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Friday, July 28, 2017
News 11
Hundreds of visitors go out of this world at town's first Space Fest SPACE aces discovered the appliance of science in Bognor Regis. Some 800 visitors enjoyed the biggest event of its kind to held in the town. THey entered the town's campus of the University of Chichester and went out of this world. THe university became the universe for its first community space fest – and its buildings were packed with those eager to find out more. A talk about Horrible Science books was next to a film about the International Space Station, a marshmallow lab looked at building a rocket launcher tower and the Royal Institution took along its show with a mass of bangs, fire and intrigue. Among those getting some hands-on experience of science was Ethan Guppy, 12. He programmed a Lego Mindstorm EV3 robotic toy to move in different directions and stop. He said: “It's exciting getting the robot to do what I want it to do. I really want to have one of these.” He had also packed in a similar session by racing a BB8 Sphero and holding a 5,000 million-year-old meteor packed with iron. “I like space," he said, “because it's a mystery. We have not explored much of it yet. I would like to become a space explorer.” THe campus in Upper Bognor Road had nine of its main buildings each designated as one of the planets for the four-hour event. Its packed programme featured shows, talks, demonstrations and workshops for
children and adults of any age. Just a few metres from all the fun, building work continues to create the university's £45m engineering and digital technology park. THis will be the biggest single facility devoted to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) opened by an English university for 50 years when its first students enrol in September, 2018. It will almost double the number of undergraduates on the campus to 3,000 and has links with major companies such as Rolls Royce and Sony. University director of marketing Helen McKenna-Aspell said the community space fest was part of the drive by the university to put the steam into the country's STEM know-how. She said: “Science underpins everything about how our society works. Understanding science is the gateway into a career like engineering but we also want young people to be able to engage with the future and understand the careers that are going to be created. Many of those will need a fundamental understanding of STEM subjects. “Historically, many people have been really negative about engineering. THey think it's hard to understand or boring. “Today is about saying they can get involved.” Benjamin Wisdom, nine, had an explosion go off in one of his hands courtesy of the Royal Institution and a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen. “THere was a bit of tingle. It felt weird but
it was fun,” he said. THere was also Space Slime, or water and cornflour, and its changing properties when wet or dry. His brother, Jake Wisdom, 14, also took part in the green screen room where he was photographed with an alien hat and the shot was manipulated on a computer with a big helping of special effects. He said: “It was strange seeing my image change like that. I want to go home and do some of the explosions.” THere was also plenty of creativity on show. Max Edlin, six, and his sister, twoyear-old Hattie Edlin, were busy making moon buggies and racing their space cars. THeir mother, Becca Edlin, 36, of Littlehampton, said: “THis is a really brilliant day. THere's plenty of things to keep the children busy and it's combining creativity with education because they are learning about space. Best of all, it's free. “We live in Littlehampton and found out about this event from a friend. I didn't even know this campus was here." Lesley-Anne Neville, the university's head of outreach, said: “I'm Bognor born and bred and to be able to have the campus open for the community is brilliant. “I'm really pleased that so many people have come today. THe reason we got some of the funding for the new development is that there is a dearth of chances on the south coast, particularly in communities like Bognor Regis, for people to engage in STEM."
f Aaran and Lydia Butters learning about the universe
f Building marshmallow rockets
f An out of this world feeling to the illuminated room
f Creating green transport