Communicating science at music festivals

As the summer draws to a close in the northern hemisphere, Andrew Glester looks back on two festivals he attended this year – the Blue Dot Festival in Cheshire and Green Man Festival in Wales. Glester meets a range of people involved in communicating science to festival audiences, often in surprising and innovative ways. He wants to know what motivates these people and what they have found to be the most effective ways of combining science with entertainment.

Along the way, Glester meets the following people:

• Tim O’Brien, who curates the science elements of Blue Dot Festival. O’Brien talks about the festival’s origins and his personal journey in science communication from shy early-career researcher to addressing thousands from the Blue Dot stage.

• Jim Wild, a space physics researcher from Lancaster University, who was at Blue Dot festival to talk about space weather. Delving into the science, Wild speaks about the hazard to astronauts posed by solar radiation – something that would be especially challenging in a manned mission to Mars.

• The playwright Dave Windass who speaks about Pale Blue Dot, a new play he’s scripted that tackles global environmental issues and the search for more sustainable ways of living. Windass, who had not previously worked with science themes, speaks about the challenges of marrying science communication with successful storytelling.

• Sam Illingworth, a science communicator who is part of the Games Research Network at Manchester Metropolitan University. With a particular interest in table-top games, Illingworth believes that puzzles can lead to deep engagement in science. You will also hear recordings of some of Illingworth’s science-inspired poetry, which he delivered to audiences at Green Man festival.

• Maddie Foard, who runs the Solar Stage at Green Man Festival. She explains why her approach is to grab the attention first, then slip in the science almost by stealth.

• Will Hunter, the curator of Einstein’s Garden, a performance area at Green Man that blends a diverse range of acts relating to science and technology. Hunter describes his approach as “playful” because he wants to embrace the ethos of the festival.

• Anna Ploszajski, materials scientists and science communicator who was at Green Man speaking about the wonders of “smart materials”. Ploszajski, who often takes a humorous look at science and engineering, speaks about the various unexpected skills you can develop in the process of science communication.

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