IFR is celebrating National Science and Engineering Week by hosting a Showcase of Young Science, where PhD students from IFR and other Norwich Research Park institutes describe their work to a public audience, who then vote on which they think should be funded. IFR’s Sam Vogt will talk about how we communicate with the microbes in our gut.

IFR at Big Bang 2011

Also during National Science and Engineering Week, which is organised by the British Science Association, IFR scientists will be attending the Big Bang Fair, the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths for young people in the UK. Held from 15-17 March in The NEC, Birmingham, over 30,000 people are expected to learn about science and the exciting careers it can provide. IFR will be showcasing some of the opportunities food science provides, by looking at food for sport and explaining what exactly a calorie is, where all the information of calories in foods comes from, and why sportsmen prefer to look at glycaemic index.

On Thursday 15th March, the Annual IFR in the City Lecture will see Dr Susan Jebb, Head of Diet & Population Health Medical Research Council, Human Nutrition Research Unit, Cambridge talk about food for a fitter leaner future. Dr Jebb has over 25 years of experience in nutrition research, and leads a team of scientists working across a range of public health nutrition issues, with particular emphasis on the translation of nutrition science into policy and practice. Places for this public lecture, which starts at 18:30 at The Assembly House in Norwich, can be booked by contacting  dawn.barrett@nbi.ac.uk or Tel: 01603 255 328.

IFR will also be part of Science in Norwich Day, which celebrates the world-class science coming out of Norwich. On Saturday 24^th March IFR scientists will be chewing the fat at The Forum by explaining the different types of fat in our diet, why we need them and why too much fat can be bad.

BBC’s The One Show astronomer Mark Thompson, along with the Norwich Astronomical Society, will be observing the sun (when it comes out), whilst the Open Air Laboratory will explore the depths of your pond. Regular science shows in the Curve Auditorium will look at music, mathemagic and things that make you go Eeuww.

There will be plenty of hands-on activities for all the family, from making slime to blowing bubbles, science busking, robots and how to have fun with DNA.

Science in Norwich day is supported by CUE East, UEA

http://soin.org.uk/2012/01/science-in-norwich-day/