Out and about

Cambridge Science Festival: Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th March 2008

Ever wondered how to build an AM radio? Want to know the science behind beer? Would you like to meet Dr Who Monsters or would you just fancy coming face to face with a life size animatronic polar bear?

Big bangs with Dr Wothers

It's the time of year, once again, when everything within the realms of science is possible.

Cambridge University swings its doors open to let all of us get stuck into science; be warned, it could get messy.

From the moment festival patron Carol Vorderman gets the ball rolling on the Saturday there is sure to be a chain reaction of clinically proven fun events, activities and experiments.

Child's play

The Cambridge Science Festival is proof that smart stuff isn't just for adults, with many of this year's highlights right up the street of kids from five years old and up.

Carol Vorderman's let herself go, oh

An exhibition of Dr Who monsters will be sprawled through the Pitt Building while Dr Paul Parsons explains all the sciencey bits that make the BBC show a classic hit.

But, let's face it, the coolest thing about science is the explosions, and Dr Peter  Wothers delivers with a bang. On Saturday 15th March he'll be showing how the simple elements around us can be combined to produce new elements and a few crash, bang, wallops.

On the same day you can also have a go at making a video game, create special effects as seen in films such as Harry Potter and get to grips with making a rocket car and see how far you get in the rocket car derby.

Bjorn for science

At the Cambridge Museum of Technology on the Sunday you can put together your own AM radio, make your own toy at the Cavendish Laboratory and learn about tiny, tiny technology.

Ah, that's Carol

The festival's crowd puller is of the fluffy and white variety. Bjorn is an actual size moving polar bear complete with his trainer Ursula and you can find him at the Pitt Building Saturday afternoon.

While all the big bangs and polar antics are happening over the weekend of the 15th, you can get even more out of a series of lectures running either side of the big weekend.