Pint of Science festival comes to Coventry

Coventry is going to be one of nearly 300 cities in the world to partake in the Pint of Science festival from 14 to 16 May, where local pubs in each city will play host to a unique science festival for the public.

35 research scientists working at Warwick University and Coventry University will be attending the Drapers, the Twisted Barrel, and the Phoenix and Shopfront Theatre in Coventry and The Royal Pug in Leamington Spa to give talks, demonstrations, and even live experiments about their work.

There will be a broad range of presentations on offer which are based around current areas of research, including the causes and dangers of antibiotic resistance, the impact of virtual reality on healthcare, the future of spies,  and an interrogation of translations of Anthony Burgess’ Nadsat, an invented language with no organic culture or actual standing in human history. The audience will then have the chance to question the scientists about their work.

Scientists holding the talks will include Professor Richard J. Aldrich, Professor of International Security at the University of Warwick; Professor Christopher Dowson, microbiologist at the University of Warwick; and Dr Benet Vincent and Dr Jim Clarke, who have been leading a research project into the handling of Nadsat at Coventry University.

The first Pint of Science festival began in 2013, inspired by Dr Praveen Paul and Dr Michael Motskins of Imperial College London. After they both showed their research to people with neurodegenerative diseases, they wanted to engage the wider public about scientific research being conducted in labs in a more personal environment.

“There is so much fascinating research happening right under our noses that we don’t know about,” says Dr Paul.

“Pint of Science allows people direct access to inspiring scientists and encourages open discussion, all in the most familiar of British places, the pub!”

Engagement co-ordinator ay the University of Warwick, Alison Phillips, commented that the festival is “an exciting opportunity for researchers from Warwick and Coventry to tell their research story to a Coventry audience, and for the general public to hear about developments straight from the laboratory”.