Our Outreach activities
We provide a variety of fun-filled scientific activities suitable for all ages. These hands-on lectures and demonstrations are aimed at everyone, regardless of scientific background, with an Educate and Entertain ethos.
Our department has widespread research interests that provide an excellent feeding ground for public engagement activities. Our aim is to translate our findings and make them accessible for the general public.
Levelling Up: Aspire Higher
Our outreach programme
Light, Colour, Camera, Action
What do sweet wrappers, Pink Floyd, Darth Vader and fibre optic broadband have in common? Light! This is a fun, hands-on activity to ‘wow’ people about light and fluorescence. This nationally-renowned event has been run by Durham and the RSC for ten years now, with over 10,000 attendees to date.
NanoBattleBots: Defenders of mankind
Our ‘nanomachines’ are the ‘laser-guided missiles’ in humanity’s fight against cancer. They ‘burst’ cancer cells by drilling into them, leaving healthy cells alive. This precision-guided approach could be a versatile treatment for many types of cancer with minimal side-effects. This is a Royal Society Public Engagement funded project.
Bubbles and Bilayers: Science at the interface
Take a dip into the science of bubbles with us to explore what makes bubbles work. With support from the Royal Society, we present the science of interfaces and bilayers in an accessible "hands on" way for all ages.
Shedding Light on Medieval Manuscripts
What can modern spectroscopy using light reveal form the past? Join Professor Andrew Beeby in his quest to unveil some fascinating unwritten hidden stories from the pages of ancient books and maps. Learn about pigments and dyes used by the illustrators and track their journeys across the globe.
Chemistry for Scouting and Guiding
Chemistry for Scouting and Guiding (ChemSG) is an outreach organisation founded by chemistry PhD students aimed at bringing fun, educational chemistry activities to Scouting and Guiding groups in County Durham.