Science Brainwaves

Science Brainwaves is an entirely voluntary organisation, run and organised by students at the University of Sheffield. They undertake a wide range of activities, which fall into two kinds: outreach (to schoolchildren) and events (to adults, families and the general public).

In 2012, in addition to the Sir Walter Bodmer award described in the main news item, they were promoted from being a twig of the BSA to being a fully-fledged Branch.

Outreach

Science Brainwaves aims to excite children about science. They go out to schools and scout groups, they run a science after school club, and they also host events at the University of Sheffield. They got money from the Wellcome Trust (via the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres) to set up a series of one-day workshops, in which participants analyse their own DNA using PCR (as seen on all good forensic science programmes!) to find out why some people can taste the bitter taste of a chemical called PTC and some can’t. The workshops take up to 24 students at a time, and the aim is to run 10-15 per year. Local schools volunteer to take part, and the event takes place in a science lab in the University.

Events

Science Brainwaves have been energetic in coming up with novel and exciting ways of bringing science to the public. They have organised a series of sell-out combined talks and hands-on fun in the University, including Dancing on the earth’s surface, Science of cocktails, Botany of gin, and Better looking, better loving. The first of these was a family lecture; the other three (understandably) were not. They have a science blog on their web site, they present a radio show on Sheffield’s community radio station Sheffield Live, they hold regular pub quizzes at the Showroom, they hold a book club, and they run film nights, as well as taking science out to events such as SET week in the Winter Gardens in Sheffield. For an excellent overview of their activities, see their 2012 video.

Science Brainwaves are always looking for volunteers to help and can be contacted at http://www.sciencebrainwaves.com/contact/volunteering/. You do not need to be a scientist to volunteer!