring Light and Dark’ in collaboration with the Beacon Museum, Whitehaven, Cumbria.

Whitehaven is a small harbor town on the far west coast of Cumbria, England. With a population of about 24,000, it is located outside of the Lake District National Park. The major industry is the nearby Sellafield nuclear complex, with which a large proportion of the population has links.

We showcased the work of some of our science teams in the areas of astrophysics, ecology and engineering. Visitors were able to experience new ways of learning about research through our audio visual exhibits including films, interpretation boards and hands-on activities. The centre-piece was a 3.5m high semi-circular projection of the EUV images of the Sun obtained from NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory.

The programme of activities also included Storytelling (a local storyteller incorporated the folklore about the Sun with science research) and Choreography (a dance artist delivered interpretive dance workshops about the lifecycle of stars).

Consequently, 2500 individuals visited the exhibition over the four-week period. A full evaluation of this exhibition was undertaken and a summary of findings will be presented at this meeting. This will outline how this broad mix of scientists has critically reflected on the range of science communication techniques employed in “Light and Dark” with a view to sharing what worked best in this scenario.

As a direct result of this work, the project was invited to be part of the much larger and impactful Lancashire Encounter Festival in September 2016. The results this further outreach event will also be discussed to compare and contrast the use of the same outreach material in very different settings.