Part of our role as researchers is to carry out public outreach activities to share our knowledge and passion for science. We want to help wider audiences understand what it is we do, what impacts this can have on everyday life and, most of all, inspire young people to get involved in science.
We are involved in, and organise many events throughout the year.
World of atoms
World of atoms is a workshop to introduce 8 to 10 year old children to the beauty of atoms and their intricate interactions with light - brought to life with discussion, art, experiment, poetry and dance. Feedback from children includes:
I enjoyed writing about the elements and atoms, I enjoyed it all.
I liked learning about the periodic table.
Photo from Oxclose Primary School 2022.
If you would like to host a workshop email Hannah at hannah.williams4@durham.ac.uk.
Schools’ Science Festival
The Schools’ Science Festival is an annual outreach event held at Durham University that offers a range of fun science activities for secondary school students from across the North East. Each activity is organised by a different research group from the University’s science departments, and QLM is a regular contributor.
Through the hands-on activities that we have developed, students who attend the science festival get to learn about the physics of light and atoms from a different perspective to what they are taught in school. They also get an idea of what experiments at groups like QLM look like.