This year, festival week kicks off on Monday 12th November and goes through to Saturday 17th November. Tickets are going fast – have you got yours yet?
We have a fabulous week lined up for you. See below for the full line-up:
Silly Science Toddler Time [SOLD OUT]
Mon 12 Nov 9.30 – 11.30 am
Come along with your child and join in the fun science activities aimed specifically at the under 5s. From the earliest age children are natural scientists, using their senses to investigate and explore the world around them. There’ll be lots to do from making “Ice Mountains” to exploring “Gloop”, and who can guess what’s inside the “Feely Boxes”?
£2 per child. Children 5 and under.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: A story told with Gravity – Marty Jopson [SOLD OUT]
Mon 12 Nov 7.30pm
Join Dr Marty Jopson, the BBC One Show’s resident scientist as he delves into the story of how Newton came up with his ideas on gravity. From the Ancient Greeks, through Newton’s genius, Marty brings the story bang up to date with the hunt for the Higgs boson. There will be flames and silly machines, and there will almost certainly be a mess.
★★★★ “Full of ideas you can take home and set fire to” Fringe Guru, Edinburgh 2011
£8/£6 Families and children aged 7 upwards. Bar.
Festival Science Cafe
Tue 13 Nov 7.30pm
Your chance to hear three top scientists as they are given 10 minutes each to explain their theories, then you get to pick their brains in our ever popular Science Cafe. From the elements in your phone to artificial intelligence, and Bean physics.
- Dr. John Baruch asks “Is there Life out There?”
- Prof. Robert Cywinski tackles “Could Thorium save the planet?”
- Dr. Hywell Jones illuminates “What things are made of.”
£4/£3 Adults and young people. Bar.
Astronomy on the Beaches of Hawaii – Science Festival Lunch [SOLD OUT]
Wed 14 Nov 12.30-2pm
Enjoy a delicious buffet lunch then sit back and listen to Prof. Ian Robson as he explains why Hawaii is renowned not only for its volcanoes but also as home to the world’s largest array of telescopes on the 14,000ft high summit of Mauna Kea. Professor Robson has been observing there for 40 years and was Director of the UK’s James Clerk Maxwell Telescope for a decade.
£5 including buffet lunch.
Science Book Club – Celebrating Alan Turing’s birthday
Wed 14 Nov 8pm
The Science Book Club returns to the Fleece pub in Otley. Meet like-minded individuals to discuss any book that fits in our topic. This time, as a celebration of Alan Turing’s birthday, the club will be discussing computing and artificial-intelligence. No need to bring a book, just come along and join in the discussion.
Location: The Fleece Pub, Westgate, Otley.
Free. Adults only.
Piled Higher and Deeper: Life (or the lack thereof) in Academia
Thu 15 Nov 7.30pm
The film of the popular online comic strip by Jorge Cham. Filmed on location at California Institute of Technology (Caltech), it follows four graduate students (Cecilia, Mike, Tajel and the ‘Nameless Grad Student’) as they struggle to find balance between research, teaching and their personal lives with humour and heart. Essential viewing for all academics and self-pitying phd students out there!
£3 Adults and young people. Bar.
Engineering, Mathematics and the Nude – Dr Allan McRobie
Fri 16 Nov 7.30pm
A gentle look at how the mathematics that is used to study the stability of ships, oil rigs and building columns can not only be used to weigh distant galaxies but, rather unexpectedly, can also give new insights into art, and particularly the portrayal of the nude.
Warning: this talk contains mathematics and nudity
£7/£5 Adults only. Bar.
Otley Science Fair
Sat 17 Nov 10am-4pm
Get down to this year’s Science Fair for stalls, demonstrations and great experiments to try out. Have a go at programming a robot and pass the time of day with Joseph Priestly, discoverer of oxygen. Cakes, teas, coffees and lunch available in the café all day.
Small fee for some activities. Something for everyone.
Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Science – Prof. Jim Al-Khalili [SOLD OUT]
Sat 17 Nov 7.30pm
Why does it get dark at night? Where are all the aliens? And is Schrödinger’s cat dead or alive? The BBC’s Jim Al-Khalili helps us get our heads around some of the world’s most mind-boggling paradoxes. Throughout history, science has been littered with famous paradoxes. All can be resolved with a little thought and lots of mind-bending fun, and each tell us a profound truth about how our universe works.
£8/£6 Adults and young people. Bar.
Further information and tickets:
Tickets from www.otleycourthouse.org.uk
Box office 01943 467216 10am-4pm Mon-Sat inclusive
Buy in person from Otley Courthouse 10am-4pm Mon-Sat or on the door.
All events at Otley Courthouse (unless otherwise specified):
Otley Courthouse Arts Centre,
Courthouse Street,
Otley,
West Yorks
LS21 3AN
Tel: 01943 467466
