Taking research on the road

Fifteen thousand people seized the chance to try out interactive displays hosted by academics and students from a range of disciplines at schools, science centres and festivals.

The Roadshow has now spent three summers taking research to the wider world.  At the start, it concentrated on activities in science and engineering, but it now showcases projects from across the University.

Isle of Wight music event Bestival was the new venue for the final event of the 2012 tour. Thirty people from the Roadshow team and National Oceanography Centre Southampton took part over the four days.  Displays included the life of satellites, 3D printing, how we hear and how the human brain responds to rewards. The popular ‘singing bubbles' exhibit featured the research of  Dr Helen Czerski from the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR).

Organiser Dr Steve Dorney says he was pleased so many people visited their exhibits, located in the festival's Tomorrow's World field. "It was a great success. We had around five thousand conversations with the music-lovers, and perhaps not surprisingly, many of them turned out to be Southampton graduates.  Probably double that number dropped in to have a look at what we were doing and so overall that's about ten per cent of this huge festival audience," he says.  The Roadshow exhibited in the Science Tent alongside several other universities, organised by Dr Anthony Gallagher from Southampton Solent University.

Professor Phil Nelson, University of Southampton Pro Vice-Chancellor for research and enterprise  says: "It is great to see our Roadshow team having such success in engaging with the public. It is so important that the world gets to hear of all the fantastic work that goes on in our University. It is especially important that we continue to enthuse the next generation to get involved, to come here to study, and to contribute to our mission of changing the world for the better."

Plans are already underway for 2013. Steve and his colleague Dr Tony Curran have been awarded a grant from the Delivering Impact strand of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's Institutional Sponsorship. It will be used to develop a central exhibit for next year's Roadshow showcasing some highlights of the University's current and past successes. Tony is now mapping research across the University to track down interesting projects to include.

To find out more about the Roadshow's activities and venues, contact Tony at roadshow@soton.ac.uk