The Periodic Table of Videos (PTOV) and Sixty Symbols (SS) are a collaborative effort between video journalist Brady Haran and the School of Chemistry and School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nottingham. Our two collections of several hundred short videos on scientific topics are hosted on YouTube and are available through our dedicated websites. The two channels have gained an enthusiastic global audience with over 29 million total video views. Though the initial goals of the projects were to produce one video for each element in the Periodic Table (PTOV) and 60 videos about the symbols used in physics and astronomy (SS), both projects have instead responded to a tide of viewer enthusiasm to evolve into ongoing projects far beyond their original scope.

“The NSO is a truly wonderful resource which is so much more than just a sophisticated eye to the universe. Just as importantly, it gives us a powerful platform from which to proceed with inspiring students in science through astronomy” (Science teacher)

What is the National Schools’ Observatory?

Centre of the Cell is a £4 million biomedical science centre; educational website and outreach project aimed at children and young people aged 9 to 19, families and youth and community groups. The Centre of the Cell 'Pod' (resembling a 16 cell human embryo) is dramatically suspended above the laboratories and provides young people with a unique interactive insight into what scientists do and how their work influences real life. Centre of the Cell's Director, Professor Fran Balkwill OBE FMedSci, is a leading cancer researcher and science communication expert.

Purpose:

Bright Club is a series of events where academics perform stand-up comedy about their research in a professional comedy venue to an audience beyond the usual suspects. Full details of the project are available at www.brightclub.org

Traditionally, sciSCREEN-type public engagement events have used cinema’s back catalogue to discuss one, usually ‘hard’ science, aspect of an explicitly science orientated film. By contrast, Cardiff sciSCREEN uses new release films from a range of genres, allowing us to use the existing publicity and public awareness to build an interest in the sciSCREEN event and attract a wider audience. Rather than merely dissecting the ‘hard’ science on show, Cardiff sciSCREEN draws on academic expertise from a wide range of disciplines to encourage critical thinking about science, society, and film.