In July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their first steps on the moon. It was a result of national pride and immense teamwork that transformed what was previously considered science fiction into fact and allowed them to arrive there safely. As a trainee astronaut herself, Jackie will talk us through that monumental moment 50 years ago and the progress and achievements human space exploration has made since. Will we go back to the moon? Join Jackie as she talks about her own experiences and the plans NASA and ESA have to return humans safely to the moon almost 47 years after we last set foot there…

Jackie is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London and has a huge passion for communicating science and inspiring others to pursue STEM careers. Graduating with a PhD in Theoretical Particle Physics from the University of Liverpool in 2016, Jackie went on to manage the UK’s largest STEM engagement programmes, run in partnership with the UK Space Agency and Science and Technology Facilities Council. A year later, Jackie took part in the BBC Science production ‘Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?’. For this she was selected from over 3,000 applicants to take part and to undertake tests similar to those used in the astronaut selection process at major space agencies. Following filming, Jackie has continued to work towards her dream and passion of space exploration - hoping to one day become the first Scouser in Space!

Useful information

• NASA Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Historic Moon Landing with Live TV Broadcast, Events
• Follow Dr Jackie Bell on Twitter @sciencesummedup
• British Science Association

If you could bring back one living thing from the whole of the history of time, what would you choose? Author, comedian and former stem-cell biologist Helen Pilcher has thought about this problem a lot. Join Helen as she explains the cutting-edge science that makes the resurrection of extinct animals a very real possibility and explains how this can help us protect other endangered species from extinction. Hear her choices from eras gone by - from the King of the Dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex, to the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, Elvis Presley.

Useful information

• http://www.helenpilcher.com/

Due to popular demand Dr Ken is back!! Roll up, roll up and explore the science behind the thrills and spills of the circus. As Doctor Ken takes you on a voyage of discovery investigating how performers make use of many scientific principles in their tricks and stunts. Find out why jugglers love gravity, how clowns use the force like a Jedi and why unicyclists need to keep moving to stay still. It’s science but not as you may know it! Join us as we balance on a tightrope, learn to juggle on the moon and explore the forces of other circus props. Put on your science hats as this is going to be fun!

31 October 2019, 1:00pm to 3:00pm - Suitable from age 5+ but all ages welcome

PLEASE NOTE THE SHOW IS FROM 2PM-3PM BUT THERE WILL BE PRE-SHOW SCIENCE AND WELLBEING ACTIVITIES TAKING PLACE IN THE YOUTH ZONE (UPSTAIRS IN THE SHOPPINGCITY) FROM 1PM-2PM FOR ALL THE FAMILY

Useful information

• https://dodifferent.co.uk/

On January 30th, 2011, James Piercy, 39, and from Norwich, set out for an ordinary Sunday morning drive with this family. But after 30 minutes on the road, the day quickly turned into anything but ordinary. Around midday, a nail punched the car’s tyre, causing the vehicle to spin off the road and smash into a tree. The whole accident took less than a minute to happen; just a few seconds in time that would change James’ life in an instant as he suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. In this thought provoking talk we will hear James story of injury and recovery and what he has learnt about his brain.

Useful information

• Headway

DNA. The double helix; the blueprint of life; and, during the early 1950s, a baffling enigma that could win a Nobel Prize. Everyone knows that James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix. In fact, they clicked into place the last piece of a huge jigsaw puzzle that other researchers had assembled over decades. Researchers like Maurice Wilkins (the ‘Third Man of DNA’) and Rosalind Franklin, famously demonised by Watson. Not forgetting the ‘lost heroes’ who fought to prove that DNA is the stuff of genes, only to be airbrushed out of history.

In Unravelling the Double Helix, Professor Gareth Williams sets the record straight. He tells the story of DNA in the round, from its discovery in pus-soaked bandages in 1868 to the aftermath of Watson’s best-seller The Double Helix a century later. You don’t need to be a scientist to enjoy this book. It’s a page-turner that unfolds like a detective story, with suspense, false leads and treachery, and a fabulous cast of noble heroes and back-stabbing villains. But beware: some of the science is dreadful, and the heroes and villains may not be the ones you expect.

Gareth Williams is Emeritus Professor and former Dean of Medicine at the University of Bristol. His previous books for general readers are Angel of Death: The Story of Smallpox (shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize of 2010), Paralysed with Fear: The Story of Polio and A Monstrous Commotion: The Mysteries of Loch Ness. He is a past president of the Anglo-French Medical Society and has an honorary doctorate from the University of Angers. He is often to be found playing the flute or saxophone in and around Bristol.

Useful information

• Weidenfeld & Nicolson