otley

2025 Dates For Your Diary

yorxbroxLeave a comment

We’re off with planning for this year’s Science Festival, so you can put the dates in your diary. We’re planning to begin with a family show on Sunday 9th November and close out with the Fair and our last speaker on Saturday 15th. In between will be our usual enticing selection of science based events and daytime schools shows for KS1 and KS2 pupils.

Full details will follow in due course.

Plus, of course, in the meantime there will be our regular Science Cafés currently scheduled for March 27th and June 26th, with one to follow in September, date tbc.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Social changes for ’25 – our X-odus

yorxbroxLeave a comment

We made a decision in mid ’24 that it felt right for us to join the X-odus, at some time after the Science Festival. So that is what we are doing.

If you’ve been following us on X, thank you for your past support, but for ’25 would you please switch to join us on any (or all) of the usual suspect alternatives.

You can also now find us under the “otleyscience” identity on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram and continuing as we have long been on Facebook. Plus, of course, here.

Our final Tweet/post is on January 3rd and (in case you miss(ed) it) reads:

“That’s it, we’re off. It’s been great but sadly we no longer feel comfortable sharing this space, as we are and always will be advocates for the enjoyment of truth and understanding through science. We hope you may join us where we are seeking a more welcoming home.”

We look forward to seeing you wherever suits you best.

Besides that, all the very best for 2025.

OSF X-off graphic with bluesky, instagram, threads and facebook logos

Festival 2024 is now behind us…

yorxbroxLeave a comment

Another great range of events and a really popular Fair day. Thanks as ever to our presenters, stall holders and volunteers who made it possible. And, of course, thanks to everyone who came to join us. Here’s a small look back at some of the activities:

Lastly, I’m going to pick out one chart from Friday’s presentation “When Antarctica Was Green” by Dame Professor Jane Francis, Director of the British Antarctic Survey. It shows the results of using ice cores to directly see CO2 levels over the last 800,000 years (well beyond the arrival of homo sapiens).

At no time over those years was CO2 above 300ppm. It is now 422ppm. She said that in the past, when it was above 400ppm sea levels were 5-10m higher than they are now…

You can find more photos from this year and from past Festivals on our Flickr group at https://flic.kr/g/gvMsL

Otley Science Festival 2023, here we go!

yorxbroxLeave a comment

November 13th – 18th, with additional activities on Sunday 19th.

Another great, packed Festival week with top speakers on diverse topics (family show Ultimate Dinosaurs; When the Antarctic Was Green with the Director of the British Antarctic Survey; an exploration of Roman medicine and BBC Science presenter Adam Rutherford on Control about eugenics), another Science Quiz (with food option), a Science Café, and something different – a Friday evening introduction to cheese science, with tasting!

Plus our popular, family oriented, free Science Fair (Saturday 10-4) is bigger than ever, overflowing into the Bridge Church and Otley Library.

All the info you need in on the Festival 2023 page

Festival Week 2022: Here We Go

yorxbroxLeave a comment

Science Festival week runs from 14th to 19th November this year. Here’s our poster, which can’t even fit everything in!

As well as the events on the poster we have Early Explorers for the little ones on Monday morning; this year’s Science Quiz (in person and with food!) on Monday evening; the Science Café on Wednesday evening and Marty Jopson’s family friendly Stunt Science on Thursday evening. And that’s not even mentioning the daytime schools shows on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday!

So much… full details are on the Festival 2022 page

Otley Science Festival 2022 general poster
Otley Science Festival 2022 general poster

Otley Science Festival 2022 is on its way!

yorxbrox2 Comments

We’ve been working on this year’s Science Festival for quite a while and can now share the shape of the week, beginning Monday 14th November.

This is how it looks:

  • Monday 14th, 7.30pm – The return of our Science Quiz, this time in person at Otley Courthouse, including the option of a fish and chip / vegetarian supper
  • Tuesday 15th, 7.30pm – Professor Chris Jackson on ‘The Geological Record of Climate Change’
  • Wednesday 16th, 7.30pm – Science Café
  • Thursday 17th, 7.30pm – Family friendly “Stunt Science” with Marty Jopson
  • Friday 18th 2pm matinee with Kersten Hall on ‘Insulin’
  • Friday 18th, 7.30pm – Matthew Cobb: ‘The Genetic Age – Our Perilous Quest To Edit Life’
  • Saturday 19th 10am – 4pm the ever popular Science Fair
  • Saturday 19th, 7.30pm – Yorkshire’s own Paul Hudson talking about Yorkshire’s weather, climate change and his life on TV.

In addition, running over Tuesday to Thursday evening between 6pm and 7pm we will have a guided book reading by Greg Radick. The book is Charles Darwin’s ‘The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals’.

As well as these public events there will be events for schools (KS1 and KS2) running Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday daytimes. Home schoolers are welcome to join these.

Full details of the shows, prices and booking information will be added to the web site shortly.