Biology Zone: Cambridge Science Festival, Schools' Visits and Online (360G-Wellcome-081841_Z_06_Z)

We intend to run novel participative Biology Zone activities at the Cambridge Science Festival during National Science Week in March 2007, through school visits and online through interactive content, audio and video material. The Biology Zone will engage school pupils, young people and adults with interactive presentations, demonstrations, and take-home activities on the health, social and ethical dimension of advances in genetic research, stem cell research, the effects of pharmaceutical drugs on the body, nutrition and farming, cancer research, psychology and neuroscience and infectious disease. In collaboration with partners with extensive track records in this area, the Biology Zone will involve scientists presenting interactive experiments, displays and computer presentations, and discussing issues with 3,000 visitors of all ages. Schools visits are planned to reach a further 1300 pupils, focusing on schools in challenging circumstances, with a combination of scientists and artists visiting schools and school groups visiting farms and other sites of interest to support learning in biological subjects. Online activities will bring interactive biomedical brainteasers and puzzles, targeted at 11-18 year olds, on to the Cambridge Science Festival site to give learning an extended dimension. We will also make Podcasts and audio downloads of biomedical content at the Cambridge Science Festival available through our website, in partnership with the Naked Scientists' radio show. Videos of biomedical lectures and of Festival attendees presenting their views will also be made available through our website. These online activities will engage at least 10,000 visitors.