On Friday 29 and Saturday 30 September, Edinburgh’s Explorathon returns to the city, providing a host of fun and free experiences for all ages. With experiments, games and interactive challenges taking place from museums to shopping centres, this celebration of the research taking place behind the doors of the capital’s world-class institutions mixes creative science, storytelling, debate and plenty of hands-on activities for little one. But Explorathon – which is held as part of European Researchers’ Night with involvement from universities and academic centres across the country – isn’t just for the kids.
Friday night offers a chance for the grown-ups to indulge their curiosity with three special events. The Edinburgh Active Citizenship Group hosts an open discussion on what the future of the nation might look like without the European Union with Brexit: Cliff Edge or Launchpad? at the City Chambers, featuring guest speaker Professor Nicola McEwen, expert in territorial politics. Audience contribution is warmly encouraged. Café Scientifique delves deep into the past in an exploration of Scotland’s feral past with dinosaur expert Steve Brusatte at the Levels Café on Holyrood Road, and the Curiosity Forest opens up an enchanted woodland in the Charteris Centre for an evening of wine, chat and storytelling with Research Raconteurs, which sees academics sharing lighthearted tales of their work and experiences in the field. From languages to astronomy to the future of medicine, there’s sure to be something here to inspire, entertain and surprise.
Further details of the programme including times and locations of all happenings can be found at www.explorathon.co.uk/edinburgh, on our own Beltane calendar, or you can follow the adventure @ernscot on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram #explorathon17.
