The Royal Society’s annual Summer Science Exhibition is one of the most prestigious science public engagement events, having taken place in the heart of central London for more than 200 years. Between Tuesday 4 - Sunday 9 July, more than 10,000 visitors are expected to attend the week-long, free festival that will showcase the latest cutting-edge science from across the UK.
On the forecourt outside the Royal Society’s headquarters, researchers from the University of Oxford’s Livestock Environment and People (LEAP) programme will be inviting people to ‘Meat Your Persona’ and discover more about how their meat consumption might impact their health and the environment. Housed in an eye-catching yellow horsebox, the installation features an engaging quiz, interactive activities, plant-based recipe cards, and summary factsheets of LEAP’s research.
Lucy Yates, Public Engagement Coordinator for LEAP, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, said: 'The Royal Society Summer Exhibition will be a great opportunity for our researchers to find out what people know about the impact of their diets and to answer some of those tricky questions visitors might have about the most significant changes we can make to what we eat in order to look after human and planetary health.'
Rachel Ashwanden, Meat Your Persona Tour Manager, said: 'I feel very lucky to have spoken and listened to so many different people in the North of England and in Scotland and Wales, about their relationship with food – I'm really looking forward to continuing these conversations with visitors to the RSSSE!'
Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Oxford’s Department of Earth Sciences together with colleagues from the University of East Anglia and University of the West Indies, will be leading another of the nine flagship exhibits this year, called Sensing Volcanoes. This draws on Oxford’s world-leading expertise in volcanology to illustrate the realities of living in the shadow of a volcano. A key attraction will be the ‘The Imaginarium’: a light up floor installation which simulates what happens during a volcanic eruption, both the hazards at the surface and the magmatic processes taking place deep underground.
The Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition takes place between Tuesday 4 - Sunday 9 July at 6 - 9 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG. Entry is free and no booking is required. Full information can be found on the Society’s website.