Pushing science to its limits

Cambridge Science Festival is hoping to break new boundaries in celebration of London 2012 as it asks ‘How fast can Usain Bolt run?’ and takes ‘A mathematical look at the Olympics’.

Bookings for the Festival, which takes place from March 12-25, open this morning with more than 180 mostly free events for the public to choose from. Organisers are hoping for a record turnout after last year’s total of 35,000 visitors.

With the theme of ‘breaking boundaries’, the Festival will focus on the unceasing progress of science, technology, engineering and mathematics with a programme of events to suit children and adults of all tastes and ages.

There will also be a special sub-section of events with a special Olympics and Paralympics theme.

And for the first time, the Festival will have a guest director; comedian, actor and author Robin Ince - co-host of the BBC’s Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox.

Ince will join Alan Moore and other guests on March 16 in the ‘Bad Science Book Club’ where the panel will discuss the odd, arcane and downright terrible science literature, as well as ‘Happiness Through Science’ on the Festival’s flagship family day (Saturday, March 18), where he asks whether it’s possible to be happy and rational at the same time.

Other star names from the world of science include: Richard Wiseman (Science of the paranormal), Jim Al-Khalili (On the shoulders of Eastern giants), Simon Singh (Alan Turing and the Enigma cipher), Alastair Fothergill (Frozen Planet: the making of a landmark wildlife documentary), Carolin Crawford (Sounds of the Universe) and Stefan Gates (Gastronaut live)

Other highlights include evening lectures on topics as diverse as ‘The musical brain’, ‘Plants for the future’ and ‘Great discoveries in medicine’.

Robin Ince said: “The last few years have seen a reinvigoration of public engagement with science that has been both hopeful and thrilling. I have looked at audiences as the Cambridge Science Festival and elsewhere and seen a broad mix of age, gender and hairstyles!

“It’s a joy to have the opportunity to curate a few events at the Cambridge Science Festival which seems to have an even more hectic schedule than recent years. Asking the question ‘why’ and then using what we have at our disposal to try and fashion an answer is one of the adventures of being human.”

For more information including the latest event updates and to request a copy of the programme please visit: www.cam.ac.uk/sciencefestival or call: 01223 766766

Other highlights of the 2012 Cambridge Science Festival include:

The musical brain

Gert-Jan de Haas, neuropsychologist and musician, takes us on a journey through the musical brain via dancing parrots, snails, a cup of tea and important principle of ‘not not’. He explains how what is known about general brain functions can be applied to learning and performing music and why it is that the musical brain really knows nothing!

Understanding excess

Compulsive acts or habits which are hard to stop occur in people with OCD and other disorders such as autism or substance abuse disorder. What is the neurobiological basis for them and how can they best be treated? Speakers include Professor Barbara Sahakian, Trevor Robbins and Naomi Fineberg.

In conversation with Alan Moore

One of the UK’s finest and most imaginative writers, Alan Moore, discusses the meeting of science and fiction, his own inspirations from the world of scientific discovery and whether there is room for the mystical in a rational world. With Robin Ince.

On the shoulders of Eastern giants: forgotten contribution of medieval physicists

We learn at school that Isaac Newton is the father of modern optics and that Copernicus heralded the birth of astronomy. But what is the debt these men owe to the physicists and astronomers of the medieval Islamic Empire? Men such as Ibn al-Haytham, Avicenna and Ibn al-Shatir. In this lecture Jim Al-Khalili will tell the story of these fascinating characters.

Eruptions that shook the world

Clive Oppenheimer explores geological, historical and archaeological records to ask how volcanic eruptions have shaped the trajectory of human society and considers how we can prepare ourselves for future catastrophes.

The sounds of the Universe

In space no-one can hear you scream... but it is still a noisy Universe . This lecture takes a new approach to appreciating the Universe, through the vehicle of sound. Join Dr Carolin Crawford as she explores how the sounds of space can be a useful way to illustrate processes in astronomy and how sound is ultimately responsible for the growth of all structure we see today in the cosmos.

Alan Turing and the Enigma cipher

In the centenary year of Alan Turing’s birth, Simon Singh discusses the German Enigma cipher machine and how it was cracked by Alan Turing and the other codebreakers at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. The lecture will include a demonstration of a genuine working Enigma machine.

Crisp packet fireworks with the Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists take you on whistle-stop tour of the world of waves, gases and chemistry. They detonate bombs, electrocute vegetables, turn air into liquid, reveal the secret of sun-cream, use chemicals to produce bright lights, and launch hydrogen-powered rockets. Definitely not for the faint of heart!

How fast can Usain Bolt run?

How could Usain Bolt improve his world 100 meters sprint record significantly without improving his speed? How fast should he be able to run? Professor John Barrow FRS answers these and other questions in this talk, which also looks at the mechanics of sprinting and the effects of wind assistance, timing, accuracy and altitude on sprint time.

The final push: preparing an athlete for an Olympic or Paralympic Games

Paralympic athlete Dan Gordon explores the preparation strategies employed by athletes in the final months leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in order to optimise performance. We will consider physiological and psychological athlete preparation and the role of 'Secret Squirrels'.